Good plant for 2 hours direct sunlight but 8 hours reflected from wall?

Question

There is a 5 foot wall along the side of my house. It creates an ally that gets a lot of sunlight, but the sunlight is not direct. It is reflected off of the wall, but it the ally is very bright. There only about 2 hours of direct overhead sunligh it receives. What would be a good plants for this location. I like ferns and roses, but would like any suggestions. Thanks!

Answer 1

I have some thing very similar. The wall is a rockery that I have covered with a variety of plantings. My area gets only late afternoon light when it is hot. For this area I have sword ferns, phlox, fox tail lilies, Campanula takesimana 'Beautiful Trust', Flamingo Flax 'Cookianum Flamingo'.
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/56805/
http://flowersbulbs.com/ql_eremurus_growing.php
http://www.monrovia.com/PlantInf.nsf/3e858bc84af1756c88256f0a00787e69/7e887e2a7c685a5288256cfc007b623f!OpenDocument
I have sedums mixed with Sempervivums, known as House Leeks or Hens & Chicks at the end with most light and least water. They come in many colors and textures, are easy to care for and tolerate very dry conditions.
http://www.nothyme.com/hensandchicks.cfm
http://www.smgsucculents.com/

Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea' called golden moneywort can light up your spot. I use it as a low ground cover surrounding some steps. Then the golden Babies Tears, Soleirolia soleirolii ‘Aurea', grows between the steps. It gets walked on to control the spread.
http://www.stepables.com/store/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=106
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/58136/
At the far end with more shade are the violets (Viola odorata, V labradorica). They stay nicely in bounds by being walked on. On the slope above the violets I have Fuschia procumbens 'Variegata', Fuschia fulgens speciosa, Primula kisoana.
http://www2.dicom.se/fuchsias/fulgensspeciosa.html
http://home.hccnet.nl/boer.3/procumbens.html
http://www.photosig.com/go/photos/view;jsessionid=aJgR0gvNMLH90c93Cn?id=2001748&forward=viewportfolio
Lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis) does well in dry shade , but put it into the damp, woodsy soil it prefers and it can spread like wildfire. Other rampant growers can be controlled by dry shade also. My choice for sandy soil under a shade tree was to grow a mixture of three very aggressive plants. I grow Aegopodium podagraria 'Variegatum' or variegated gout weed with Wood Sorrel, Oxalis violacea, and Sweet Woodruff known as Galium odoratum under my fir trees, in sandy soil, with some water in the summer to keep them from failing during the heat. The oxalis and woodruff dominate in spring but when the heat comes on the gout weed is doing its best. The woodruff is evergreen, and fragrant in spring, but the other two are perennial. Dotted in this low ground cover are hosta, trilliums, Solomon's Seal, cyclamen, and hellebores where I can water easily.

If your area gets cool morning light there is a very different range of plants possible such as hostas, lungworts and primroses, that perform beautifully in morning sun but cannot tolerate the heat of midday or early afternoon. These plant well with Anemone nemerosa, or Brunnera macrophylla. For purple foliage the Euphorbia dulcis ‘Chameleon’ is very adaptable to shade and looks very good next to golden foliage. .
http://hardyplants.com/Pulmonar.htm
http://www.plantdelights.com/Tony/pulmonaria.html

Luxuriant fringed Bleeding Heart, Dicentra x `Luxuriant, would pair well with a pink Astilbe x arendsii 'Bressingham Beauty' or 'Cattleya' and look good with ferns and hosta.
Fuchsia magellanica ‘Aurea’
http://www.nwfuchsiasociety.com/hardies/hardyfuchsias.htm
http://www.rainyside.com/features/plant_gallery/perennials/Fuchsia_magellanicaAurea.html
Japanese forest grass Hakonechloa macra `Aureola` This arcs like water billowing down slope.
http://www.dunngardens.org/flowering_plants_summer.html
http://www.monrovia.com/PlantInf.nsf/269905a1fb059eb48825683c0080938a/d11b6703449597308825684d00714a77!OpenDocument
http://www.hallsongardens.com/hostas-MLtoVL.html
Hosta 'Fragrant Dream', Hosta 'Fried Green Tomatoes', ‘Harvest dandy’, 'Holy Mole' 'Lakeside Surf Rider', & Hosta 'Paradigm' are ones I would consider for large presence and substance. Then I like & use ‘June’, So Sweet’, Harvest Dandy’, & Grand Tiara’ for midsize plants.
Hemerocallis 'Golden Chimes' whos buds are a mahogany color, then open gold is among my favorites and it does well with only partial sun.


Cimicifuga ramosa 'Hillside Black Beauty' wants moist shade so pairs well with Cranesbill Geranium phaeum 'Samobor'. Combine these with Diphylleia cymosa, the umbrella leaf, for a startling combo.
http://www.dunngardens.org/spring/diphylleia_cymosa.html


http://www.paghat.com/cranesbillsamobor.html
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/Cornell_Herbaceous/plant_pages/Cimicifugaramosa.html

Roses really need more light than you have said the area gets but if you think there is a chance try either a species Rosa multiflora, a Noisette rose, or best, a Hybrid Musk rose like Sally Holmes, Cornelia or Ballerina. This may work best with a rose trained to climb if it can reach to better light. Salley gets to 10-12 feet on a trellis as does Ballerina. Hwever if you want to go all out and grow a huge rose get Lady Banks. There are three of the ladies available. Rosa banksiae lutea the yellow Lady Banks, Rosa banksiae var banksiae (syn alba plena), the semi-double white, and Rosa banksiae var normalis the single wild type. The wild type is most fragrant and yellow the least. These are not cold tolerant plants so probably only to zone 7 with out die back.
http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/pl.php?n=5267
http://www.paghat.com/banksrose.html
http://www.smgrowers.com/info/rosabankbank.asp

Answer 2

nandina