Gigi, are you planting trees? I couldn't garden without at least some shade on the south and west sides. Must admit, I'd like a little more sun around here. I grow veggies in Earth Boxes and a big raised bed in the back yard, and by this time of year, it's over for veggies because of the shade encroaching. I still have tomatoes coming, but they're nearly done.
We have an older house with gigantic oaks on all four sides plus a huge stand of tall bamboo on the north side that shades in summer, but protects in the winter when the sun slants in underneath it. The oaks do shade the house beautifully, and keep the garden cool but everywhere I dig there are oak tree roots. I keep a lot of my plants in pots and just sink them into the borders to protect them from the oak roots. It does limit the size of some shrubs like the YlangYlang and brugs, but that's generally not a bad thing here, where everything becomes gigantic so fast!
Here's my NOID plummie finally with a flower head all open. More pink suffuses into the yellow as the flowers age. (but you all know that, of course)
One of my favorites, Gloriosa lily puts on a little samba pah-ti every month or so through the summer. Love those flowers at every stage, and the little curly leaf tips that grasp, too.
