Sun and shade

I need a definition of "Full Sun" and Full Shade"...the latter sems obvious to me, but the Full Sun doesn't....Is there a minimum hours a day that means Full sun?
All help will be appreciated....Thanks

Two moons,

My definition of full sun, for a plant that grows best in full sun would be an area of the garden than gets direct sun for half of the summer daylight hours or more. More being better.

If your sitting down in the place where you are going to grow your 'full sun' plants and you look to the east you should see the sun by 9-10am. Look to the west and you should see the sun at 3-4pm. The sun has the strongest light between 9-4 and full sun plants need strong sunlight.

If you have less than a ideal 9-4 sunlight (7 hrs) your minimum would be around 3 hrs. At 3 hrs of direct over head sun you are going to end up with a plant that is little weak in the stems. Many plants that say full sun will grow fine under part day sun.

Since you are 30-40 miles in from the coast do you still have a lot of low clouds, like Seattle does? That can make a difference. I would check around the neighborhood and see what plants do well in the same conditions that you have. If you see those folks out working in the yard ask them for advice too.

Thank you so much for the reply. Low clouds aren't a problem, it is all the beautiful old cedar trees that make this tricky. The most full sun I get is maybe 4 hours on the east side of my home, and it doesn't hit the area i'm wanting to plant in until around 11am.
But, some is better than none, so i'll put sun shrubs along east side of fence.
So, can partial to full shade plants handle any sun, say from 10 am until 2pm, or should I make the west side my SUN side?

Chances are, your partial shade plants will be perfectly fine between 10 and 2....as you are in WA...not AZ. Your full shade plants should be ok...but it will depend on just what you are planting. Hostas will be fine with a little sun, as will caladium bulbs and coleus. What full shade plants are you looking to plant?

Here in my area I have found that even "full sun" plants need some protection from the hot afternoon sun. But as said above your full sun would be different than ours.

GardenGram,

Twomoons lives north of Seattle. The number of hot sunny days is tiny compared to us southern folk. Those folks can grow rhododendren in the sun. You would have to live there to know just how mild the climate is compared to the South. Zone 6 in the NW maritime areas is nothing like Z6 east of the Rockies. They spend a great deal of the year with cool moist air and frequent rain, rarely do they have a drought (or even a week with out some rain). When I lived in CA I drove up to visit friends, sometimes I would go to Vancouver to buy seeds. I was always amazed by the weather. After having spent a good part of my life living in TX and CA I always thought it was early spring (even tho it was July or Aug). When visiting I always took my 'winter' clothes and one pair shorts, just in case.

Thanks, Dale. You have d-mail.

Hi twomoons,

Burpee has a really good sun calculator. http://www.burpee.com/product/gardening+supplies/garden+growing/suncalc+-+sunlight+calculator.do
It has worked very well for me. It has 4 sun levels: full sun, partial sun, partial shade and full shade. I had an area that I estimated to be partially sunny, but after checking it out with the calculator, it turned out to shadier than I thought. If you don't mind spending $30.00, it's a pretty good investment.

I have to agree with my fellow southern gardeners here...."full sun" has very different meanings between where you are, which is probably the mildest part of the country, and down south. "Full sun" for the northeast or PAC NW coast translates into partial (very partial!) sun here. You're lucky in Seattle that probably most plants could deal with your "full sun" in your climate, excepting the few that require full shade. Even midwestern full sun in summer is harsh compared to the NW coast (I am from IL originally), but neither is like that of the south!

This message was edited May 19, 2007 10:50 AM

Wouldn't it be nice if our plants could give us a temperature preference, rather than just "sun" or "shade"? In many cases, only experimentation will provide the answers.

I agree with wanting the plants to tell me where they will be happy!! I have spent all week recording time/temperature in different areas in my yard, but may invest in the 30.00 item from Burpee.
I have planted my shrubs, yesterday, Sunday, and hope they respond with a "Smile" of growth and bloom.
Thanks for the help, I love this web site!!!

i just found the same gizmo for half the price:
http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/jump.jsp?itemID=34269&itemType=PRODUCT&searchid=inceptor

that was just my first initial search...it might be cheaper elsewhere...
seems like a neat tool...i think i might purchase this myself!

Wow, abl-newbie, that's a pretty good deal. Wish I would have thought of doing a search before purchasing mine. How did you find it. Did you 'google" it.

shebs45,
I don't recall how I found that particular link..But with almost any gadget, especially electronic ones or catalog-type companies, you can find multiple sources online...I never buy the first one I see...I do this with stuff I see in stores too...

Here are some good sources/searching tools for price comparison shopping online...
(this is especially good if you already know you want the particular item, and you're just looking for a cheaper source)
- Google
- Froogle.com (a google company)
- amazon.com
- of course, ebay (remember you don't always have to "bid" on auctions - lots of times, sellers offer the "buy it now" feature)
- half.com (for books, movies and music)
- shopping.com
- shopzilla.com
- overstock.com
- bizrate.com
- mysimon.com

There are very few items sold in catalogs that aren't sold elsewhere...The trick is finding them! Even the big stores: Target, Home Depot, department stores, etc. carry the same items that are sold by others online and sometimes straight from the manufacturer...

If you're shopping online, NEVER buy from the first source you find...I'm a cheapskate, but I have saved big bucks by taking a few more minutes to shop around...Remember to always factor shipping rates into the total...You might find a cheaper source, but their s/h might be over-the-top...

Good luck!!
-abl

-abl,
Thanks for all the info. I'm usually not an impulse buyer and like to comparison shop, so I'm not sure why I didn't in this case. Maybe I was feeling a little guilty always receiving Burpee's catalog and never buying anything from them. ;-) Oh well ----
Anyhow, I'm going to save this thread; there are a few sites you mention that I wasn't aware of. Next time I'll know better!
Shebs

i tend to be an impulse buyer too when it comes to catalogs too...why is that? i will mull over items in the store for days, but if i like it in a catalog, i log on immediately to their web site and want to buy it...i have learned over time to shop for a lower price though to justify my shopping impulses, hehe
:)

Ohhh, the power of the printed page ---
I know what you mean. I buy most of my plants from catalogs, not from garden centers even though I like to "window shop" there. I'll agonize over making a buying decision and run myself ragged going from store to store trying to get a better deal. But give me a catalog, and I'm hooked.
Yesterday, Home Depot was blasting out potted azaleas for $1 !!! They originally sold for $15. I didn't buy even one!!!! But I know if I would have seen that deal in a catalog, I'd probably buy a half dozen. What's up with that?!

I would like to suggest you find some Canadian gardening books - especially any written for British Columbia (and again, especially for the south). Though you don't get much sun, you do get lots of rain, and have a longer growing season than a lot of us. Take a walk, and talk to people with gardens you admire. They'll give you the best advice, particular to your area, seasonal variations, etc. Don't be surprised if they give you free plants, too. Is there a horticultural society you could join? Also, if you go to the public library you'll find lots of gardening books chosen for local conditions, and the librarian can probably suggest the most popular and useful ones.

Seatle & Vancouver have great botanical gardens. Public gardens usually have sales that are a great source of information (or plants). A long trip, to get to Canada, but, I have always been fond of getting out of this country.