Shade Flowers

Different flowers need varying amounts of sunlight in order to survive and thrive. Some types of flowers are full sun flowers, while others are shade flowers and partial shade flowers. Planting the right flowers in the right areas of your yard will give you a much better chance of having a vibrant and healthy garden.

Once you decide where you want to plant your garden but before you actually plant anything, you should pay attention to how much direct sunlight your garden area gets. A garden that is mostly sunny will receive 5-6 hours of direct sun per day, up to eight hours for full sun. If you were to plant along the northern or southern part of your yard away from your house, the plants would need to be full sun.

A partial shade garden will get sun early and late in the day but have the strongest midday sun blocked by a fence, trees, covered patio or other obstruction. If you plant flowers closer to your house, they will be shaded a good portion of the day but still receive moderate sunlight.

A full shade garden will receive only brief shafts of light. If you plant flowers in planter pots on a covered patio, for example, your flowers will need to be full shade.

Once you have determined how much direct sunlight will hit your garden, you will know whether you need full shade flowers, partial shade flowers or full sun flowers.

• Full shade flowers – Full shade flowers include red sentinels, dwarf plumbagos and pink turtleheads.

• Partial shade flowers – Some flowers that require partial shade include begonias, periwinkles, bleeding hearts and coral bells.

• Full sun flowers– Some flowers that will do well in a full sun garden or mostly sunny garden include peonies, Shasta daisies, daylilies and purple coneflowers.

Knowing how much sun your plants will receive will help you choose the best variety to thrive wherever you plant them. No matter whether you need full sun flowers, partial shade flowers or full shade flowers, you can find a variety of sizes, shapes and colors to create a beautiful garden.