In article , Gary Mattingly
wrote:

On 14 Jun 2003 09:50:05 GMT, "Jack Sanders"
wrote:

Common St. Johnswort, a wildflower, likes full sun.

Hm, I just planted some this year but in shade, actually.
I'm in zone 9 (I think) and it seems to be doing okay
so far. Has yellow flowers on it. Maybe it just won't
get quite as big.

It gets rather hot here in the summer (although it has
been unseasonably cool this year) and many plants
which are to be planted in full sun, don't do well at
all in the full sun. Some do but unfortunately the
ones that don't, I usually figure it out a bit late
(my fault, of course). Yes, I mulch. Yes, I
water. Maybe if I started things in partial
shade then moved them to full sun they
would be all right. Maybe if I put a little
umbrella over them. ;)

Guess it would be nice to have a bit more
differentiation in descriptions of cultivation
but that might be a bit much to ask for from
everyone.

Gary

St John's Wort does fine in shade. Some varieties such variegated H.
androsaemon "Glacier" prefer dappled shade & get burnt-looking & crappy in
full sun, but produce copious numbers of flowers & berries in partial
shade. Some dwarfier cultivars (H. moseranum hybrids) won't bloom as well
in deep shade as they would do better in dappled sunlight or full sun, but
bloom moderately well even in shade. I've one four-year-old wild
H.perforatum which blooms superbly in fairly deep shade; it is twice or
three times the size of the hybrids with flowers twice the size. Right
this minute in two-thirds shade, it is hugely covered over with big yellow
flowers. It was all rangy & ugly last year, but I gave it a hard prune, &
it looks splendid this year. Yesterday I spotted some st johns wort
seedlings popping up nowhere near the primary patch, & I suspect they're
just H. perforatum & I will end up rooting them up to toss, but would be
great if they're one of the others.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/