Hi all -- I have a space right off my patio that desperately needs some perennial plant life. However, it has a strange microclimate, so I'm not sure what perennials would work there. I'm in the Washington DC area, USDA Zone 7. The space in question is about 4'x'4' and borders a white wall on one if its sides and a wood privacy fence on another. That area gets full sun pretty much all day during the height of summer, but it gets almost no sun at all in late spring/early summer or late summer/early fall. Because of the weird sun/shade ratio, I've never been successful at growing grass there, but last summer I had good luck with zinnias and petunias. The soil was clay, but it's been amended pretty well with a mixture of Miracle Gro garden soil/potting mix. I'd like something that blooms, but I'd be OK with some small shrubs or flowering bushes around which I could plant annuals. I do really want perennials, though, for the regeneration factor. Day lillies are an obvious choice, but I already have several varieties elsewhere in the back yard so I need something different. Any ideas for me? Thanks in advance!
Rhonda Alexandria, VA USDA Zone 7
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