Before you choose a single plant, it's worth answering one simple question: how much sun does your garden actually get? Get this right from the start, and your garden border will settle in and thrive with far less fuss. Get it wrong, and even the healthiest plants can struggle, no matter how much care you give them.
The good news is that working this out doesn't take any special equipment or gardening know-how, just a bit of observation. We'll walk you through the three types of garden light, how to spot which one you've got, and which plants will genuinely thrive in each. By the end, you'll know exactly what will suit your space.
The Three Types of Garden Light
Gardeners often talk about "full sun" or "partial shade" as though everyone already knows what they mean. They don't need to be a mystery - here's what each one actually looks like in your garden.
Full Sun
Full sun simply means a spot that gets around 6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day. Think of a south-facing border with nothing overhead to block the light: an open patio bed, a front garden with no big trees nearby, or a spot that catches the sun from late morning right through the afternoon.
Partial Shade
Partial shade describes a spot that gets a few hours of direct sun, typically 3 to 6 hours, with the rest of the day in gentler, filtered, or indirect light. This is one of the most common conditions in UK gardens: think a border that catches morning sun but is shaded by a fence or house in the afternoon, or a spot dappled by a nearby tree.
Full Shade
Full shade means a spot that receives less than 3 hours of direct sun a day, and often none at all; a north-facing border, an area tucked under mature trees, or a narrow side passage that the sun rarely reaches. That doesn't mean nothing will grow there; it just means you need plants naturally suited to lower light.
How to Check How Much Sun Your Garden Gets
You don't need any tools for this, just an hour or two of paying attention. On a normal day, take a look at your border every couple of hours from morning to early evening and note whether it's in direct sun or shade each time. Add up the hours of direct sunlight, and you'll have a good general sense of which category you're in.
A few things worth bearing in mind: light changes with the seasons, so a spot that feels shady in winter might catch plenty of sun in summer once the sun sits higher in the sky. And don't worry about being exact; a rough estimate ("mostly sunny," "shady most of the day") is all you need to choose the right border.
The Best Plants for Each Light Level
Once you know your garden's light level, choosing plants becomes much simpler. Here are some reliable options for each - all plants you'll find growing happily in our own ready-made borders.
Best Plants for a Sunny Garden
Sunny border spots suit plants that love to bask and don't mind the soil drying out between waterings:
- Lavender: silvery foliage, a beautiful scent, and happiest in full sun
- Salvia: long-flowering and reliably colourful right through summer
- Achillea (yarrow): flat, textural flower heads that bring in pollinators
- Verbena bonariensis: tall, airy purple flowers that sway above the rest of the border
- Rudbeckia: bold golden blooms that keep going well into autumn
Best Plants for a Partially Shaded Garden
Partial shade suits plants that enjoy a little sun without being baked all day:
- Geranium (hardy cranesbill): a reliable, low-maintenance flowerer for months on end
- Astrantia: delicate, pincushion-like flowers that do well with some shelter from the afternoon sun
- Heuchera: grown as much for its richly coloured foliage as its flowers
- Persicaria: tough, easy-going, and happy with a mix of sun and shade
- Alchemilla mollis (lady's mantle): soft, scalloped leaves that catch raindrops beautifully
Best Plants for a Shady Garden
If your garden is on the shadier side, that's no reason to rule out a lush, full-looking shady border - you just need plants designed with that in mind:
- Hydrangea: big, generous flower heads that genuinely prefer some shade
- Ferns: reliably lush and textural, even in the darkest corners
- Hardy geranium: several varieties cope beautifully with low light, not just partial shade
- Hellebore: flowers through the depths of winter when little else will
- Heucherella: shade-loving foliage that keeps a border interesting all year round
Signs Your Plants Are Getting the Wrong Light
Even with the best intentions, it's easy to misjudge a spot. Here's how to spot it and fix it.
Signs Your Plants Get Too Little Light:
- Stems growing long, thin and "leggy" as they stretch toward the light
- Leaves looking pale or washed out rather than richly coloured
- Fewer flowers than you'd expect, or none at all
Signs Your Plants Get Too Much Light:
- Leaves that look scorched, crispy or bleached at the edges
- Plants wilting in the afternoon, even when the soil is damp
- Flowers fading or browning much faster than usual
If you notice any of these, it doesn't mean you've done anything wrong; it's just a sign that a plant has ended up in the wrong spot, and it's a nudge to try a different variety, or a different corner of the garden.
Not Sure Which Border Suits Your Garden?
If you'd rather skip the trial and error, that's exactly what our ready-made borders are for. Every Garden on a Roll border is designed by award-winning garden designer Antony Henn and our horticultural team, with the right plants for the light already worked out for you - so there's nothing left to guess.
- If your garden basks in sun most of the day, our sunny garden borders are built for exactly that.
- If your space is shadier, our shady garden borders bring together plants that genuinely thrive without much direct sun.
- If you've got a particularly hot, dry, full-sun spot, our Mediterranean garden borders are designed with just that in mind.
Still not sure? Take a look at all our garden borders to find your best match. And once your border's in, you might find these articles useful too: How Long Does it Take Border Plants to Grow? and our Border Watering Guide - containing everything you need to help your new border settle in and thrive.
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