6 Plants That Like Afternoon Sun: A Bright Affair

Plants that like afternoon sun are mostly flowering plants, with a few non-flowering plants to consider. With most plants, getting the perfect light intensity or exposure for them can be challenging; it’s either too much sunlight or too little sunlight.

On one hand, some plants have a difficult time in the afternoon sun and will require partial shade from the afternoon heat. While on the other hand, some plants don’t mind the afternoon sun at all. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Types of Plants That Like Afternoon Sun

1. Black-eyed Susan

Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta), frequently known as brown betty, marguerite Jaune, and hairy coneflower, are staple plants in most gardens. They’re prevalent in central United states gardens, where they originate from.

– Characteristics

Black-Eyed Susans grow wildly along roadsides and in open fields. These short-lived perennial plants produce bright yellow flowers in clusters resembling daisies. The flowers are a fantastic option for wildflower gardens because of their capacity to self-seed.

They have a dark-seeded center, which is surrounded by brightly colored blooms. They have distinctively rough fuzzy leaves, which may not be their most remarkable physical feature, but it repels pests from them.

They make the best floral arrangements because of the stunning blooms. Not only that, but they don’t grow so tall, only about two to three feet tall.

– Growth Requirements

Black-eyed Susans are simple to grow, naturalize nicely, and need only be deadheaded for upkeep, especially if you want your plants to stay in bloom longer. Black-Eyed Susans are sun perennials.

As a result, they require total sun exposure to grow optimally and bloom well. They thrive in almost any soil type as long as it is well-draining with a slightly acidic pH.

These afternoon loving flowers are ones that are very drought-tolerant. However, during their first year of growth, keeping them well watered is better to help them establish a proper root system. Furthermore, These sun plants grow well in USDA zones 3 to 9.

– Blooming Seasons

Although these flowers would take some time to reach full maturity, they produce stunning blooms in their first flowering season, usually during summer. If you want summer to early fall blooms, plant them during spring when the warmth has returned.

2. Shasta Daisy

These plants are popular sunny perennials that have become naturalized throughout North America. They are hybrids of several daisy species and have over 60 known varieties.

All the varieties have stunning white blooms, characteristic yellow centers, and glossy green leaves that create the perfect contrast. Some types have double petals, which give a fuller look, while others are single-petalled. All these features add to the plant’s allure in gardens.

– Characteristics

Shasta daisies are short-lived and are similar to regular daisies in looks; however, they have some distinctive features. These cheery plants can become aggressive and take over the whole garden, so keeping them contained and away from wild areas is best.

As you would be deadheading flowers before they start producing seeds is another way of preventing these plants from taking over the garden, in addition, they would enjoy the sun in the afternoon at its best.

Shasta daisies typically grow two to three feet tall and spread as wide as three feet. These plants grow in clusters that can be perfect additions to a bouquet. Also note that they are lovely cut flowers because they keep their blooms for as long as a week.

The reason why most people would go with planting them is because they’re resistant to most pests and diseases. Also, they invite pollinators like butterflies to visit gardens when they’re in bloom.

– Growth Requirements

Shasta daisies are naturally easy to grow and maintain because they are hardy sun perennials. Once they’ve established roots, they can grow and spread without much assistance; moreover, these daisies produce the best flowers when they’re exposed to full sunlight.

Furthermore, they grow in various soil types as long as it’s moist, neutral, and drains well. If you want to repeat blooms year after year, keep planting more of these daisies every year.

– Blooming Seasons

It is ideal to plant Shasta daisies in summer or early spring in colder climates. Fall-planted Shasta daisies are less likely to establish good roots before the harsh winter weather hits, endangering their survival ability. Furthermore, they would also come back and bloom every spring and early summer until the beginning of the fall season.

3. Summer Snapdragon

Summer Snapdragon is one of the several names of what this plant is called, which would also include the dog’s mouth and even the lion’s mouth. These sunny perennial plants can also be grown as annuals. These beautiful plants are grown in arid or semi-arid gardens worldwide.

They are a cornerstone of traditional gardens and have countless applications, including mixed border gardens, patio containers, and flower boxes, where their vertical accents come in handy. They make excellent filler plants for pots, baskets, and garden wall cracks. Overall, with these aspects, they would let the place look thriving.

