Often when reading through descriptions for perennial flowers and plants, you will come across terms such as "suitable for partial shade", "prefers filtered shade", or "plant in areas with light shade." The range of shade terms used to describe the light preferences and needs for shade perennial flowers and plants can be very confusing, especially for beginning gardeners. In part this is because many terms are often used interchangeably to describe the same light requirements.
Here is a brief guide to help those purchasing shade perennial flowers and plants. These categories are based on the number of hours per day of shade a plant needs or can tolerate:
Filtered Shade, Light Shade, Thin Shade - This is the shade category that involves the least amount of shade. Generally it means a perennial flower or plant can tolerate two to three hours of shade a day, or that there is very light shade during the day in the area where the perennial garden flowers and plants are growing - such as occasional shade coming through tree branches that are spread wide apart.
Partial Shade, Half Shade, Medium Shade, Semi-Shade, Dappled Shade - Partial shade perennial flowers and plants can tolerate four to five hours a day without direct sunlight. This is the shade situation under many older trees. A dappled sunlight/shade pattern under a tree means that for fifty percent of the time there is sun, and fifty percent of the time there is shade - with the sun and shady areas rotating as the sun moves across the sky.
Full Shade - In a full shade perennial garden or location, there is no direct sunlight hitting the area at all during the day. The location will still receive some reflected, indirect sunlight. There are few perennial garden flowers and plants that can tolerate full shade conditions.
Deep Shade, Dense Shade, Heavy Shade - No direct sunlight and no indirect sunlight. This could be an area such as under a deck platform or in a very densely canopied forest. Almost no plants will grow in such conditions.
Knowing and understanding these shade terms is crucial if you want your shade perennial flowers and plants to thrive. Hopefully these definitions will help you successfully match your garden space with the appropriate shade perennial flowers and plants.
For even more articles about gardening for shade perennial and plants, please return to the Shade Perennial Garden main page.
