The side return that gets four feet of sky

What grows here?

Not full sun or shade. How much usable light actually arrives across a day, when it arrives, and whether the spot ever dries.

What this spot actually is

Bundled plant catalogue

About 3.4 moles of usable light a day with about 1 hours of direct sun in high summer. That is deep shade, whatever the label on the plant says.

Nothing in the reference set is a clean match here, which usually means the light or the drainage has to change first. Anything planted here sits wet for 12 months of the year, so drainage is the decision before the plant is.

Growing-season light

3.4

mol/m²/day

April to September, averaged

Midsummer direct sun

hours

On 15 July, traced against the plan

Freeze-thaw

cycles a year

What cracks pots, not what kills plants

Light through the year

Month	Light	Direct sun	Dries in	Reads as
Jan	0.7	0.5 h	not that day	deep shade
Feb	1.3	0.5 h	not that day	deep shade
Mar	1.9	0.5 h	not that day	deep shade
Apr	2.7	0.5 h	not that day	deep shade
May	3.2	0.5 h	not that day	deep shade
Jun	4.3	1 h	not that day	shade
Jul	4.3	1 h	not that day	shade
Aug	3.7	1 h	not that day	deep shade
Sep	2.3	0.5 h	not that day	deep shade
Oct	1.4	0.5 h	not that day	deep shade
Nov	0.8	0.5 h	not that day	deep shade
Dec	0.6	0.5 h	not that day	deep shade

Screening

Narrow upright evergreen screen

wrong place

The classic answer to a sightline when there is no room for a hedge.

Light: This spot gives about 3.4 moles a day and this wants at least 8. It will live and it will not perform.
Moisture: This spot sits wetter than this group tolerates. Wet feet kill far more plants than cold does.
Hardiness: Zone 9.1 is outside this group's usual range of 5 to 9. Hardiness is a floor, not a plan.

Light here is less than half what this needs. No amount of feeding or watering substitutes for it.

Watch for: Narrow forms lose their shape if the top is ever cut. Buy the mature height you want.

Examples, not recommendations: Columnar hornbeam; Italian cypress in mild dry climates; Upright yew in cool climates. What is right here is a question for a nursery that can see the site.

Broad evergreen hedge

wrong place

Dense all year, and it wants more width than people allow for.

Light: This spot gives about 3.4 moles a day and this wants at least 10. It will live and it will not perform.
Moisture: This spot sits wetter than this group tolerates. Wet feet kill far more plants than cold does.
Reflected heat: Surface heat here is not the limiting factor.

Light here is less than half what this needs. No amount of feeding or watering substitutes for it.

Watch for: A hedge kept below its natural width thins at the base, which is exactly where a seated sightline runs.

Examples, not recommendations: Yew; Portuguese laurel; Holly. What is right here is a question for a nursery that can see the site.

Deciduous hedge that holds its leaves

wrong place

Screens in summer, filters in winter, and holds brown leaves through the cold.

Light: This spot gives about 3.4 moles a day and this wants at least 10. It will live and it will not perform.
Moisture: This spot sits wetter than this group tolerates. Wet feet kill far more plants than cold does.
Hardiness: Zone 9.1 is outside this group's usual range of 4 to 8. Hardiness is a floor, not a plan.

Light here is less than half what this needs. No amount of feeding or watering substitutes for it.

Watch for: Winter screening is partial. If the problem is a winter sightline, this is not the answer.

Examples, not recommendations: Beech; Hornbeam. What is right here is a question for a nursery that can see the site.

Salt-tolerant coastal shrub

wrong place

Salt air is a different problem from wind, and this is the group that solves both.

Light: This spot gives about 3.4 moles a day and this wants at least 16. It will live and it will not perform.
Moisture: This spot sits wetter than this group tolerates. Wet feet kill far more plants than cold does.
Reflected heat: Surface heat here is not the limiting factor.

Light here is less than half what this needs. No amount of feeding or watering substitutes for it.

Watch for: Salt tolerance is specific. A plant that shrugs off wind inland can still burn in a coastal gale.

