Sun Exposure in the Garden

You'll want to be sure your plants receive the proper amount of sun exposure.

It is therefore important to establish how much sunshine or shade your garden receives daily to determine where your plants will be healthy and flourish.

There are three main categories of sun and/or shade requirements that you'll need to consider to allow your plants their greatest growing potential.

Typically you'll find one of the following categories listed on the plant care tag:

• Full Sun
• Partial Sun/Shade
• Full Shade

Below are the usual meanings for each the sun/shade conditions listed on the plant tag:

FULL SUN generally means your garden area receives 6-8 hours or more of direct sunlight onto it each day.

PARTIAL SUN reduces that amount to mean 3-6 hours of direct sunlight, usually occurring during the morning and early afternoon period, each day.

Sometimes you'll see the listing on the tag as PARTIAL SUN or as PARTIAL SHADE.

Partial Sun will mean that your flower or plant will require the minimum amount of sun and Partial Shade will mean that your item will need shaded from the hot late afternoon sun.

SHADE or FULL SHADE categorized plants require less than 3 hours of direct sunlight each day.

These plants still require some sunlight for healthy growth. The balance of the day they may be shaded from direct sunlight through tree branches or possibly by being planted on the east side of a building.

Planting your flowers or plants where they will receive the right amount of sun exposure, the proper balance of sunlight or shade that they require, will help them to achieve their maximum growth potential and provide season-long beauty in your beautiful garden areas.

Related Content:

Gardening Basics

Gardening Zones

Soil Types