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Original poster

Best way for garden to face?

47 replies

Animalsoffarthingwood · 20/04/2018 08:22

Just coming into our first Summer in our new house.

The garden is North West facing and the front of the house South East. We are quite high up and the garden goes up in two levels.

We did seem to get quite a bit of sun on the garden yesterday with about 25% shade.

My old house had a South facing garden and I was really unsure about this garden.

OP posts:
Furano · 20/04/2018 08:56

My dream would be for a large enough garden that some parts get the sun all day! So an East South West facing garden. Preferably with a south west facing walled garden section for extra heat.

Furano · 20/04/2018 08:56

You’ll get more sun in high summer - the suns track is still quite low in the sky at the moment.

FrangipaniBlue · 20/04/2018 09:16

South!

I have a N/NW facing garden, didn't really think about it much when we moved in 18yrs ago but if I ever move again a non-south facing garden would be my deal breaker.

MuddyForestWalks · 20/04/2018 09:17

Depends on the size of the garden and what is surrounding it. My garden is N/NW facing and I'm sitting in the sun right now.

ColonelCakes · 20/04/2018 09:20

Ours is north east and we get sun somewhere all day from now until October. It means we have two seating areas so one is always sun, but the benefit is there’s always a bit of shade. In the summer it’s a very small patch though!

glorious · 20/04/2018 09:24

I really liked our West facing garden which also got sun from the South some of the day. Perfect for evenings.

We face south now and I find it too much.

MrsPatmore · 20/04/2018 09:37

When they say 'facing' does that mean the direction of the sun as you stand, for example, at the back door?

Crumbelina · 20/04/2018 09:46

Definitely west.

We have a north west facing garden and I much prefer it to our previous south east facing garden

Original poster
Animalsoffarthingwood · 20/04/2018 13:57

MrsPatmorr

I've always taken facing to mean if you were standing at your back door looking out, that's the way you'd be facing.

OP posts:
GaryBaldyBiscuit · 20/04/2018 14:09

I’d say west through to east.
Personally south facing is too much heat for me, my ideal is a long north facing garden so sun all day at one end of garden and nice shade to retreat too by the house (not that we’ll ever be able to afford a large garden but I can dream!)
It’s not just the direction of the garden dont forget but how built up the area is, a newer estate full of townhouses will mean less sun for everyone, vs bigger gardens with low level housing which will get lots more sun regardless of direction.

truthybeach · 20/04/2018 14:13

Ours is west & we are not overlooked so seem to get lots of sun.

smilingthroughgrittedteeth · 20/04/2018 14:18

We have a South facing garden and I hate It, there's hardly any shade which makes it a nightmare for the kids to be out in. It's to small to have large plants for shade so I end up lugging parasols around all day.

I'd like a South East facing garden

MrsPatmore · 20/04/2018 15:13

Thanks animals. So it looks like South East or south west might be best.

AClearShotOfTheStreet · 20/04/2018 15:17

We have a long north east facing garden. It's sunny all day in parts but we don't get mega amounts of evening sun. In winter the lawn nearer the house can get very wet.

Used to have a very small south facing garden and it was too much. I like sun but it was like being in a sauna or under a heat lamp.

I like the garden we have now, mostly because it's has beautiful planting and a lovely lawn (previous owners, I kill plants just by looking at them) but north west or west would be lovely.

NickyNackyNoodleNoo · 20/04/2018 16:01

We used to have south and it was way too hot, we now have west south west which is much better. The sun comes round at about 10ish and stays all day. A north or east facing garden would be a deal breaker for me in fact that's one of the first things I ask/find out.

Oxfordblue · 20/04/2018 16:18

West - sun in the garden & in the back of house most of day & sun in the front in the morning.

Our old house was like this - I loved sitting in the front lounge, with the sun steaming in in morning & my house always felt warm.

This house is south facing, so sun in the garden from about 10 to 1/2 hr before sunset. Back is lovely & warm, especially our sun lounge. Front of the house is flipping freezing.

I always request west/south beach gardens & the amount of times estate agents want to persuade me other wise...Hmm

user1484830599 · 20/04/2018 16:21

Mine is east facing but we have no neighbours and a huge garden. Our lawned bit is SE facing but we have tall trees so keeps it nice and shady. We do lose the sun in the evening, but we have the most incredible sunrises to make up for that.

Our old house was SW facing with no shade and it was awful. You could never sit outside without boiling to death and there was absolutely zero shade, so I would say level of shade is just as important to think about as direction.

MaisyMary77 · 20/04/2018 16:31

We’ve got a large north facing garden. It gets a lot of sun!! Am sat outside sunning myself at the moment. Far prefer it to our last garden which was south facing-during the summer the sun and heat was relentless-we had zero shade to escape into.

MarshaBradyo · 20/04/2018 16:36

West without a doubt

Morning sun in living room, evening in kitchen and sun in the garden from very early about 7.30 / 8am atm

Oxfordblue · 20/04/2018 18:32

All try naysayers pretending to like their shady gardens, how do you feel in the winter? A friends garden was north & weirdly got some sun, but it never shone in their house, which was cold & gloomy.

And don't forget, you can always make shade - gazebos, trees, awnings, but you can never make sun & light.

Seeing as

MuddyForestWalks · 20/04/2018 19:04
  1. I'm not pretending to like my north facing garden, I do like it
  1. Bits of it are in shade but even in winter it gets plenty of sunlight. Well, when it isn't pissing down with rain or snowing obviously.
  2. My kitchen faces onto my garden, and it has a massive window and patio doors, so it is a nice light room without cooking in direct sunlight.
  3. My living room is south facing, so it is good and bright not gloomy, and unlike the kitchen I can tilt the shutters to avoid getting blinded.
  4. To say other people are pretending to like their gardens is both rude and daft. Why on earth would people lie about something so inconsequential on an anonymous forum? Different if you're defending something to a bitchy relative in real.life.
ColonelCakes · 20/04/2018 20:27

I don’t give a shit in winter because I don’t go in the garden? Funnily enough I spend more time in the living room in winter, which is wonderfully sunny!

Starface · 20/04/2018 20:34

We have a north facing garden. We have bifolds and skylights. If we were south facing we would bake. As it is the back of the house stays gloriously cool as is shaded by the house. But the garden gets loads of sun. The patio by the house is always cool enough to sit out on. To me, it is perfect.

TheGrimSqueaker · 20/04/2018 20:42

Ours is east facing and I like it. Gets lots of morning sun before the day really hots up then has a nice part shaded before the real heat of the day ( top patio gets sun all afternoon though). I'm a shade lover though - I don't like being out in hot sun and I'm the one clinging to the shade at school pickup tonight

Chewbecca · 20/04/2018 20:49

I like west facing.

Ours is north west but fairly large and fan shaped so it is better than I would've expected.

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