Is your back garden south facing?

[VeganCow]

I feel very appreciative of my south facing back garden and was thinking at weekend whilst enjoying the sun, that some people are not so lucky, and will have a garden that gets no sun.

Which are you?

[dreamingofsun]

currently north facing, though we have also had south in previous houses. we quite like north facing, though obviously not so great for a veg patch. you just need to think slightly differently about plants, and how you treat your lawn. lots of nice shade during a really hot summer.....fingers crossed for this year

[IsThatTrue]

South facing here, the patio can be ridiculously hot sometimes as there is no shade before 6/7 during the summer. But there's always shade in amongst the trees overgrown woodland at the bottom of the garden.

I Love my garden, got 4 loads of washing dried yesterday, and it wasn't even that sunny tbh!

[OrangeFootedScrubfowl]

Another South facing with woods behind. Bit damp and mossy but I do like the trees so I don't mind missing the sun too much.

[Oopla]

Back garden south ish facing. South west I think. Real sun trap and moves around the side of the house in the evening spilling Ito the front.

I love the light in the house in the mornings

I notice a lot of plots on new developments seem to have price tags arranged depending on which way they're facing. Found out doing some research a bit back that the designer of a good deal of social housing here in Leeds built them specially as "sun homes" to give the occupants ( recovering from polio and consumption ) the maximum amount of sunlight.

[Taffeta]

South facing, downward slope, little shade, chalky very dry soil.

Great for Med planting but no woodland stuff for me.

[bella65]

south facing back and north facing front.
But the end of the garden is in the shade of the gable end of a neighbour's house- so that is shaded. Our soil is light and sandy so I plant things that need warm and light soils.

[EddieVeddersfoxymop]

Another south facing back garden here. We are really, really lucky in that we get the sun from rise to set, and we are the house that casts the shadows onto everyone else in the vicinity

Disclaimer: That makes it sound like we live in a mansion - we don't, its just the way the houses are laid out.

Disclaimer no 2: south facing is great, but at risk of a first world moan, it makes my lovely new conservatory too hot sometimes......

[onefewernow]

My first ever East facing back garden,after three south or south/west homes. I never thought I would do it.

I have been pleasantly surprised. It's not overlooked so isn't bad at all, a d seems to get sun in from the south on the right, onto most of the space.

The front is west and wraps around the side garden to the south, so I don't feel deprived.

Also, I like shade plants, so will fill the back garden north facing border with these, and maybe a bench for the summer.

In my last very sunny garden the shade of a large magnolia was a real bonus on hot days.

[Ponders]

I would love to have a house facing away from the W at the front in the afternoon. we have to draw the curtains (bay window) from about 3pm onwards or we can't watch TV at all!

[Lavendersbluedillydilly1969]

North facing but have sun all day in bottom two thirds and shady cool at the back of the house. Perfect on a warm day but sometimes would like a bit of sun at the back of the house when it's a bit cooler. Last house was south facing and we had to keep the curtains drawn all summer as house heated up so much, think we have a good compromise now and perfect for young children as always a shady play area available.

[HousewifeFromHeaven]

I have a south facing garden but due to the close proximity of other buildings we don't get sun after 5pm.

I am however moving to a west facing Arden which gets all the afternoon sun until it sets, so it's great to sit out etc.

[haggisaggis]

Ours is south facing and having moved from house with north facing garden I really appreciate it! (It's actually our front garden but set up of house means that's the one we use and where the patio is - not overlooked by neighbours, just friendly cows)

[woozlebear]

East facing, but very long so half of it gets sun all day. Also means our conservatory is lovely and shady all the afternoon. Would be uninhabitable if south or west facing.

We're moving soon to a west facing garden. I like sunbathing for brief periods but for sitting and reading etc I want shade, so I'm waiting anxiously to move in and find out how much shade it gets on a sunny day!

My parents have a small north facing garden and very tall house. It still gets enough sun to enjoy - just not in late afternoon. I've never understood the obsession with south facing.

[ShatnersBassoon]

South-west facing with loamy soil. It's briliant for growing fruit and veg.

[Khaleese]

My house is south facing with huge georgian windows, the lilght is amazing.
My garden is north facing but is big enough to have sun all day through to evening. What i do like is that we have a terrace ( behind house) which is perma shade. Perma shade is good for children, eating etc.

I did once live in a victorian terrace with a good size garden slug breeding ground the houses behind shaded the garden all year. It made me sad :-(

[cantspel]

I must have been half asleep last night as my garden faces south not east. Dont know how i got that wrong as the sea is a dead giveaway.

[Alwayscheerful]

Ours is south facing, it's heaven, and we have solar panels too. Our last house was shaded by trees , I really appreciate our sunny garden.

[turkeyboots]

North facing and on clay. So garden is dark and like a swamp 9 months out of 12.

I have garden jealousy.

[echt]

I couldn't agree with you more bran. Although we loved the open back garden aspect, what we love even more is the front garden which catches mid-day to evening sun and is enclosed, entirely surrounded by trees and fences and has a secluded paved yard, with raised beds. This is where we sit in the evening, and have a fire going while we listen to the the Archers or News Quiz.

[MrsMangoBiscuit]

Ours is south facing, and we get lovely sunshine until about 12.30, when the shadows from the behemoth hedges/trees next door start blocking out all light! :( At least the bottom of the garden, where the veggie patches are going, still get sun all afternoon.



(pmsl here, just spotted a typo and corrected it before posting, that was almost a "friendly shat" with the neighbours! )

[VeganCow]

SingingSands if you look out of your back door/window, and are looking at the sun at midday, it's south facing.
So, if I stand at my backdoor, first thing in the morning the sun is to my left (rises in the east) and in the evening the sun is to my right (sets in the west). So, the sun is at the back of my house, facing it, all day.

[echt]

I'm in Melbourne, so north-facing is warm. My back garden is basically an east-facing square, very open so everything gets ambient light at the very least. The north-facing side gets roasted in summer and still lots of light in winter, so that's where the lemon tree, cacti and bougainvillea hang out in their raised bed.

At our latitude, the same as Athens but south of the equator, twilights are brief compared with the fabulous summers evenings of the UK. Someone said it's like a light being switched off.:o

[Grockle]

I'll pop over to the gardening thread, maud thank you. I've not been well & havent been able to do much but I'm itching to get out in the garden again. I did think of you all.

[garlicyoni]

Bumperella, do you grow figs outdoors? I can't imagine them surviving here (midlands), but am willing to give it a go if you can advise a fool-proof strain & method!