my general rule of thumb.. is the bigger the flower.. the more sun that is needed.. for ULTIMATE performance ... especially as the plant itself gets smaller ...

plants need power to make those big flowers ... and as shade increases.. power or energy production will go down ...

can it live in shade.. probably ...

will it flower in shade... maybe ... depending on how much shade

will it perform to its highest potential in shade.. doubt it ...

best rule.. experiment in your own garden ... plant some in each spot.. to learn for next year .. as there is no way for us to figure what you mean by shade ... or part sun ... only the plant can do that ...

good luck

ken

Ken is right.. in my experience they perform best under afternoon shade but I live in a 11b kinda region and we have scorching sun in summers.. direct morning sun 2-3 hrs or direct late afternoon sun are ideal here..

I'm thinking about a part sun situation but it's the water issues that's got me wondering now. Any comments about that?

I watered them when the soil around them looks dry, which is usually the third or fourth day of watering, many time I skipped the routine watering taking longer gaps but they seemed to be unaffected. I never watered them form top unless I intended to wash the foliage. Mine were in ground.

I am in zone 7b-8, and from my experience - they do best with some afternoon protection and morning sun.