Looking for a perennial that’s fairly easy to care for, can grow in a dry area, partly sunny and that grows tall?

There are many plants that suit this description.

I find that the description “Part Sun” can be confusing. It’s very subjective as to what “Part Sun” is after all isn’t it? In my garden I have several areas that I could call part sun, but some are brighter than others, while some have more shade than sun. This means that when you are picking a plant that has a description of “part sun” in it’s care guidelines you might have to experiment a bit and see what does well and where.

In that vein – if the area that you’d like to plant your new perennial in has about six hours of sun that includes some noon hour sun, or if it’s sunny all afternoon you’d want to chose plants that take full sun. Some plants that fit this description would be the purple coneflower, caryopteris, hyssop or baptisia.

If the area only gets sun part of the morning, or early morning and late afternoon, or gets dappled sunlight throughout the day you’ll need to pick out a more shade tolerant plant.

Old fashioned bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis), large hostas, or Aruncus would work well in a shaded area.

All of the suggested plants should tolerate drier soil. However, you should pay attention to soil preparation prior to planting. Adding organic materials such as compost, or rotted leaves will help the soil stay moist longer. An organic mulch around the plants that is several inches deep, such as shredded cedar or orchid bark, will also help keep the soil moist.

Your local garden nursery or county extension should be able to suggest specific plants that should do well in your garden based on local conditions.