Examples, not recommendations: Escallonia; Griselinia; Elaeagnus. What is right here is a question for a nursery that can see the site.

Shade

Medium deciduous shade tree

wrong place

Summer shade that gives the winter sun back. The best shade device there is, and the slowest.

Light: This spot gives about 3.4 moles a day and this wants at least 14. It will live and it will not perform.
Moisture: This spot sits wetter than this group tolerates. Wet feet kill far more plants than cold does.
Hardiness: Zone 9.1 is outside this group's usual range of 4 to 9. Hardiness is a floor, not a plan.

Light here is less than half what this needs. No amount of feeding or watering substitutes for it.

Watch for: Mature spread is the number that matters, and it is almost always larger than the space allowed.

Examples, not recommendations: Field maple; Serviceberry; Hop hornbeam. What is right here is a question for a nursery that can see the site.

Deciduous climber for seasonal shade

wrong place

Shade over a pergola in July and bare timber in January, which is usually exactly right.

Light: This spot gives about 3.4 moles a day and this wants at least 14. It will live and it will not perform.
Moisture: This spot sits wetter than this group tolerates. Wet feet kill far more plants than cold does.
Reflected heat: Surface heat here is not the limiting factor.

Light here is less than half what this needs. No amount of feeding or watering substitutes for it.

Watch for: Wisteria in particular puts real load on a structure. Build for it before planting it.

Examples, not recommendations: Grape vine; Wisteria, given the structure for it; Virginia creeper. What is right here is a question for a nursery that can see the site.

Structure

Deep-shade foliage plant

will work

For the places that genuinely never see the sun, where most 'shade' plants still fail.

Hardiness: Zone 9.1 is outside this group's usual range of 4 to 9. Hardiness is a floor, not a plan.
Moisture: This spot sits wetter than this group tolerates. Wet feet kill far more plants than cold does.
Light: About 3.4 moles a day, against an ideal of 7. This is the right light band.

Watch for: True deep shade is under three moles a day. Most plants sold as shade-tolerant want double that.

Examples, not recommendations: Hart's tongue fern; Epimedium; Asarum. What is right here is a question for a nursery that can see the site.

Fern for cool damp shade

will work

The plant group that genuinely wants the conditions people apologise for.

Hardiness: Zone 9.1 is outside this group's usual range of 4 to 9. Hardiness is a floor, not a plan.
Moisture: This spot sits wetter than this group tolerates. Wet feet kill far more plants than cold does.
Light: About 3.4 moles a day, against an ideal of 10. This is the right light band.

Watch for: Ferns burn in reflected heat off a pale wall even in a spot with very little direct sun.

Examples, not recommendations: Dryopteris; Polystichum; Athyrium. What is right here is a question for a nursery that can see the site.

Narrow upright evergreen screen

wrong place

The classic answer to a sightline when there is no room for a hedge.

Light: This spot gives about 3.4 moles a day and this wants at least 8. It will live and it will not perform.
Moisture: This spot sits wetter than this group tolerates. Wet feet kill far more plants than cold does.
Hardiness: Zone 9.1 is outside this group's usual range of 5 to 9. Hardiness is a floor, not a plan.

Light here is less than half what this needs. No amount of feeding or watering substitutes for it.

Watch for: Narrow forms lose their shape if the top is ever cut. Buy the mature height you want.

Examples, not recommendations: Columnar hornbeam; Italian cypress in mild dry climates; Upright yew in cool climates. What is right here is a question for a nursery that can see the site.

Medium deciduous shade tree

wrong place

Summer shade that gives the winter sun back. The best shade device there is, and the slowest.

Light: This spot gives about 3.4 moles a day and this wants at least 14. It will live and it will not perform.
Moisture: This spot sits wetter than this group tolerates. Wet feet kill far more plants than cold does.
Hardiness: Zone 9.1 is outside this group's usual range of 4 to 9. Hardiness is a floor, not a plan.

Light here is less than half what this needs. No amount of feeding or watering substitutes for it.

