Garden: If not directly south facing - SE or SW?

[HopBopPop]

As very few gardens are 100% directly South facing, would you prefer it to be more South East facing or more South West facing?

Our current house has a SE garden, and its great in the mornings and midday (when it's sunny), but we do lose the sun over the roof by mid-late afternoon ish depending on the season.

Sometimes I think it would be nicer to have more evening sun to relax in, but then I remember how I really love how energising the morning sun is.

I know that you can move to other rooms in the house to follow the sun, but when you have a big family kitchen diner going onto the garden where you spend 90% of your time, that's the area you want the sun to appear.

So do you prefer SE or SW?

We are looking to move soon, so I want to get my mind straight on which I prefer.

South west most definitely.

West!

I'm happy with NW too

Mine is SSW, so I get extreme corners of the garden at opposite ends of the day. I move with the sun. I'd rather have it in the evening to eek out every last drop as I am more likely then to be able to sit out in it. I do like to stoke up the fire pit later on to prolong being out.

It is a pain at the front of the house in the day to get so little light, especially in the winter, the front rooms always feel dark.

I prefer entirely west personally - current garden is SE facing which is fine but I miss the sunsets!

We are WSW and it is fantastic.

of course it also depends on local topography and buildings. Check that there isn't going to be a new estate appearing at the end of your garden, and if there are hills around, see what the effect is.

Wow, interesting you're all saying West. Just to add, I'm thinking about the sun while sitting inside the house overlooking the garden, not just when outside in the garden itself. When its wintertime, and you're sitting inside looking over the garden it makes such a difference when the sun is streaming through the back windows.

I just can't help feeling I'd miss my morning sun. Maybe because I've not experienced evening sun I don't know what I'm missing!

Definitely south west. Morning sun is lovely, but most people are at work on weekday mornings, and if you have kids then weekend mornings are often spent running around at various activities. You're much more likely to be able to sit and enjoy the sun in the afternoon, whether that's in the garden itself or from inside the house.

We have a southwest facing garden and i would find it difficult to live in a house with a north or east facing garden.

WSW here. It is fabulous. Most of our rooms go front to back so the sun blazes in the front in the morning and the back in the evening. I've never been in such a light, bright house before.

I don't actually like being out in the sun but it is lovely how it comes into the house.