Which is best - morning sun or evening sun?

[abrogard]

Our block faces NW to SE.
I am trying to grow plants in pots.
There can be a line of them immediately behind the house, in front of the lawn, running nw to se and the house blocks the morning sun.
Or there can be a line of them further away behind the house, beyond the lawn, along the back fence, running parallel, nw to se and the shed in the back nw corner blocks the evening sun.
Those are the only options I have. Where would be best?

 

[roadrunner]

I can only speak for my area. In my area (NE Florida) morning sun is best for plants that don't love the heat as much as other plants -- if plants don't mind the heat, such as sunflowers...then morning/evening sun doesn't make a difference.

However, I have a lot of plants that can't deal with the heat nearly as much as other plants, so for them it's best that they get morning sun and then as the day goes on, they get shaded. Having evening sun for those plants after the heat has been built up is just too stressful for them.

BTW, when I say "heat", I'm not only talking about the ambient temperature, rather I'm describing the effect of direct sun's energy on the plant which causes them to wilt during the day.

 

[aragulacloverclover]

It depends on the type of plant. Generally, most plants prefer morning sun, which provides a gentle light to help the plant gradually wake up and start photosynthesizing. Evening sun is usually too intense and can damage the plant.

 

[DirtMechanic]

Morning sun, though plants will reach for light and bend or grow leggy if it is too few hours. It has to do with temps imo.

 

[roadrunner]

It's all about the plants...what type of plants are we talking about? Another thing to consider...Do you plan to have these plants year around? I'm not sure of how your winters are, but that can make a big difference.

The NW part of my yard gets plenty of sun, especially evening sun, in the summer, but very little sun in the winter, due to the lower angle of the sun and the shade of both my house and a huge oak tree in the SW portion of my yard. In the winter, the SE section of my yard is almost like a greenhouse, where I can grow tomatoes up against the house in the winter and the rest of the yard is frigid.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Are you growing from seed? My experience is that they usually put far more seed than you need in the packet, so why not get a few extra pots and try some in each place?

 

[cpp gardener]

I really does depend on the plant and the size of the pot relative to it. A 3’ Bottlebrush in a 24” pot will do great in the sunnier area, but in a 12” pot would probably be too stressed to look good. Plants that love it hot and sunny, like marigolds and zinnias, would stretch and not bloom much in a shadier area. Begonias and Impatiens would do fine in the shadier area.