All plants need sun! It’s how much sun is where it can get a bit tricky! Too little and you get weak growth and few flowers, but too much and you can actually burn a shade plant!
While full sun is self-explanatory, partial sun and partial shade sound ambiguous, and full shade can be outright misleading!
Read on to learn the difference between these sun situations in your landscape and how to keep your plants and trees growing their very best!
While soil can be enriched and altered, water access can be worked around using irrigation, and size can be somewhat controlled. However, your growing zone, and knowing the amount of sunlight the area you are planting in has are not things you can control or change!
The incorrect amount of sun can make or break the success of your plant establishing, flowering, and stress-free growth!
What Is Full Sun
Full sun is usually considered all-day sun. That tree or shrub in the middle of the yard with no cover, or a hedge that rings your landscape with no large trees or shade from your home to give them any relief.
But full sun can also mean less than all-day long sunshine! Technically, any location in your landscape that receives 6 plus hours of direct sunlight each day. This can be morning sun until mid-day, or afternoon sun until sunset.
This is the minimum amount of light a full-sun plant needs to grow and flower its very best!
- Some plants that are rated for full sun in most climates will do best with some afternoon shade when planted in the hottest of their favored USDA growing zones.
- Other plants are ready to handle the full heat and intensity of direct all-day sun!
- Nearly all fruit trees and fruiting shrubs and vines need full sun to flower and fruit best
- Most trees and large shrubs need full sun, but there are a few exceptions which are understory plants that are naturally used to growing under their canopy.
Often a tree or shrub will grow and begin shading other plants around them, creating issues for other full-sun plants, so proper pre-planning is vital to ensure you don’t shade out the rest of your landscaping over time.
If this happens or you want more sun in an area, shear back a hedge or shrub, or prune up your trees to let more light into the area for your other plants.
The Difference Between Partial Sun & Partial Shade
Part sun and part shade can be confusing. Essentially this in-between zone between sun and shade has a lot of wiggle room as the plants in this category can bridge the gap between your understory and the sun.
Partial shade typically means just a bit of shade and more sun, while partial sun means a bit of sun and more shade. Typically, this gray area is for plants that grow and flower successfully in around 4-5 hours of sunlight a day.
- Morning sun with half-day shade
- Half-day shade with afternoon sun
- Dappled sun conditions beneath trees with light foliage
- On again/off again sun or shade due to trees or objects that block the path of the sun
- Light shade all day from larger shrubs and plants in their close vicinity
Many of these plants can handle full sun to higher sun conditions in cooler climates, and sometimes near to full shade conditions in hotter climates.
If you notice your plants are stretching and reaching for the light and you are able to (due to their size), it may be a good idea to transplant them into a slightly sunnier location in the early spring or late fall while the plant is dormant. Don’t move them into a drastically sunnier location as this will cause problems as they are not acclimated to a sudden increase in sun access.
All About Full Shade
From light, all-day long shade, dappled sun/shade, to deep shade a step up from twilight conditions, shade can mean any sun access 4 hours or less.
Many plants that are rated for full shade can also handle part sun conditions. They grow lots of lush foliage, usually have small flowers, and handle higher moisture in the soil.
However, you will notice a few of these plants will not flower as nicely as plants in more sun. They may not have stems as strong, and the growth may be a bit more spindly or seem to be ‘stretching’ towards the light, or they may seem diminished in size and vigor compared to their cousins in more sun.
- All-day shade from heavy dense tree cover
- Plants beneath the limbs of large shrubs or bushy evergreens
- A few hours of early morning sun and shade the rest of the day
- Shade for most of the day under lightly leaved tree canopy or at the base of a hedge
- In the shade of a large object or your home but with reflected light access
Plants that grow in full shade are a hardy breed and grow despite the lack of life-giving sunlight.
Bask In The Light!
Once you know how much sun your landscape needs, you will be able to plant with certainty knowing your tree, shrub, or perennial will thrive in its new home!
Read the Plant Highlights for each plant you are interested in choosing for your landscape to ensure you have made the right choice! That way, you will enjoy the most from your plants and squeeze every ounce of longevity and vigor possible!
Happy Planting!