– Characteristics

When summer Snapdragons bloom, they produce vivid blue, purple, white, purple, lavender, or pink flowers. Their common name comes from their individual flower heads’ shape, similar to a dragon’s mouth, and even open and close in a snapping movement, much like when pollinators open their jaws to access pollen.

They are straightforward to grow and care for, and they are resistant to several diseases, pests, and harsh weather conditions. These reasons are the key characteristics, and a reason why they are loved throughout the journey of their cultivation.

Snapdragons appear in a wide range of colors and sizes, with spires that can reach heights of four feet. There are tall and dwarf variants, as well as pretty much anything in between. Since this plant is one that has been the subject of years of experimentation by breeders, there are now even types that train and crawl.

– Growth Requirements

Snapdragons can be slow-growing, especially when they’re planted from seeds. Since they’re that way, most people buy nursery seedlings which are frequently offered in affordable, packed sizes. A few weeks before the last winter frost, seeds can be planted indoors and develop quickly.

While summer snapdragons can tolerate some shade, these plants prefer total exposure to sunlight. They grow optimally in neutral soils that are nutrient-rich and drain well. To prolong their bloom period, deadhead the spent flower heads. Additionally, it would require ample watering, especially during the first few weeks of their growth.

– Blooming Seasons

Snapdragons have a lengthy blooming period. This is seen as the flowers start opening up at the base of the stem and move upwards till all the top flowers bloom in summer, spring or fall.

While this plant is known to have a typically slow down or stop blooming at the peak of summer’s heat, however, also remember that they will pick and bloom until later in fall if you continue to water them. You can grow summer then from seeds indoors, some weeks before the last frost.

4. Russian Sage

Russian sage plants are popular flowering shrubs. Due to their hardiness and low-maintenance requirements, these robust plants have established themselves as a staple in summer gardens.

– Characteristics

These flowering shrubs stand out in gardens with their scented silvery greyish-green leaves and stunning lavender-blue flowers. Russian sage is often used as a land cover in most gardens. Furthermore, remember that they are low-maintenance, drought-resistant perennials, which makes them especially suited to xeriscapes.

Like most sun perennials, the primary motivation for growing these plants is their beautiful foliage and blooms. During summer and fall, these plants boast tiny, brightly colored florets.

Moreover, the plant’s stems and leaves aren’t left out of the show as they also make significant statements that can even surpass the floral display. Without pruning, Russian sage shrubs would be able to grow to a height of five feet and spread as wide as three feet or more.

– Growth Requirements

If you don’t want to do a lot of work and want a plant that will continue to look good for months even after you just plant and forget about it, this sage is at the top of the list of such plants. They aren’t fussy and are very easy to grow and maintain. However, all they require is exposure to full sun and excellent well-draining soil with an acidic, neutral, or alkaline pH.

Also, remember that the Russian sage shrubs grow tall, so they will sometimes need extra support, primarily if they’re grown singly. However, additional support won’t be needed when you plant them in groups since they tend to support themselves.

The primary maintenance you will end up doing if you grow these plants is pruning, and even that isn’t completely necessary, because if you don’t, it will grow tall enough. On the other hand, make sure that you watch out for these plants’ roots because they tend to spread. This means, if you don’t want them to spread to undesirable areas, you will need to control their growth.

– Blooming Seasons

Russian sage shrubs produce their gorgeous flowers during summer. These flowers can sometimes bloom into fall if they receive adequate sunlight.

The ideal time to plant Russian sage is during late spring. The warmer temperatures during this period will promote rapid development. You can also grow them late during summer as long as there’s no sign of frost yet.

5. Common Foxgloves

These plants are classified as Digitalis purpurea. They are grown as short-lived perennials in several parts of the world. Foxgloves grow tall and slim, with beautiful, unusual blooms shaped like tubes with bright speckles.

– Characteristics

The plants usually bloom in their second season before dying off. They only develop a basal clump of leaves in their first year, then grow tall stalks which would be about two to five feet tall covered in stunning tube-like white, purple, or pink flowers that are sometimes studded with purple or white dots in their second year.

Foxglove flowers are attractive to bees and other pollinators, and their shapes are particularly suitable for feeding these pollinators. They look lovely as background plantings or tall borders and stand out well against structures like fences or buildings.

However, when you are growing them, you should note that they are deer resistant, but they can be unsafe for people and pets, so you need to take extra precautions if you want to grow them. Make sure that no one would accidentally ingest them or else they may be intoxicated.

