North-east-facing garden: sun hours by spot and season

A north-east-facing garden gets its sun mostly in the morning. On 15 May, 6 metres from the house gets at most 8 hours of direct sun: 5 hours before midday and 2,5 hours after. From October to February, 6 metres from the house gets no direct sun on the 21st of the month.

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.
Day	3 m	6 m	9 m	Daylight
21 March	1	2,5	4	12
15 May	5	8	10	15
21 June	7,5	10,5	12,5	16,5
21 September	1	2,5	4	12
21 December	0	0	0	7,5

The worked example. A north-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 a north-east-facing garden?

The sun rises in the east and stands at an angle in front of your garden in the morning. Around midday it moves round to the south, behind the house. That makes a north-east-facing garden a morning garden: after midday much of it lies in the shadow of the house.

The distance from the house counts. On 21 March, 3 metres out gets at most 1 hours of sun and 9 metres out 4 hours. In winter the sun stands low in the south-east and the south, and the house and the fences hold it back.

Sun hours through the year

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 north-east-facing garden suits people who sit outside in the morning. Put the terrace where the morning sun stays longest: in the example that is further from the house, where the shadow of the wall goes first. This direction is not made for sun at the end of the day.

Plants that suit it

3 metres from the house, partial shade: at most 5 h of sun on 15 May

9 metres from the house, sun: at most 10 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 north-east-facing garden

When does a north-east-facing garden get sun?

Mostly in the morning, and mostly from April to August. On 15 May, 6 metres from the house gets at most 5 hours of sun before midday and 2,5 hours after. From October to February the example gets no direct sun on the ground 6 metres from the house.

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.