To all green thumbs! Is there a difference between "partial sun" and "partial shade"?

This is actually more complicated than you can imagine, though essentially both terms mean the same thing, namely that the location gets shaded half the day and usually in the afternoon. Plants that need either partial shade or partial sun are trying to walk a tightrope. Too hot and sunny, and they wilt and get stressed, too dark and they will grow weak and lose flowering. Generally, the better the soil, the more sunlight these edge plants prefer.