To shade or not to shade.......

paceybird

I'm a total newbie at plant growing so this year has involved a lot of death. 

I only have a balcony thats complete shady all day until around 3/3:30 and then only lasts till 6ish if high summer. So the change in sun/heat is instant which means any plants don't really have a chance to gently warm up.

So my question is what sun level should I be looking at for plants as I have nowhere else to put shady stuff but I don't get enough sun for sun loving.

Obelixx

You need to look for plants that like partial shade and you need to make sure your containers are a decent size and you use a good compost mix such as 80% John Innes no 3 which is loam based and 20% multi purpose compost which will help with a bit of moisture retention.

Fuchsias would be a good bet and probably hebes if you want evergreen.  Begonias and impatiens should work but you'd need to protect them from frost in winter which may be difficult.

The main key to keeping plants alive is to get the watering and feeding regime right for them and choose plants suited to the situation.  Have a look at this link - https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/container-plants-for-shade/