How to Define Full Sun for Gardening

In the plant world, when does “full sun” not really mean full sun?

When you live in a place that gets really, really hot for a really long time.

When we go to the garden store, and our attention is captured by an interesting-looking species that’s new to us, we’ll often look for that little plastic pick that’s inserted into the pot, or if it’s a seed packet we’re intrigued by, we’ll flip it over to learn more.

We’re looking for the variety’s biography to tell us how tall and wide the plant grows, how much water it needs, and how much sun it should have.

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And therein lies the kicker for those of us in the southern parts of the country.

Many species whose labels claim the plant can take a lot of sun would just burn up in, say, most of Texas, or the desert Southwest, or other hot and sunny parts of the United States.

In summer, these areas are treated to more than 12 hours of punishing sun — and high temperatures — per day.

It’s a hardy plant indeed that can take that kind of exposure and still look fabulous.

So what does “full sun” actually mean for us in the South and Southwest? How do we enjoy a beautiful garden without the risk of losing everything in the grueling heat of July and August?

Those of us in zones 8a and higher have to be careful with how much sun we give our plants — although some areas with a lot of humidity might have better luck.

We consulted experts in several states. Across the board, their advice fell into two main categories. Let’s look at what they had to say.

Every one of our experts said that choosing the site for your plants is of