Hillside Greenhouse

Sun vs. Shade

People often ask how much sunlight a certain plant will need. Some plants definitely require a lot of sun while others dry up and blow away with too much light.

The ideal location for most plants in our climate is an eastern exposure. There, they get full sun for half a day, but are protected from the extremely hot afternoon sun. Even plants that do best in full sun, like the garden geranium, will do very well with an eastern exposure.

Most people don't have an "ideal" location and have to make do with what they have. First of all, no plant will grow with absolutely no light. People often have trouble getting anything to grow under wide over-hangs where very little light ever reaches. To better understand sunlight needs of plants, here are some definitions.

Full sun -- at least six hours per day of direct sunlight.

Part shade -- mixed sun and shade or an area where the sunlight is filtered but there is still a fair amount of light. Part shade is rather subjective and can vary from light shade to mostly shade.

Shade -- Very little direct sun, but there is still filtered sunlight for at least part of the day or there is reflected light from some object like a wall.

Too Much Shade

If you have an area that is extremely dark, try growing german ivy. This will grow in about the least amount of light of any garden plant that I know of. If you can't grow german ivy, you may as well opt for some kind of sculpture.

People often ask if they can store their plants in a garage or basement until they have time to plant them. This will rarely well work unless there is a good source of light for the plants. If the plants are set outside during the day and placed inside at night, they should do fine, but leaving them for more than a day or two in an area with little light may cause yellowing and reduction in flowering. Leaving them in the dark too long will eventually kill the plants.

Too Much Sun?

You really have only two options. Reduce the amount of sunlight through some kind of shading or select plants that are more acclimated.

Greenhouse operators often using shade material to reduce light transmission into the greenhouse. This isn't an easy option for a homeowner -- the materials are fairly expensive and not especially attractive.

Choosing plants adapted to bright light is not too difficult. If you're problem is only high light, there are many plants that do well in those conditions. Petunias, geraniums, dianthus, dahlias, and daisies all do very well in high light conditions.

The problem is that high light is often only half the problem. When you have high light, you also may have very high heat conditions. In this situation, a few plants you should consider are gaillardia, marigold, and portulaca.