Corona's Principles of Planting How to Guide

10
coronatoolsusa.com
SUNSHINE AND SHADOWS
To help gardeners understand
how to pick the right plants
for the light conditions in their
yards, books, magazines, and
plant tags describe a plant’s
preferred exposure as “full sun,”
“part sun” or “full shade.”
In general, full sun means a plant needs a minimum of 6
(and ideally 8 or more) hours of bright sunlight each day.
Part sun means 3-6 hours of sun each day; the term
“part shade” is often interchangeable with “part sun,”
though sometime word choice on the plant tag can
indicate that the plant prefers a slightly sunnier or
shadier site. Partially sunny or shady sites may get direct
sun for just a short but concentrated period, or they may
have an hour here and there of sun throughout the day.
Another possibility is that the site gets fi ltered light
throughout the day. This is especially common in areas
where there are many deciduous trees.
Full shade, or simply “shade,” means fewer than 3 hours
each day. Shady sites occur under dense canopies of
mature trees, especially evergreens, or when deep shade
is cast by a nearby building.
When a plant tag indicates more than one light
preference, for example, full sun and part shade, this can
mean two things.
One, that the plant will tolerate both types of conditions,
so is relatively fl exible in its preferences. In most cases,
a plant that tolerates some shade will require a bit more
water if it is grown in full sun, especially for the fi rst
season or two after planting.
Two, that the plant prefers full sun in cooler climates
but requires some shade in warmer ones. Most plant
tags are the same, whether a plant is being sold in Texas
or Toronto, so warm climate gardeners should usually
plan on giving a plant some shade, especially during the
hottest part of the day. Shopping at a local garden center
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