Northern vs. Southern Garden?
Are Northern gardens really that much darker than Southern gardens? On a Typical 100 foot lot does the light reach the garden level of a Southern facing garden? We are actively looking for a house and I keep falling in love with houses that have Northern gardens, but am fearful that I won’t be able…
Are Northern gardens really that much darker than Southern gardens? On a Typical 100 foot lot does the light reach the garden level of a Southern facing garden? We are actively looking for a house and I keep falling in love with houses that have Northern gardens, but am fearful that I won’t be able to have a sunny garden. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
This is a tricky question; we have a front garden that faces north. The portion nearest our building gets no sun except for the middle of summer, and then it gets sun for about 10 hours. We grow hostas, Vinca, japanese spurge, and shade tolerant annuals. The part of the garden farthest from the building is sunny enough for roses, though we are fighting rust spot (?). All in all though, we like the front garden, its just more of a challenge
The thing is you have to watch your plot of land and figure out how many hours of light different areas of the garden will get during what season. I thought I was doomed to an all shade garden until I actually started to watch the light
For example, my north garden gets about 2 hours of early morning light near the house before the shadow of the house crosses it. By 11 am the rear of the garden starts to get southwest sun that lasts for the rest of the day. So near the house I have shade loving plants and sun-lovers toward the rear. As previous posters noted, the position of buildings and trees make a difference. And seasonal light can also make a difference. Even with big trees you can plant a flowering ornamental tree that blooms in the spring because it will get enough light to bloom prior to the big trees developing leaves. Have fun!
I have an east/west garden, with western exposure in back. I can grow many sun-loving plants, although the tomatoes are a bit anemic! As Bob said, I’ve found the surrounding trees/buildings to be a much bigger factor than the orientation of the yard; there are two huge maple trees (eight stories tall or so) in a nearby yard, which significantly affects where I get sun in the backyard throughout the day.
If you’re looking at one of the long lots in PH, I would think that those backyards, given their length, would enable a least a portion of it to be a very sunny garden; at some point you’re getting both the northern and southern exposure, and maybe east and west too.
By paying attention to the sun in your yard, even if it’s technically northern exposure, you will undoubtedly find little sections that get sun on and off throughout the day, and where you can try sun-loving plants. Good luck!
Great feedback everyone, I truly appreciate it…..Anyone else out there have any advice or an opinion?
I live in a three-story in Prospect Heights with a south garden. The 131-foot lots leave 80 feet for most gardens, and we get a ton of light in the back. The front of the house never gets direct sunlight, however. In any event, your garden level will be very dark regardless of which side you live on. The north gardens seem to get plenty of light during the growing season, just plant your tomatoes in the way back, which always gets light.
Something else to consider – a south garden would mean north-facing front windows, and I personally prefer to get the light from the south in the front bay windows of the house. You just have to weigh one over the other, and see which is more important to you.
Thanks for the feedback!
How about the 131 foot lots in Prospect Heights???
We have a north garden as well and it gets enough sun to grow most anything we’d want to grow. (Our house is 3 stories; taller houses would be shadier.) Also, in summer, it’s about 10 degrees cooler out back than in our front yard.
I have a north garden. Although there is less sunlight than a south garden, I find that there is ample light until after Labor Day, when the shadow cast by my house covers all but the rear of my garden most of the day. FWIW, I have a three-story house; a taller house’s shadow would cover a larger area. When I used to grow tomatoes I’d have an ample crop, but would have lots of green ones left in September.
I think the number of trees in your garden and your neighbor’s garden is also an important factor. When my neighbor to the rear pruned the lowere branches of her enormous Oak, the amount of sunlight in my garden was greatly increased.
BTW, there are many plants that thrive in the shade–the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is a great source of information about this.