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susiq_gw

Light Questions

susiq
19 years ago

How does one determine how much sunlight a certain spot gets?

I am in the middle of an oak forrest and get lots of dappled shade/sunlight, and some places get as much as 4 hours (sometimes more) of direct sunlight.

Some of the plants in the 4 hour area end up w/ scorched leaves, but fail to bloom (a multi-year old David Austin Constance Spry, for instance, which I know is only supposed to bloom in the spring.)

In one area I'm working on now, I've got bermuda grass (sun lover) growing right at the edge of a huge stand of groundcover vinca. I noticed this area recently (have been ignoring it for years), and realized it seems to be getting a LOT of sun.

I don't want to plant sun lovers that fail, or shade lovers that get scorched. For instance, my front porch is in shade all day til 4pm, then gets direct hot NW sun in summer. Burns the ferns, stretches the mums/pansies/etc. I'd like hanging baskets or patio pots in this area, just don't know what to plant. Ditto misc. shrubs. Too much light for azaleas? Not enough for hollies/cleyeras? Help!

I guess it's probably just trial and error, but if there are reliable (easy to understand!) formulas or indicator plants to "test" an area, please let me know.

Thanks

Susi in NE TX

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