Yes!
I definitely noticed this change within the last few weeks.
I have a Marginata next to my east window and he used to get 3-4 hours of direct sun in the morning but now not so much. I remember reading someone posting that the intensity of the sun when it's higher is much greater than in the winter when it's not. So maybe the 2-4 hours you are getting now are equal to the 6-8 you got this winter? But I'm not an expert so who knows. I also have a Ficus Lyrata on a plant stand in my south window because if I just put it on the floor in the winter the sun doesn't reach down to the lower part of the plant, but now I'm noticing the top part is now not getting direct sun so I'm thinking about taking it off the stand until I put it outside for the summer.

Mirrors? :)

Eric, mirrors are an excellent idea..You know what else works? Aluminum foil..lol..
I kept small mirrors and aluminum foil on shelves so sun, whatever sun we got, bounced off mirror/foil, onto plants. Snow is a great reflecting source, too.

Mike, did you know you could tan and/or burn on cloudy days? Because sun doesn't aim directly on a plant doesn't mean it's not getting light.
Since you don't have space in other rooms, and chose not to use artificial light, (though fluerscent bulbs use little energy and cost) your citrus/gardenias will adapt. Figure, 8 more wks and plants go outdoors..okay, maybe 9 or 10..lol..
Check with your eletric company..Ask which lighting cost least, an approximate amount.
Mike, considering our home is lit in winter, (mainly for plants) our bill isn't bad. It's higher in winter because I can't tolerate living in total dark, so lights are kept on until bed. In summer, since we don't use ac or ca our bill is very low. Even with lights, (during winter) our bill is inexpensive. Check with the electric company...Toni

Using mirrors is a good way to burn something or start a fire. Remember the old childhood experiment with a magnifying glass and piece of paper on a windowsill.
Similar effect with a mirror if your not careful.

A mirror simply reflects light, it doesn't concentrate it like a lens. There's no fire danger. I don't see how it would help much, though. The downward traveling light could be reflected upward, but that doesn't help the leaves which are designed to absorb light energy on their upper surface. Snow helps more because it's a massive outdoor reflector that scatters light in all directions.

I'm not sure what else to suggest, though. I recently had to lower one of my hanging plants due to this effect. A west window may actually give you more light due to the lower angle of the sun from that direction.

I have a friend who lost their house from a fire they ruled was caused by a mirror.

I suppose under very specific circumstances a mirror could start a fire, but the mirror in that case would simply be the catalyst in a setting that was ready to ignite from any potential heat or spark. It's terrible to lose a house from something like that, but I wouldn't suggest that mirrors cause fires. If they did, there would be building codes to regulate them. Just think about dance studios for example, which often times have a wall of mirrors right next to a wall of windows.

Anyways, I don't think mirrors would help much, so it's kind of a null point.

Goblue,

The house was probably burned down by a magnifying mirror. My wife had a fire happen to her when she had a magnifying mirror in the window and it burnt a hole in one of her cloth kitchen chairs. I think the key word here is "magnifying" though. Sunlight off of something that does not magnify it is not going to start anything on fire.

All I know is that it had a partially frosted design on it so I doubt was magnifying, it was decorative and it's what the fire marshall investigation indicated. If it hadn't been there...it wouldn't have happened.

I just wanted to thank you all for all your great advice your time.
Your all to kind!

I have some strip mirrors that line the windows already,have had them for years, that shoot beams of light all over the room, especially to the ceiling where my plants don't exist....

But jefe is right about the way that sunlight would reflect to the plants, under the leaves.

No fires yet though, thank God. I am so sorry to hear what happened gobluedjm. Man that is horrible. Thanks for sharing your concerns...

Toni, 6 more weeks? Do you think my sun loving plants can hold on that long? Look at me. I am exhausted with this winter and the lack of sun.. They say my vitamin D is way below normal from lack of sinlight...well dir...lol
I am going to try the aluminum foil thing, since we have no snow anymore to be found...Thank God!!

ces797 and erict, guess we all learned something..

Since I wrote this, I feel like the sun is running away from my window! I guess spring is rushing to get here then:-)

Thanks!

And don't forget that this can be a cloudy, unsettled time of year in some parts of the country. Be patient, grasshopper....spring is on the way.

Mike, I had no idea mirrors could cause fire. Or that it actually happened to someone I'd one day come in contact with. I've heard talk, (assumed rumors) but what is the chance? Perhaps you better not use a mirror.. One would think the sun would have to be very very strong and direct to catch fire? Still, don't take the chance..

Brightness is very important to me since I suffer with SADS.
Our rooms are (all) painted with Semi-gloss White paint. Sun reflects off paint, same as mirrors/foil. Easy to wipe/wash too...A spot on flat paint would take weeks to clean, more than likely, the paint would fade before the spot..lol..
Light colored pots and saucers. Most of my plants are in plastic or clay, but those in decorative pots are bright. Or some are potted in plastic containers potted inside a light-color outer pot.
I save containers such as pie pans, (silver) clean and use as saucers..especially for plants sitting on pebbles..

If you use shelves, find one light in color. White, tan, beige..

There are all sorts of tricks, Mike. Toni

A few misconceptions here.....you are not getting less sun now, you are getting more and each day the sun is delivering an increased amount of old sol.

The sun may be higher in the sky when you notice it...but it took the same route to get where it is when you sight it.
Rather than writing about the intensity of the sun at different periods of the seasons, you can read for yourself about it.

Let's just say that on December 21st..the intensity reads what it does...and on June 21st, it is 5 times more intense.

No, you are not getting less now....your plants are receiving much much more in intensity of light.

Actually, the sun hangs quite a bit lower in the sky, giving those of us with S, SE, and SW exposures longer exposures. The sunlight entering my home in the winter (from those directions) is markedly longer in duration.

We aren't talking about intensity, at all.