Landscaping Ideas for Sunny Corners

Cold Hardy Plants

• Any plant that survives the cold of Siberia will grow in the coldest U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones in North America – false spirea (Sorbaria sorbifolia) fits that description. Cold hardy to USDA zone 4, it thrives in full sun and can serve as privacy screens, in a naturalized site and does well in shrub borders. In sunny corners, false spirea grows between 5 and 10 feet, producing white flower clusters early in summer to compliment its compound foliage. You may cover a big area by planting Juniperus communis “Effusa” 3 to 4 feet apart in a sunny corner, allowing this cultivar of common juniper to from an evergreen ground cover. Growing to 12 inches high, these plants spread out to 6 feet and feature dark green needles.

Heat Tolerant Plants

• Situate a white ash (Fraxinus americana) in a sunny corner and enjoy its unusual compound foliage and showy autumn colors. White ash grows to 70 feet, displaying a round canopy of branches when mature. Hot climates do not deter its development; it is native to deep south venues such as Florida, Alabama and Texas. Tolerant of hot weather, the blanket flower (Gaillardia aristata) is suitable for a perennial plot in a sunny corner. Keep the blanket flower in the rear, since they can grow to 36 inches tall. Amber Wheels is a cultivar appropriate for USDA zones 8, 9 and 10, featuring golden yellow and orange flowers from June into September.

Plants for Wet Sunny Corners

• Turn a sunny, wet corner of your property into a haven for butterflies with Asclepias incarnata “Soulmate.” This is a cultivar of the swamp milkweed. Soulmate grows to 42 inches. Its pink-red flowers are magnets for butterflies in July and August, with Monarch butterfly larvae feeding on the leaves. Use "Soulmate" in USDA zones 3 through 8. Wet, sunny areas with acidic soil are perfect for the swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor). It requires a large corner in which to grow, since it grows to 60 feet high and has a canopy to 60 feet wide. Swamp white oak’s round acorns attract hungry wildlife to the land as the oak functions as a specimen, shade or lawn tree cold hardy to zone 4.

Plants for Dry Sunny Corners

• Locate Canada wild rye grass (Elymus canadensis) in a dry, sunny corner as a ground cover or employ it to create a border. This ornamental grass, appropriate for USDA zones 3 through 8, forms clumps between 3 and 5 feet tall. Canada wild rye’s bluish-green foliage changes to tan shades in autumn, staying that way through winter. A remote, sunny corner with dry, sandy soil is a great site for the black locust tree (Robinia pseudoacacia). Growing to 70 feet, black locust has compound leaves, hanging clusters of aromatic flowers in late spring and bean-like seedpods that ripen by October. Black locust grows between USDA zones 4 through 8.