Retractable shading helps keep container-grown nursery plants cooler in the summer. Different shading levels were tested on Coreopsis and Forsythia plants in black containers with bark substrate. The hottest temperatures were seen with no shading or 30% shading, while retractable shading kept temperatures lower. Plants under retractable shading had no root death on the southwest side, unlike other shading methods. Plants grew taller under 63% stationary shading but had more shoot weight under retractable shading. Cooler substrate temperatures under retractable shading may explain why some nursery crops grow better.