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Re: [SHADEGARDENS] Nurseries

>At 07:25 PM 1/24/98 -0400, you wrote:
>>Ransom Lydell <ranbl@NETSYNC.NET> wrote:
> There are no "shade lovers"  I beg those of you who are tempted to apply
>terms such as "need", "want", "love" and "happy" to plants, to remember that
> plants CAN NOT have any of these "needs or feelings"! The temptation to
> apply human feelings to plants, sends the wrong message.

Ransom, I believe when most people assign words such as "happy" or "need" it
is just a description and most people of intelligence would not believe
their plant is actually out giggling in the garden from joy, even though
they say it is a happy plant. Now sometimes I do go out to listen for
laughter in the garden but so far have not heard it coming from my plants.
Actually I think it was the wind laughing.  :)

I think we can all pick up on what a person is actually saying when they
describe that a plant seems happy in the spot chosen for them. Since this is
not a journal for publication, maybe we should relax a bit in choices of
words, and let people express themselves about the plants whether it be
shade tolerant, full sun sensitive, part sun, and shade gardens in ways that
encourages communication. I for one would certainly ask if I didn't quite
understand a term used, or in order to help answer someone's question,
politely ask for more information if needed. I like hearing from other's
gardener's out in the trenches with their plants because they speak from
their own experiences, if someone says I moved my plant and now it's
happy... I might just have to go over there to see if it's laughing! :) Ok
enough joking around back to what I really wanted to discuss...

Now after I have said all the above garbage I would like and hope to see
some more discussion on the varying degrees of shade and/or sunlight. Living
in the Northwest we do define shade differently than Florida or California.
I lived in Hawaii for many years (now there's another definition of shade!)
and shade gardening was another type of gardening there then the Pacific
Northwest. Some discussion started with the Aconitum vine and I hoped for a
lot more discussion. I think it became lost in the use of words and hoped
someone could help in explaining about the differences in shade as opposed
to latitude of the sun, climates, etc., I find it most intriguing and in
that discussion we can all understand a lot more about shade plants and
shade than discussions about the words being used.

>You bring up a good question .  How do we categorize these zones of light
and >the requirements of the plants that grow in them.  One of the problems
with trying >to do this is the lack of an adiquate scale.

Yes and someone brought up metering light. I was looking for that post and
lost it! I understand kelvins since it is something I have to understand in
my profession. The average gardener is not going to have that type of
equipment in their gardening toolbox, though. I think a scale would be great
but is it feasible? A zone system of light requirements would have to be
quite extensive, with so many variables such as heat units to factor in.
Hmmm wonder if Sunset Gardening would be up to the task for the west? :)
Sunset does deal with this issue in their plant listings to a point, taking
into account climate, cloud cover, etc., recommending a "shade tolerant"
plant in full sun in Seattle, may "need" afternoon shade in Sacramento for
example. Of course in the US most counties have County Extension Offices
that gardeners can call and receive a lot of information about specific
plants and how they do in their particular region. I know our office we have
Master Gardeners answering phones and these types of questions are answered
frequently. Hope to hear more! Thanks!





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Debra Teachout-Teashon
Washington state, zone 8, Sunset zone 5
Pacific Northwest Gardening
There Is Life In A Winter Garden
http://www.suite101.com/topics/page.cfm/416
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