I choose to observe 3 different areas in the yard. A full sun area, a partial shade area, and a fill shade area. The full sun area receives sunlight for most of the day and the partial sun area receives sunlight for about half that time. Finally, the full shade area receives no sunlight throughout the day.
Hypothesis: The amount of sunlight exposed affects the growth and flowing patterns of the roses.
Prediction: Rose plants that receive full sunlight will have more blooms and greater growth.
Response variable: Number of blooms. This would be the continuous variable.
Explanatory variable: the amount of sunlight exposure. This would be the categorical variable.
Hello!
This seems like a plausible hypothesis that can be falsified, but I think the explanatory variable will need to be more specifically quantified. The area that receives no sunlight can easily be quantified as zero hours, and the full sun area can be quantified as the hours of sunlight on the day of data collection. However, for the partial shade area I recommend actually counting the hours of sunlight the plant receives throughout the day instead of saying “half that time”. I also think that moisture is a potential confounding variable that you could be concerned about. This could be caused by unequal water distribution when the yard is watered, or if the plants are on different altitudes or a hill than the water retention in the soil may differ. I suggest paying close attention to whether all three areas receive the same amount of water when the yard is watered, and maybe analyzing the soil in all three areas to determine whether they all have the same level of moisture.
Good luck with the rest of your project!