Gardens with Full Sun

All plants operate on solar power because of their unique talent for converting light into energy through a process called photosynthesis. So rejoice if you have a garden site with plenty of sun, because you're well on the way to having a garden that can support many kinds of foliage and flowering plants.

In gardening, full sun is usually defined as 10 to 12 hours of direct sun each day, and many of the most colorful flowering plants that you can grow, thrive in full sun. To measure how much sun an area receives, visit the spot in the morning, at noon, mid afternoon and late afternoon. On each visit, mark the portion of soil that receives sunlight with spray paint or a sprinkling of baking flour. This way you can total up the hours of sunlight an area receives each day in various seasons, making it easier to select plants that will thrive there.

But you must take into consideration that full sun can vary in intensity. Full sun in northern latitudes is less intense than full sun in the southern ones, which are closer to the equator. Cloud cover, which is usually heaviest in lower altitudes and in the East, also diminishes the intensity of the sun. For this reason, gardeners in the Southeast and Southwest in Zones 7 to 9 often can, and should, grow plants described as needing full sun in sites that receive an average of only 6 to 7 hours of full sun per day. Other factors also hold sway. For example, soil type and moisture, as well as daytime and evening temperatures also influence a plant's sun tolerance. We have considered all options. Throughout this chapter as well as the rest of the book, we've specified which plants thrive when grown in full sun in northern gardens, yet appreciate partial shade in hot, sunny regions, and under special environmental conditions.

This chapter features garden ideas for six different sun-and-soil combinations for year-round performance and beauty. No matter what your situation has to offer, you'll find care-free ideas for design and color combinations, and you'll discover many plants that will suit your garden's needs.