I have a garden on the northside of our property and have some shrubs that do best in full sun according to recommendations I have read, but that have done beautifully there. I have a Physocarpus 'Dart's Gold that has gone wild which I didn't expect. I also have Thalictrum and other natives that are thriving. Last fall I put in a lot of shrubs native to my area and so far so good. All are listed as full sun to part shade.

I'm not sure you can make blanket statements that a southern aspect will always be full sun and a northern one mostly shady with little direct sun. It will depend on the surroundings and with the northern facing garden specifically, how close it is situated to the house.

I have gardened in locations where parts of my south facing garden received a fair amount of shade at certain times of day. And also where my north facing front garden - away from immediately adjacent to the house - was in sun most of the day.

It is probably best to evaluate the conditions in your garden specifically, as every garden and its surroundings are different. 6 hours is considered full sun. And research the plants you intend to plant first. Most will be suited to a range of light conditions as cyn427 noted and those rated for sun to part shade should do well in all but the shadiest positions.

Thank you very much! Definitely answered my question and made things a bit more clear for me.

How far is the garden from the house ? If it’s far enough away so that the HOUSE doesn’t cast shadows, it could be fine. Or also, tall trees to west or east can be a problem.

For example, in an open field, there are N,S,E,W but it’s all open.

If closer to house , then you may be able to grow some veggies — salad greens and some others- but essentially have a shorter growing season with regard to light. When sun is high overhead for a few hours of day and couple of months there might be good light. But not for early seedlings and worse in northern latitudes I imagine. But some veggies like protection from severe sun in hot summer climate states.

So, it does depend. You’d need to have some idea of your “ sun map”. Also depends on whether you buy transplants that got off to a good start in ideal grower conditions vs want to grow from seed.

Where there a will, there’s a way! Meaning, frequently you can grow some things, read about cultivars that are more tolerant, might have lower yields. If you don’t have a choice. If you have options for different areas, you can use sunniest area for the sun- hogs and specialize in shadier things elsewhere. Including use of containers.