Hi guys.

My japonica is planted in a spot that gets dappled sun most of the day, and it's doing fine, but it won't be spread fast enough to make the type of screen I want there, so I'm thinking about moving it.

It's proposed new home is shaded until 11:00 am but then in full sun the remainder of the day. Right now, a fargesia robusta lives in that spot and it seems like too much sun for it.

Which of the two spots is better for the Japonica, assuming the soil conditions are similar?

Thanks,

jp

It will do ok in either place. Will grow faster in some sun, but is quite shade tolerant. P S Japonica takes a little longer to get going than some other runners.

Dependable,

The current spot seems fine, but my guess is that optimal placement would have more sun. On the other hand, I'm afraid that my proposed other spot may have too much sun since it gets full sun after 11am.

I'm technically in zone 6b/7a in Central PA, but the weather here during the last 10 years has been more like 7a/7b. This summer has been specially hot and dry. That's why I'm worried about the japonica getting too much sun.

Does anyone know someone from the south who has japonica planted in full sun? If it survives that, it will survive here.

Thanks,

I have some potted japonicas here in South Carolina sitting in direct sun more than half the day and they are fine. I think someone told me the leaf color will sometimes fade in full sun, but that it will tolerate it.

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God Bless,

Matthew

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Genesis 2:8 And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed.

Matt,

Does your japonica get full sun during the first half or second half of the day?

It gets direct sun from soon after sunrise until about 2 or 3 pm. My Fargesia rufa in the ground is in about the same exposure but with potted bamboos all around it for dappled shade, and is looking ratty again this year while a rufa potted in full shade looks great, so there's a point of reference on a fargesia but I don't have a robusta in direct sun for comparison. I agree with dependable, I really think the japonica would be ok in the sun exposure you've described.

_________________
God Bless,

Matthew

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Genesis 2:8 And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed.

Thanks guys.

I took my japonica and tsutsumiana from inside the house, which were inside since March and put them in direct sun for most of the day, and they're looking good, and think I'll
put them in the ground. The plants that were planted in the ground in March are looking good. Inside' these plants were great, but not much movement. I vote for sun.

I moved my Japonica today. I had planted it in late March in an area that gets dappled light most of the day, and as I said earlier, it was doing fine, but I (and many of you) figured it would be happier in more light.

When carving the root ball, I was surprised to cut through several 3-foot long rhizomes, at least one on its left and one on its right. That thing was going to run. The rhizome diameters were about 1/2 inch.

Is that typical? Somehow that seems more aggressive than I expected in zone 6b/7a.

That doesn't surprise me, but I haven't been growing japonica for very long. A fellow gardener in town *has* been growing it for many years (although we're not 100% positive on the ID as japonica) and says that it is quite aggressive for him (he rhizome prunes and trenches to control spread).

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Alan.
My blog: It's not work, it's gardening!