sun or shade?

I have some Milky Way and Black Kniolas and need to know whether these are full west facing sun capable or not. Also EmmaGrace, can you tell me about the pretties that you sent me? Do you think they'd do better full sun or somewhat protected?

Anne

Anne,
for my 2 cents, the pupureas can take full west facing sun, but the nils need protection from afternoon sun.

Milky Way and Knolias are purpureas.

Thank you for making the distinction. I only know pretty. lol

Anne

Beth - those are an excellent 2 cents - right on

For a little more information from a couple of gardeners who have grown MGs under and up a maple and hickory tree - respectively - there are a couple of links in the sticky under "SHADE"

Karen

Anne, Emma is no longer a member here, :( but if you list some of the seeds she sent you, maybe someone can help. she has been very generous here and someone may have grown them...

By the way the purple and white ruellia you sent me is doing great!!! I can't wait for the flowers!!!

Great!! I'm glad to hear it. I will post in the next couple of days about the others. I have a couple of oaks in front that I'm sure would look nice with something running up them.

Anne

Ok, I have some Rose Silk (Nil, so shade?), chocolate (nil again), Orange Noah, Clark's Heavenly Blue, China Doll (nil), shibori flaked (purpurea). The last couple (I think) were from Emma and a mix of Asagao Ao, Berlin Blue, Blizzard Pink, Brown Silk Dusty Mauve and others but since it's a mix (I, for one love surprises) there are others but since I don't know which is which I am not sure where I should plant them. I have 2 ac. so I can pretty much make anywhere an arbor.

Anne

yeah I know I can look them up, but getting excited since it got warmer and will be planting this weekend. wheeeeee!

Hi Aunt Anne,

Looks like you and I got a few of the same ones from EmmaGrace. I'm attaching a pic of Ipomoea purpurea "Very large, very pretty" that you can see has grown up into a saucer magnolia, which, in turn, is shaded by a neighbor's American holly. The rose hips in the foreground belong to the tough, shade-tolerant 'Cornelia' - which makes a grand show in May, and then produces occasional blooms thereafter. So, ascertain which ones belong to the species I. purpurea, because those will be the most shade-tolerant mgs of the 3 species that it looks like you're growing (although they'll respond better to more light).

The one I think will need the most sun is I. tricolor 'Heavenly Blue', from past experience here in Maryland. I've only grown the one cultivar of this species, but what a sheet of color it made - it deserves lots of light, I think.

Cultivars belonging to I. nil seem to be somewhere between I. purpurea and I. tricolor with respect to the light requirements. I think Beth was absolutely correct about giving those some afternoon sun, as far south as you are. Generally, the nils don't seem to grow as tall or as vigorously as the purpureas, so are less likely to hoist themselves up into the canopy of a tree where they can get more light.

Hope I made some sense here - it's getting a bit late

karen

Orange Noah can take the sun as well as Heavenly Blue.

Your mix from Emma sounds like they are all nils. Rose Silk, Chocolate and China Doll are all nils.