Is sunlight important to a plant?

Sunlight can add beauty to any landscape

 Of great importance is the amount of sunlight plants receive throughout the day. Plants such as rhododendrons and azaleas can not tolerate our intense, hot afternoon sun and needs to be in the shade no later than 2:00, preferably sooner. On the other hand, trees such as maple or honey locust need a full day’s sun to look great. Some plants grow reasonably well in either sun or shade, examples are limelight hydrangeas and ice plant. The homeowner should determine the amount of sunlight an area receives, the time of day the area is in the sun as this information will help in guiding the customer to the plants required for a given area . This is a general rule that we use in determining what type of plants to recommend to a customer when helping them at the The Home & Garden Store. We ask the question, “Is the area where you intend to plant a tree or shrub in the sun after 3:00 pm? Three to seven p.m. is the hottest part of the day where we live, making it an important question for the customer. Sometimes there is a fence, home or other structure that may block the sun where the customer intends to plant and should to be considered when making a plant selection.

There are other important questions when selecting a plant besides sun. Not only should you keep the sun in mind, but also privacy, sun screening created by the plant, height, width, soil conditions and of course the customers thoughts and ideas as well as other factors.

It’s also important to consider your neighbor’s when making a plant selection. Although they can’t tell you what to plant, keeping them in mind is certainly respectable.