hello, would like some advise as to what plants to put in a hanging basket that gets no sun in the morning and then from 2pm till dusk gets full hot sun..Area is under a soffit so also stays dry unless i water. Mainly I'm concerned with drastic light and temperture change that occurs. I live in NJ in zone 7. Can get pretty humid here. Thanking you in advance for any advice on choice of plants i can use for this situation.

I think I might lean toward the succulents. Gene

You could also try Dragon Wing begonias, I've found them to be very tolerant and very colourful. They don't look like much when you buy them in spring but they fill out and flower until killed by frost. They can be a little messy as they drop the finished "flowers" but I think they're worth it. You will have to water but they're also fairly tolerant of fluctuating moisture levels.

Welcome, jjcats!

Full, hot sun in NJ would still be ok for wave petunias. Million bells is a very good one for sun too (in fact they need it!), along with potato vine and coleus.

The plants that would not be good for full sun are begonias, fuschia, impatiens and alyssum. Those are shade lovers.

sooby said:You could also try Dragon Wing begonias, I've found them to be very tolerant and very colourful. They don't look like much when you buy them in spring but they fill out and flower until killed by frost. They can be a little messy as they drop the finished "flowers" but I think they're worth it. You will have to water but they're also fairly tolerant of fluctuating moisture levels.

I agree on the begonias. They are beautiful and so impressive. They're definitely worth it!

I like portulaca for those hard to water sunny areas. They come in many varieties, flower all through fall , and will get nice, long and bushy. If you have a place to keep them warm in the winter, youll get some spring color, too!

Whatever you plant in that basket, you're going to need to water, and in summer heat probably every day. I'd make a point of watering just before the sun hits it in the middle of the day. Give it a good soak to survive the onslaught of the bright sun.

I love the dragon wing begonias, too and they do take some sun even here in Florida. But a whole afternoon of direct sun might be too much - the leaves might burn. I'd go for the petunias or something else that will flower and grow lush. They will cascade nicely too, in fact there are varieties called "Supercascade" that are gorgeous in hanging baskets.

FWIW, while I wouldn't do it with other begonias, I've grown the Dragon Wing begonias in all day full sun in baskets hanging over a hot paved area and they've been fine, and another planting in almost full shade. They get a little stretchy in the full shade but do OK, and are fine in all day sun so should work in a combo of the two. If you expose them to too much sun straight from a greenhouse they may get red tinges on the foliage but they soon get over that. Temperatures in the shade here can be in the 90s F in the summer months.

Catharanthus roseus 'Pacifica Cherry Red Halo'
Vinca comes in many colors and I use it in sun areas that I can not water as often as I like.

I have Dragon Wing begonia. It is a cane begonia that will stand 6 ft high if not trimmed. I've seen them sold in hanging pots. But frankly, to me, they don't "hang" at all but rather, they grow upward. Are we talking about the same thing??

ShadyGreenThumb said:I have Dragon Wing begonia. It is a cane begonia that will stand 6 ft high if not trimmed. I've seen them sold in hanging pots. But frankly, to me, they don't "hang" at all but rather, they grow upward. Are we talking about the same thing??

Maybe they grow to 6 feet in Texas They don't do that here or in other pictures I've seen. What they might do in an area where they aren't winter killed, I don't know. Here is a page that has pictures of both red and pink:

http://www.iserv.net/v4/go.gnf...

I have grown wave petunias in similar conditions and they did very well. Also, catnip, of all things. My cats would tell you to grow the catnip!