Watch for: Mature spread is the number that matters, and it is almost always larger than the space allowed.

Examples, not recommendations: Field maple; Serviceberry; Hop hornbeam. What is right here is a question for a nursery that can see the site.

Ground cover

Deep-shade foliage plant

will work

For the places that genuinely never see the sun, where most 'shade' plants still fail.

Hardiness: Zone 9.1 is outside this group's usual range of 4 to 9. Hardiness is a floor, not a plan.
Moisture: This spot sits wetter than this group tolerates. Wet feet kill far more plants than cold does.
Light: About 3.4 moles a day, against an ideal of 7. This is the right light band.

Watch for: True deep shade is under three moles a day. Most plants sold as shade-tolerant want double that.

Examples, not recommendations: Hart's tongue fern; Epimedium; Asarum. What is right here is a question for a nursery that can see the site.

Fern for cool damp shade

will work

The plant group that genuinely wants the conditions people apologise for.

Hardiness: Zone 9.1 is outside this group's usual range of 4 to 9. Hardiness is a floor, not a plan.
Moisture: This spot sits wetter than this group tolerates. Wet feet kill far more plants than cold does.
Light: About 3.4 moles a day, against an ideal of 10. This is the right light band.

Watch for: Ferns burn in reflected heat off a pale wall even in a spot with very little direct sun.

Examples, not recommendations: Dryopteris; Polystichum; Athyrium. What is right here is a question for a nursery that can see the site.

Part-shade perennial

wrong place

The workhorse of a north-facing bed that gets a couple of hours of sun.

Light: This spot gives about 3.4 moles a day and this wants at least 6. It will live and it will not perform.
Moisture: This spot sits wetter than this group tolerates. Wet feet kill far more plants than cold does.
Hardiness: Zone 9.1 is outside this group's usual range of 4 to 9. Hardiness is a floor, not a plan.

This spot stays wet well past what this group survives in winter.

Watch for: These fail from dryness under a wall or a tree far more often than they fail from shade.

Examples, not recommendations: Hellebore; Geranium; Hosta where slugs allow. What is right here is a question for a nursery that can see the site.

Dry-shade ground cover

wrong place

The hardest brief in gardening: no light and no water, under a tree.

Light: This spot gives about 3.4 moles a day and this wants at least 4. It will live and it will not perform.
Moisture: This spot sits wetter than this group tolerates. Wet feet kill far more plants than cold does.
Hardiness: Zone 9.1 is outside this group's usual range of 4 to 9. Hardiness is a floor, not a plan.

This spot stays wet well past what this group survives in winter.

Watch for: Everything struggles here for the first two years. Water through the establishment period or nothing works.

Examples, not recommendations: Epimedium; Vinca; Geranium macrorrhizum. What is right here is a question for a nursery that can see the site.

Something to eat

Mediterranean sub-shrub

wrong place

Built for hard sun, sharp drainage and being ignored.

Light: This spot gives about 3.4 moles a day and this wants at least 20. It will live and it will not perform.
Moisture: This spot sits wetter than this group tolerates. Wet feet kill far more plants than cold does.
Reflected heat: Surface heat here is not the limiting factor.

Light here is less than half what this needs. No amount of feeding or watering substitutes for it.

Watch for: Wet feet in winter kills these more reliably than cold does. Drainage, not hardiness, is the question.

Examples, not recommendations: Lavender; Rosemary; Cistus. What is right here is a question for a nursery that can see the site.

High-heat container herb

wrong place

Wants a hot wall, a lot of light and someone who waters it.

Light: This spot gives about 3.4 moles a day and this wants at least 20. It will live and it will not perform.
Moisture: This spot sits wetter than this group tolerates. Wet feet kill far more plants than cold does.
Reflected heat: Surface heat here is not the limiting factor.

Light here is less than half what this needs. No amount of feeding or watering substitutes for it.

Watch for: A container against a sunlit wall can run twenty degrees above air temperature. That is a watering problem, not a light problem.

