Figuring out how much light a plant needs to get going seems easy enough, but all those fancy sun labels on plant tags can sure leave one scratching their head.

Lucky for us, the plant folks are finally getting their act together, making their labels more sensible. So, if you learn a few keywords, you’ll pick the right plant for your patch in no time. Now, let’s dive in!

Words to Know:

Every plant needs sunlight to grow, but they are all different regarding how much and how strong that light needs to be. The plant tags break it down like this:

• Full Sun – These plants need to soak up at least 6 hours of straight-up sunshine daily.
• Part Sun – These do great with 3 to 6 hours of direct sun daily.
• Part Shade – These need 3 to 6 hours of sun, but you best keep them out of that blistering noon sun.
• Full Shade – These plants aren’t looking for much, just less than 3 hours of direct sun a day, if at all.

Full Sun

Full sun is the light you find in wide-open, sunny spots. Lots of full-sun plants love basking in that sunshine from morning until night, but some might need a breather. If a plant is tagged as heat or drought-tolerant and full sun, you can bet it’ll handle even the hottest summer days without a sweat. The same goes for plants with silvery or gray leaves—they’re tough as nails.

But some plants just can’t hang when it’s too hot. So what’s a gardener supposed to do? Think local! Full sun in the mountains is not the same as full sun on the coast. Those plant tags are handy, but you must connect the dots so that they fit your backyard.

As you get more experience, you’ll start figuring out what full sun means in your neck of the woods. And if you’re still scratching your head, give your County Extension Educator a call—they’ll help you decide what works best in our local conditions.

Part Sun and Part Shade

Part sun and part shade might sound similar, but we use both terms for a reason. Most plants that need either of these attributes will do just fine in dappled light most of the day or with direct sun only in the morning. That afternoon sun packs more punch and cranks up the heat more than the morning rays.

If a plant is labeled as part shade, it will be more touchy about getting too much sun, especially in the afternoon. Those plants need some shade when it’s hot as blazes outside. On the other hand, plants labeled as part sun can usually handle more light and need a good dose of direct sun to do their thing. Give them too little sun, and you might not see much blooming going on.

Letting them soak up some morning sun is a safe bet for either case.

Full Shade

Shade plants need anything from the soft light you might find on the north side of a house to the deep, dark shade under some giant evergreens. Actual shade plants, like a lot of ferns, can’t handle much sun at all—they’ll up and die on you if they get too much. Filtered light, like what we get under a shady tree, is suitable for full-shade plants. We call that dappled shade, and it opens up many possibilities for your garden.

Most full-shade plants can deal with a little bit of direct sun in the morning or later in the day, but not when the sun’s beating down mid-day. Keep a close eye on your yard to make sure those shady spots don’t get hit with too much light for too long. The best way to get the hang of it is to watch how the sun moves through your landscape throughout the day and the whole growing season.