Shoutout to afternoon shade for saving my zinnias this year

I planted two beds of zinnias back in May, one on the east side of the house and one that gets full sun all day. The east side ones are still blooming like crazy but the full sun ones got scorched and leggy by mid-July. Has anyone else noticed that morning sun with afternoon shade works way better for annuals in hot climates?

2 comments

2 Comments

emmam678d ago

Isn't it wild how so many things in life are like that - we think we want the MOST of something, like sun, but it's really about BALANCE? I've noticed the same with my tomatoes. The ones that get blasted all day just stress out and drop blooms, but the ones tucked near the fence where they get some relief in the afternoon? They're loaded with fruit. It's like how a long conversation is great but sometimes you need quiet time to actually think.

the_susan8d ago

The tomatoes thing is spot on. My peppers are the same way. They get about 6 hours of sun and then shade the rest of the day. Any more than that and the leaves just curl up and look miserable. It's like we all have a sweet spot nobody talks about until you mess it up a few times.