I have a Heuchera 'frosted violet' in full sun. Each year, some of the leaves get scorched but overall the plant does fine. I just make sure to keep it well watered.

There was a catastrophic storm here the end of October 2011. Two thirds of the canopy of 100+ year old oak trees came crashing down. My shady beds were suddenly exposed to more hours of sun than in previous growing seasons. I didn't make any adjustments to my garden beds then or since.

Granted I'm in a cooler zone, but I've lost none of my perennials or shrubs in the years since the storm. I attribute that to incredibly hardy seed-grown plants, careful deep watering + really healthy soil.

Perennials can often tolerate conditions that stretch their preferences. Observe, take notes and let nature help the plants that are able adapt to adjusted conditions unless the plants are of significantly higher value to you or are visibly suffering.

My Heuchera are thriving mostly in shade through the day aside from a couple hours of midday sun.

I also had lots of branches cut off my large maple....instant sun!

My plants all adjusted just fine with no losses.

Good to hear that! My heuchera is cherry cola and gets a couple hours of afternoon sun so I will just leave it and see how it goes. Thank you. As for the others that are still in the now sunny bed, I will take your advice and just let them adjust.

We do water regularly, the soil is pretty good with lots of organic stuff, lots of worms everywhere. We definitely get lots of hot humid days all summer. It's been around 90.

I do have lots of small winter sown plants that are thriving so far. I'm not going to fuss over plants too much. I pulled out several annuals because they looked bad and I wasn't willing to baby them.

That 100 year old tree must have been huge and done alot of damage. I can not even imagine.

Thanks everyone!

In the south, the sun is hotter and brighter. Here is what I do. I dig the plant, put it in a pot to adjust in a shady spot. I let it recover for a good while and then when it looks perked up enough and safe I replant in a less sunny spot. I've been there. You cannot go by what works in more northern zones. I'm in Oklahoma, the sun is extremely hot here and would definitely scorch a Heuchera into a sad, struggling plant no matter if I watered every day. Many so called full sun plants do better in partial sun for me, especially if its afternoon sun which many bedding plants cannot take. It just depends on the plant.

Yes, SG.

Routine division aside, I also find many perennials are better for the replanting (and often reducing) with upgraded soil.

Where we're located, I'd say you can do so much more with sun, notably in regard to flower colour after the deciduous trees have come in to leaf. Here, with some care, in the garden, sun = colour.

two thoughts ...

first.. many plants are shade only TOLERANT... and do just fine in sun ... and might actively grow with more vigor in sun .... if you can water them enough ...

the downside is.. they will shoot there load early.. and will lok ratty.. sooner in the season ...

and do note.. this is all zone variable.. i am just trying to explain the concept ...

second ... if a tree is removed in summer... the biggest impact.. will be sunburn.. as the plant will NOT have to time to harden off to full sun.. and might burn right to the ground.. but that does not mean they will be dead.;. many will simply releaf ... with acclimated leaves.. and continue on with life ...

i dont really know if this is the time of year i would be digging and dividing plants.. with the heat of summer already on us ... i would see no reason not to dig a big gob of soil.. and move things if you wish.. but TIMING is somewhat important if you wish to make things easy ... and for sure.. the experts get away with things.. others dont.. it all about knowing what risk you are taking.. and perfecting aftercare ...

and do note.. if you have multiples... just try different things.. leave some.. move some.. divide some.. thats really how you learn.. not by reading ... and most often.. those are the lessons you will remember ...

i think that was more than two ... lol ..

i gave up on drawings decades ago .... i am a gardener ... NOT a landscape architect ... i think you are adding a layer of stress onto your garden experience ... cant you just wing it.. and declare the result sublime.. w/o documentation to prove it to yourself... hmm.. probably not.. lol ...

a garden is like war ... every plan is perfect.. until you meet the enemy.. then it all goes to heck ...

good luck

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

texas, I agree with you. The sun is definitely extreme here. People don't go outside here in the hot summers unless they have to pretty much. I love working out in the garden between around 7 pm and 9 pm when the heat wears off.

ken: Those branches were removed in the dead of winter so nothing had to adjust to sudden sun. I really wouldn't be moving anything unless it really needed done but with a big clump of dirt for sure.

The plants seem to be ok today since I moved them yesterday except for one that is flat to the ground but it's a lily and I will still have the bulb if it won't recover this season.

Now the new plants need to hurry up and get here so they can be planted. One issue is in order to mix the heucheras with the hostas, the hostas will have to be moved.

They are pretty close together. They are in shade so maybe I can justify moving them. If I leave them, hosta would be on the left and heuchera on the right, about 20 hosta and 7 heuchera. I think that would look stupid.

Opinions?

I'm in that boat. Two years ago, the neighbors had their trees butchered. There was no place to move the plants, so I planted several 8' potted trees I had handy for some help. The rest of the plants had to tough it out, or be replaced. The species fuchsia handled the sun much better than expected; the star magnolia declined until he gave up the ghost this spring.

Last year the city trimmed my street tree--a sycamore that had a lot of lopsided growth over my front yard, but provided shade. I have noticed that a good section of the protected plants under my pines get full, hot sun for the entire afternoon now. Some beautiful orchids and bromeliads that I have grown for years are going to be cooking from July through September--if they live that long. There isn't any suitable place on the property to move many of them. I'm weighing options, such as planting a small tree where I don't want one, which would also necessitate a revamp of the irrigation system and kill the view through our living room window.

I'm in the process of changing my perennial bed designs also, but because our trees are getting larger, and the beds that used to have sun are now in the shade. In fact, I'm now scrambling for spots to plant flowers that need full sun. I'm learning to pack them in real tight in the limited space I have.