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South-west-facing garden: sun hours by spot and season

A south-west-facing garden gets sun from late morning into the evening. On 15 May, 6 metres from the house gets at most 9 hours of direct sun, 5 hours of it after midday. On 21 December it still gets 1,5 hours.

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 March6,56,56,512
15 May899,515
21 June8,59,51016,5
21 September6,56,56,512
21 December1,51,51,57,5
The worked example. A south-west-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 south-west-facing garden?

The sun rises in the east, behind the house. During the morning it comes past the house into the garden, and it stays there until it sinks in the west. In summer you keep the sun into the evening.

Against the house the sun lasts as long in March and September as at the far end: at most 6,5 hours. Then the fences hold the sun back, not the house. In June it is sunnier further from the house: at most 8,5 hours 3 metres out, 10 hours 9 metres out.

Sun hours through the year

Jan: Sun, at most 3 hours, Daylight 8 hours3JanFeb: Sun, at most 4,5 hours, Daylight 10 hours4,5FebMar: Sun, at most 6,5 hours, Daylight 12 hours6,5MarApr: Sun, at most 8,5 hours, Daylight 14 hours8,5AprMay: 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 8,5 hours, Daylight 14 hours8,5AugSep: Sun, at most 6,5 hours, Daylight 12 hours6,5SepOct: Sun, at most 4,5 hours, Daylight 10 hours4,5OctNov: Sun, at most 3 hours, Daylight 8 hours3NovDec: Sun, at most 1,5 hours, Daylight 7,5 hours1,5Dec
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?

The terrace can go against the house here, with sun at the end of the afternoon and in the evening. On warm days that becomes the hottest spot in the garden, because the sun still stands high and the wall holds the heat. A tree or a pergola on the south-west side gives shade when you want it.

Plants that suit it

3 to 9 metres from the house, sun: at most 8–9,5 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 south-west-facing garden

Is a south-west-facing garden the best direction?

Often, for people who sit outside after work: the sun falls there in the afternoon and evening. Heat is the price. A south-east-facing garden gets about the same hours of sun, but in the morning.

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