What's with certain direction facing gardens?

[Bells3032]

I don't get it. see people obsessing over south facing gardens? what's the reason for it? esp in the UK when you don't spend that much time outside?

And how does the garden direction face towards the house or away?

Sorry just confusing

[latticechaos]

@Bells3032

Are South gardens considered more sunny?

at 'considered' as though the direction of the sun is up for debate

South facing gardens are more sunny.

[Esspee]

We have outdoor thermometers and have noticed as much as a 10 degree difference between our sheltered sunny patio compared to our front (north facing) garden.
I would pay more for a private, south facing, back garden.

[JenniferSantoro]

I feel you think it doesn’t matter until you have a north facing garden. Then you realise how great a south facing garden is. Basically you get the sun all day with a south facing garden. Ours is north facing and it’s dull to say the least.

[hoochymamgu]

@Bells3032 south west is great

[CraftyGin]

I have a north facing back garden. The 6 feet next to the house is in shade. The rest gets plenty of sunlight.

Shade is good. Too much sun is bad for your skin.

[SuperficialSuzie]

XH used to place so much emphasis on us finding a south facing garden. I thought it was a load of guff until I moved out and into a house with a tiny north facing garden with huge trees in the neighbours garden at the bottom. We get no sun as we are always in shadow.

[OnlyFoolsnMothers]

North facing gardens are gloomy- we don’t have many boiling hot days in the U.K.- id rather go inside on those days and enjoy my garden on sunny days. Even more important in London, as we pay a premium for a garden as it is.

[Napqueen1234]

I think it depends on your needs at the time too. My garden is NW facing but gets enough sun (hang washing, bbqs) etc in summer when we need it. Over winter (oct-March) it gets virtually no sun at all but we aren’t out there much at all. It’s also handy in summer with small kids as there’s always some shade. My friends is south facing and her kids get very hot and bothered, there’s nowhere to sit in shade for lunch or from a break from the sun and she says it’s a pain with small kids and they often end up inside to escape it! I’m sure I’m 18 years when we just want G&Ts in the garden they will be thrilled but for now I’m grateful for some shade!

[daisypond]

@CraftyGin

I have a north facing back garden. The 6 feet next to the house is in shade. The rest gets plenty of sunlight.

Shade is good. Too much sun is bad for your skin.

In a a London garden, though, the garden might not be much more than six feet!

[CraftyGin]

I have 160 feet, as do many railway bordered properties.

Seriously, you don’t want to be sitting in full sunlight. Skin ageing/cancer.

[hauntedvagina]

I have a SW facing garden which for me is perfect. You can get out early to mow the lawn while it's not too hot and then spend the rest of the day enjoying the garden with a few shady spots and a few absolute sun trap spots.

I've had a house where the garden faced north ish and it was a nightmare trying to dry laundry.

[optimisticpessimist01]

We viewed a house recently which had a North facing garden, the heat was blistering outside but 80% of the garden was in the shade, the grass was damp and muddy. Made me realise the importance of not having a North facing garden

My parents do have a North facing garden but their garden is huge, their house is quite short, and they have no neighbours so it doesn't make the slightest difference to them

Depends on the size of your house, garden and how many neighbours you have

[BarbedBloom]

I spent a lot of time outside and love gardening. We have a North facing garden which is very shaded and limits what we can grow. I would never have one again

[HelloDulling]

When I get home from work, all the sun is gone from my back garden, the front is still bathed in sun. I would def not buy a house with this aspect again, I love sitting outside in the evening with a glass of wine, but it’s chilly on all but the hottest days once the shade comes.

[Sexnotgender]

Depends on the surrounding area too.

My parents have a north facing garden and get much more sun than the houses on the other side of the road with south facing gardens.

For whatever reason the houses opposite have smaller gardens and back on to an area with lots of trees which mean their gardens are often in shade.

[Time2change2]

Huge difference! And yes many people spend a lot of time outside?! What a strange thing to say! Buying a house with a south facing garden means that you will get the very most of the sun. Mine is SW and it’s a sun trap- even in January if the sun is out you can sit in it with a jumper

[BruceAndNosh]

With the increasing fashion for extensive rear glazing and bifold doors, some houses can become uncomfortably hot if they have a South facing garden.
Our garden faces slightly west of North. We do get a lot of south Western and western sun as there is not a house on those boundaries, just long gardens.
We find it perfect

[megletthesecond]

My childhood home had a north facing garden. It was never sunny at the back door or on the patio.

Both my own homes have needed to have more southerly facing small gardens. Much easier to grow veg too.

[HoneysuckIejasmine]

Depends on size and shape. We get plenty of sun in ours, but have a nice shady patio by the back of the house. I grow shade tolerant plants nearest the house and the sunny bed at the back is full of sun loving plants.

[HoneysuckIejasmine]

(we have a second patio in the sun at the back of the garden)

[Purplewithred]

Garden facing South to West was No1 dealbreaker on my most recent house purchase. I wouldn't even look at one with a garden in any other direction.

[mintyfreshh]

Depends how big the North facing gardens are and if they're on a slope. Ours is slowed down towards the house, approx 50m long and gets tonnes of sun. We have two layers of patio and a big lawn and the house only shades up to the first bit of patio. Rest of the garden is in the sun all day.

[mintyfreshh]

I meant *sloped, not slowed

[Alderaan]

It definitely makes a difference when it comes to which plants will grow well

[HarrietM87]

We have a north facing small garden, but we’re end of terrace so get sun over most of it all day. I was worried before we moved in but actually it’s been lovely to have a bit of shade for our toddler. So much depends on the size of garden and its surroundings.