re: Recommendations for a flowering perennial in a spot with mid-morning to mid-afternoon sun?

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Not really, looking for flowers that come back each year. But the peonies look nice.

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Peonies are lovely, but they hate heat. You won't get them to thrive or flower in climate zone 8b or hotter; ie, they'll do okay in DC & northward, but not in the coastal lowland south.

If you don't want shrubs, consider old fashioned shasta daisies. They multiply readily, put on a big show of blooms in late spring/early summer, are drought tolerant, shade tolerant, and pretty indestructible once established. I had a patch that bloomed & multiplied in the shade underneath a mature water oak tree.

If you live where it's cool enough for peonies, also consider hostas, lily of the valley, and bleeding heart.