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Explain: partial shade

Posted by mrscoyle 5 (My Page) on
Tue, May 1, 07 at 16:35

Until I started gardening I would have assumed that "partial shade" meant dappled shade (lovely sun streaming through leaves of trees, etc...) ... however, I find now that there is more to it than that.

There is a section of my house that receives FULL sun but only after 2 pm in the afternoon. Will flowers that need full sun do well there? Or will they be missing the full day sun that they need?

Full sun - does this mean ALL day full sun or just full sun for a few hours. How about morning sun and afternoon sun? Is there a difference as far as plants are concerned.

If this will require alot of explaining could someone just point me to a website that will explain it.


Follow-Up Postings:

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RE: Explain: partial shade

Full sun usually means 6-8 hours of sun per day. The site you describe is difficult; I have the same situation in front of my house. It really isn't a full 6 hours of sun. But the afternoon sun is hot. At first I tried pt. shade plants, but they fried in the afternoon when the sun hit them. Then I moved to sun plants that are tough and can take some shade like phlox, daylilies, veronica, delphiniums, foxglove, j. and s. iris, etc. The key is not so much sun/shade tolerance but the strength to adapt to full shade in the morning (esp. not having any fungal issues) and then sudden blazing hot sun in the p.m.

The shrubs I have there are rhododendron (been there forever, the p.j. kind), dwarf alberta spruce, bird's nest spruce, and mountain laurel. Also planted a purple smoke bush last year, so far things are growing fine.


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RE: Explain: partial shade

Hi!

The front of my house is just as you describe. It also receives the wrath of the north wind.

What's worked for me for years in front are the perennials euphorbia, ladies mantle, harebells(just kidding), daylilies, heather if winter protected, Dutchmans Pipe, geranium Johnson's Blue, coreopsis, iberis, delphinium, iris, sedum 'Autumn Joy".

What I've killed there include lavender(it hung on for years), daisies, roses of several kinds, and a hydrangea. I have a peegee hydrangea doing well there now, as well as lilac and arborvitae. My peonies bloom every year but they are reluctant, and whine that they want to be somewhere else.

I stuff the bed with annuals every year. Nicotiana, snapdragon, zinnia, allysum, mariglod, pansies, violas, petunias in pots have all done well.


 
 

 

 


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