Examples, not recommendations: Basil; Thyme in a deep pot; Oregano. What is right here is a question for a nursery that can see the site.

Shade-tolerant container herb

wrong place

For the herb pot by the back door that only gets morning sun.

Light: This spot gives about 3.4 moles a day and this wants at least 8. It will live and it will not perform.
Moisture: This spot sits wetter than this group tolerates. Wet feet kill far more plants than cold does.
Hardiness: Zone 9.1 is outside this group's usual range of 4 to 9. Hardiness is a floor, not a plan.

Light here is less than half what this needs. No amount of feeding or watering substitutes for it.

Watch for: Below about eight moles a day these survive without ever being worth picking.

Examples, not recommendations: Parsley; Chives; Mint, contained. What is right here is a question for a nursery that can see the site.

Fruiting vegetable

wrong place

The most light-hungry thing most people try to grow, and the one most often put in the wrong place.

Light: This spot gives about 3.4 moles a day and this wants at least 22. It will live and it will not perform.
Moisture: This spot sits wetter than this group tolerates. Wet feet kill far more plants than cold does.
Reflected heat: Surface heat here is not the limiting factor.

Light here is less than half what this needs. No amount of feeding or watering substitutes for it.

Watch for: Leaves grow at fifteen moles a day; fruit needs more than twenty. That gap is why people get plants and no crop.

Examples, not recommendations: Tomato; Pepper; Courgette. What is right here is a question for a nursery that can see the site.

In a container

Evergreen structural shrub

wrong place

The thing that stops a bed looking empty in February.

Light: This spot gives about 3.4 moles a day and this wants at least 8. It will live and it will not perform.
Moisture: This spot sits wetter than this group tolerates. Wet feet kill far more plants than cold does.
Reflected heat: Surface heat here is not the limiting factor.

Light here is less than half what this needs. No amount of feeding or watering substitutes for it.

Watch for: Clipped evergreens in containers dry out from the root ball in, and the damage shows a season late.

Examples, not recommendations: Box alternatives such as Japanese holly; Pittosporum; Osmanthus. What is right here is a question for a nursery that can see the site.

Mediterranean sub-shrub

wrong place

Built for hard sun, sharp drainage and being ignored.

Light: This spot gives about 3.4 moles a day and this wants at least 20. It will live and it will not perform.
Moisture: This spot sits wetter than this group tolerates. Wet feet kill far more plants than cold does.
Reflected heat: Surface heat here is not the limiting factor.

Light here is less than half what this needs. No amount of feeding or watering substitutes for it.

Watch for: Wet feet in winter kills these more reliably than cold does. Drainage, not hardiness, is the question.

Examples, not recommendations: Lavender; Rosemary; Cistus. What is right here is a question for a nursery that can see the site.

High-heat container herb

wrong place

Wants a hot wall, a lot of light and someone who waters it.

Light: This spot gives about 3.4 moles a day and this wants at least 20. It will live and it will not perform.
Moisture: This spot sits wetter than this group tolerates. Wet feet kill far more plants than cold does.
Reflected heat: Surface heat here is not the limiting factor.

Light here is less than half what this needs. No amount of feeding or watering substitutes for it.

Watch for: A container against a sunlit wall can run twenty degrees above air temperature. That is a watering problem, not a light problem.

Examples, not recommendations: Basil; Thyme in a deep pot; Oregano. What is right here is a question for a nursery that can see the site.

Shade-tolerant container herb

wrong place

For the herb pot by the back door that only gets morning sun.

Light: This spot gives about 3.4 moles a day and this wants at least 8. It will live and it will not perform.
Moisture: This spot sits wetter than this group tolerates. Wet feet kill far more plants than cold does.
Hardiness: Zone 9.1 is outside this group's usual range of 4 to 9. Hardiness is a floor, not a plan.

Light here is less than half what this needs. No amount of feeding or watering substitutes for it.

Watch for: Below about eight moles a day these survive without ever being worth picking.

Examples, not recommendations: Parsley; Chives; Mint, contained. What is right here is a question for a nursery that can see the site.