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West-facing garden: sun hours by spot and season

A west-facing garden has shade in the morning and sun in the afternoon and evening. On 15 May, 6 metres from the house gets at most 9,5 hours of direct sun: 3 hours before midday and 6,5 hours after. In winter the sun does not 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 June89,510,516,5
21 September78912
21 December0007,5
The worked example. A 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 west-facing garden?

Until around midday the sun is at the front of the house. Then it moves to the south-west and the west and shines into the garden. The further from the wall, the longer the sun reaches a spot: on 21 March that is at most 7 hours 3 metres out and 8,5 hours 9 metres out.

In June the sun sets around ten in the evening, in the north-west. A west-facing garden stays light long then. In December the sun stands low in the south and south-west, and the fences 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?

Put the terrace against the house if you mostly sit outside in the evening: that is where the evening sun falls. Breakfast in the sun does not happen here. If you want a sunny spot in the morning, look at the far end of the garden, where the shadow of the house goes first.

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 west-facing garden

When does a west-facing garden get sun?

From midday to the evening, from March to September. On 15 May, 6 metres from the house gets at most 6,5 hours of sun after midday. From October to February the example gets no direct sun on the ground 6 metres from the house on the 21st of the month.

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