I have several borders of perennials in my back yard. Some of the plants have died over the years or been moved, and I have some blank spaces in the gardens. As a result, I'm looking for a few really tall plants for partial sun. I was hoping there would be some type of tool on the web to help me find the perfect plants for these different spots and I have found it!
Better Homes and Gardens has a plant encyclopedia where you can check off the attributes you are looking for and it will find appropriate plants. It even customizes the plants to your gardening zone with your zip code. How cool is that?
If you want a more in-depth search, you can add a specific bloom time, color, if it will be planted in a container or the ground, and even more special features like plants that attract hummingbirds.
Here's some of the plants the guide helped me to find for my garden needs.
These were some of the flowers that came up in my search for perennials for partial sun, 4-6 feet high.Now I just have to try and find them locally.
Pretty great tool, isn't it?