The Best Plants for the East Side of the House

The east side of the house generally gets good morning sun unless it is obstructed by trees or other buildings. The sunlight moves away from the east side of the house in the early to mid afternoon. There are many plants that thrive on five to six hours of sunlight a day or in partial shade, and these are good ones to plant in the eastern area of your yard.

Rose Bushes

While most rose bushes need full sun in order to flourish, there are some varieties that do very well in partially shady conditions as long as they have ample morning sun—at least five to six hours a day. "Belinda," "Madame Pantier" and "American Pillar" are among the choices. "Belinda" is a hybrid musk that has blooms of deep pink with a white center. "Madame Pantier" is an Alba rose that is ideal to train on a trellis or fence; its blooms are pure white. "American Pillar" is a rambler that sports hot pink blossoms with white and gold centers in the early spring.

Day Lilies

Day lilies thrive in partial shade, particularly in hot regions. Several varieties of day lilies are available that provide a selection of colors and heights (ranging from two to four feet). Many people are familiar with the orange day lily that blooms in the early summer. Varieties in other colors include "Hyperion," a fragrant yellow hybrid, "Evergold," a gold-colored day lily and "Prairie Sunset," which is a soft peach color.

Azaleas and Rhododendrons

Azaleas and rhododendrons are a good shrub choice for the light conditions provided on the east side of the house. They do well with morning sunlight followed by shade after 1 p.m. They need to be in a location where they are protected from wind, which makes the east side of the house an ideal choice if you live in an area where prevailing winds blow in from the northwest. A range of varieties is available for both of these shrubs, offering a broad selection of bloom colors.

Bellflowers

Bellflowers like the morning sun, but will do well without it in the afternoon. Bellflowers grow to be two to three feet tall and have bell-shaped blooms, which come in a variety of shades of blue, violet or white. "Telham Beauty" is a popular blue variety. "Alba" and "Crown of Snow" are both white varieties. "Superba" bears rich purple flowers.

Low-growing Phlox

Low-growing phlox is another perennial that grows well in low light conditions, particularly the spring-blooming "Wild Blue Phlox." Other varieties of low-growing phlox include "Wild Sweet William," which has pink-purple flowers and "Trailing Phlox," which bears salmon pink blossoms. Low-growing phlox grows six to 18 inches high and is often used as a ground cover or to create carpets of color on garden walls.