Specialty Gardening: design ideas..., 0 by DaleTheGardener

DaleTheGardener wrote:
Newbie, an area that is cut off from blue sky is indirect light-or bounce light. A place that you can see blue sky, but, the sun doesn't shine directly is bright indirect light. Those are not considered shade. Usually called indirect light.

There are generally three types of shade. All of them require that some direct sun be possible. Light, medium and dark. Light shade- get some sun, like a plant at the drip line of an oak that gets sun for a couple hours a day. Medium shade is what most folks call dappled shade, under an oak with small patches of sun coming thru the leaves. Dark shade, under an oak that has an azalea planted under it. Under the azalea is dark shade, very little or no direct sun except early or late in the day.

And there are various degrees of those kinds of shade, but, if you want to get that technical you should get a light meter and measure the footcandles.