– Growth Requirements

Foxgloves don’t bloom in their first year, so if you decide to grow them, you should consider planting nursery plants in their second growing year. Doing this will be a key to assure that you get blooms in your first planting season.

Several nursery plants are grown from varieties that have been conditioned to bloom in their first year. However, if you don’t mind the long wait, you can grow them from seeds.

Foxgloves are relatively simple to cultivate. They do best in moist, slightly acidic, rich soils in total sun areas. They will be prone to tolerate of a little shade, however for their best blooming results, you should grow them in full view of the sun and to give them sun warmth in the afternoon.

These plants are prone to root rot, so it’s important to use a soil type that drains well. Foxgloves come in a variety of sizes, so their spacing should reflect this. However, as a general rule of thumb, it’s better to leave about two feet between each plant.

Staking foxgloves is very keen, especially for taller varieties, this is because as you stake them, it will give extra support and prevents them from toppling during a windstorm. Once the plants have finished blooming, they tend to become shaggy, so most people uproot them.

– Blooming Seasons

Foxgloves produce flowers all at once during the early spring seasons. You can expect these blooms to extend throughout summer before they die. To ensure that you have foxglove blooms yearly, plant it for two years in a row, or search for cultivars that bloom in the first year.

These plants self-seed a lot, so most gardeners practice deadheading on them after they have flowered to reduce the number of seedlings they produce.

If you’re working with seeds, it’s best to plant them during summer. However, if you choose to grow foxgloves through little shoots, it’s best to plant them in early fall so that they can become established before the threat of frost sets In.

6. Dahlia

Dahlias are from the same family as daisies, Asters, sunflowers, and chrysanthemums, the Asteraceae family. They have several varieties with different shapes, colors, and sizes, all of which are spectacular in flower gardens. It can be daunting to decide a specific type because of how many there are.

These plants, indigenous to Central America and Mexico, have over 20,000 varieties cultivated and highly regarded by gardeners and florists.

– Characteristics

Whichever variety you select, you’re sure to get stunning hues of red, white, orange, yellow, pink, lavender, purple, and black flowers. Some varieties can even grow bi-colored or variegated flowers.

Dahlias bloom in late seasons. They can grow really tall; however, the plants’ size varies with species, from those with large blooms on six-foot plants to small border varieties. Despite their wide variety, they often have long upright stems that allow the flowers space to stand out.

– Growth Requirements

Dahlias are Tuber plants, and as a result, they can be grown outside after all the frost has disappeared and the soil has warmed a bit. In most regions, their tubers are too delicate to be left in the soil in the soil, during cold seasons.

When they’re cultivated as annuals, dahlias must be dug up, and as for their tubers, they should be stored up for the winter, and then replanted in the spring.

As a general rule, these flowers are full-sun perennials and grow and bloom best when they’re exposed to full sunlight. However, in extremely hot and sunny regions, they tolerate a bit of shade. In addition, they grow well in well-draining, rich, loamy soils with a slightly acidic or neutral pH. If you have dense soil in your garden, you can loosen it up with meat moss to grow Dahlias.

Dahlias are considered annual or perennial plants. In tropical regions, they are grown as perennials, while in zones lower than USDA zone 8, they are grown as annual plants. As a result, Dahlias can be picky about where they are grown. However, many of the more recent varieties are more dependable and easier to grow.

– Blooming Seasons

Dahlias bloom in a wide variety of colors from mid-summer to fall which is around July to late October, making them one of the most stunning late-season flowers. They should be planted sometime in late spring.

Note that after planting, the plants take eight to ten weeks to mature and flower. However, when they do, their blooms can last as long as 120 days, brightening up gardens and spaces where they’re planted.

Conclusion

Even though some plants dislike the afternoon sun, there are others that love it. However, not all sun-loving plants can withstand drought, and as a result, it’s important to pay close attention to your plant watering habits. Let’s go through some takeaways from this article.

• Your afternoon sun-loving flowers will continue to thrive using techniques like watering, deadheading, mulching, and moving during the summer heat.
• Most afternoon sun loving-plants will benefit from partial shade, especially when it gets extremely hot.
• Most afternoon sun-loving plants are flowering plants; however, some non-flowering plants also do well in the afternoon sun.

With the right plants, you can create a stunning, cheery garden!

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