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East-facing garden: sun hours by spot and season

An east-facing garden has sun in the morning and shade in the evening. On 15 May, 6 metres from the house gets at most 9,5 hours of direct sun: 6,5 hours before midday and 3 hours after. In winter the sun stands too low and too far south to clear the fences.

Sun hours by distance from the house

At most this many hours of direct sun on the ground, 3, 6 and 9 metres from the back wall. Daylight is the number of hours the sun is up that day.
Day3 m6 m9 mDaylight
21 March788,512
15 May89,510,515
21 June89,51116,5
21 September788,512
21 December0007,5
The worked example. A east-facing garden, 6 metres wide, behind a row of houses 6 metres high. A 1.8 metre fence stands on either side, as between most terraced gardens. No tree, shed or house stands behind the garden. Those can only take sun away, so a real garden facing this way gets at most as much sun as this one.

Where does the sun fall in an east-facing garden?

The sun rises in the east and shines straight into your garden. Around midday it stands in the south, and from then on the shadow of the house moves across the garden. The further from the wall, the longer the sun stays: on 21 March that is at most 7 hours 3 metres out and 8,5 hours 9 metres out.

In June the sun rises before six, in the north-east, and the garden is light early. In December it rises in the south-east and stays low. In a terraced garden the fences then hold it back.

Sun hours through the year

Jan: Sun, at most 0 hours, Daylight 8 hours0JanFeb: Sun, at most 0 hours, Daylight 10 hours0FebMar: Sun, at most 8 hours, Daylight 12 hours8MarApr: Sun, at most 9 hours, Daylight 14 hours9AprMay: Sun, at most 9,5 hours, Daylight 15,5 hours9,5MayJun: Sun, at most 9,5 hours, Daylight 16,5 hours9,5JunJul: Sun, at most 9,5 hours, Daylight 15,5 hours9,5JulAug: Sun, at most 9 hours, Daylight 14 hours9AugSep: Sun, at most 8 hours, Daylight 12 hours8SepOct: Sun, at most 0 hours, Daylight 10 hours0OctNov: Sun, at most 0 hours, Daylight 8 hours0NovDec: Sun, at most 0 hours, Daylight 7,5 hours0Dec
At most this many hours of direct sun on the 21st of each month, 6 metres from the house. The light bar is the daylight of that day.

Where should the terrace go?

A terrace against the house gets the morning sun here and is cool in the afternoon. That is pleasant in July and less so in April. If you also want sun after work, put a second seat at the far end of the garden, where the sun stays longest.

Plants that suit it

3 to 9 metres from the house, sun: at most 8–10,5 h of sun on 15 May

From the design app's plant list, chosen by the spot each plant likes best. The app judges every plant on 15 May, a day when every deciduous tree is in leaf.

How was this worked out?

The position of the sun comes from the same calculation the design app uses, at 52 degrees north, near Utrecht. Every ten minutes it checks whether the sun can reach the spot, past the house and over the fences. Clouds do not count: these are the hours the sun can reach the spot.

How much sun does your garden get?

Your garden is wider or deeper, and your house is taller or lower. The sun hours calculator works from your own plot in the land registry and the real height of your house and the houses around it.

Work out your garden's sun hours

Questions about a east-facing garden

Is an east-facing garden good for plants?

For many plants, yes. Morning sun is less hot than afternoon sun, and plants that want partial shade do well here. 6 metres from the house gets at most 9,5 hours of sun on 15 May: enough for plants that want sun, as long as no tree or shed stands in front of them.

How do I tell which way my garden faces?

Stand with your back against the back wall of the house and look into the garden. If the compass on your phone points south, you have a south-facing garden. If it falls between two directions, take the nearest one, or work out your own address with the sun hours calculator.

Other directions