Every garden has its own personality, and a big part of that comes down to which way it faces. The direction your garden points decides how much sunshine it gets, when it gets it, and which of our garden borders and plant bundles will be happiest there. It’s one of the simplest things to check, and it makes a real difference to how well your plants grow.
The good news is that there’s no such thing as a “bad” direction. Whether it's sunny or shady, every garden has plants that will thrive there. You just need to know what you’re working with.
How Do I Know if My Garden is North, West, East, or South Facing?
When people talk about a garden’s direction, they mean the way it faces when you stand at your back door and look out. The easiest way to check is with your phone's compass app. Stand with your back to the house, look straight down the garden, and see which direction the compass points.
If you don’t have a compass to hand, watch where the sun is throughout the day. In the UK, the sun rises in the east, sits in the south around midday, and sets in the west.
It’s also worth looking at what’s around you. Trees, fences, walls and neighbouring buildings can all cast shade, so one corner of a sunny garden can be surprisingly shady, and a shady garden can have a bright patch. If you can, spend a day noting which parts of your border get sun and for how many hours. That simple bit of homework is the best guide you’ll have.
A Quick Guide to Sun and Shade
You’ll often see plants labelled for “full sun” or “shade”; just take our sunny borders and shady borders, for example. So, here’s what those mean in plain terms:
- Full sun: the spot gets at least five hours of direct sunshine a day.
- Part shade: a few hours of direct sun, usually in the morning or evening, with shade for the rest of the day.
- Dappled shade: light that’s broken up as it filters through leaves, like the light under a tree.
- Full shade: little or no direct sun, though there’s still plenty of daylight.
Is a South Facing Garden Good?
A south-facing garden gets the most sun, from morning right through to evening. It’s bright, warm and perfect for sun-lovers, though the soil can dry out quickly in summer.
But what are the best plants for a south-facing garden:
- Lavender: fragrant purple flowers that bees adore, and it’s happy in drier soil.
- Rosemary: an evergreen herb that keeps its leaves all year, so there’s always something to look at.
- Salvias: long-flowering plants in blues, purples and reds that bloom from early summer into autumn.
- Sedums: chunky, fleshy leaves that store water, with flat flower heads in late summer.
- Echinacea (coneflowers): daisy-like flowers that bring a bright splash of colour and attract butterflies.
Good to know: sunny garden plants need a little more watering in hot spells, especially while new plants are settling in.
Is a West Facing Garden Good?
So, how much sun does a west-facing garden get? A west-facing garden is shadier in the morning, then soaks up the sun from early afternoon into the evening. It’s lovely for sitting out after work, and the afternoon sun can get quite warm, so plants here need to handle heat.
Plants that love it here:
- Roses: plenty of afternoon sun helps them flower well.
- Daylilies: tough, cheerful flowers that handle warm afternoons well.
- Ornamental grasses: they catch the low evening light beautifully and sway in the breeze.
- Penstemons: tall spikes of bell-shaped flowers that bloom for months.
- Hardy geraniums: easy-going, spreading plants that fill gaps with soft colour.
Is an East-Facing Garden Good?
An east-facing garden gets soft morning sun, then cooler shade from around midday on. It’s a calm, gentle spot that suits plants that like some light but don’t want to bake in the afternoon heat.
Plants that love it here:
- Japanese anemones: pretty pink or white flowers on tall stems from late summer into autumn.
- Foxgloves: tall, elegant spires of bell-shaped flowers that bees love.
- Astrantia: delicate, pincushion-like flowers that are lovely in a vase too.
- Heucheras: grown for their colourful leaves in purple, lime, and red, which stay good-looking through most of the year.
- Hardy geraniums: just as happy here as in a west-facing garden.
Is a North-Facing Garden Good?
Finally, let’s discuss how much sun a north-facing garden gets. A north-facing garden gets the least direct sun, as the house often blocks it for much of the day, especially in winter. That doesn’t mean it can’t be beautiful. North-facing gardens tend to stay cooler and retain moisture, which many plants enjoy. Think lush leaves, soft textures and a peaceful, woodland feel.
Here’s what you should consider planting in a north-facing garden:
- Hostas: big, bold leaves in greens, blues and creamy stripes.
- Ferns: feathery fronds that bring a woodland feel and love damp, shady spots.
- Hellebores: bloom in late winter and early spring, when little else is in bloom.
- Hydrangeas: large, rounded flower heads in pink, blue or white that brighten darker corners. They’re happiest with a little morning sun or dappled shade.
- Heucheras: their colourful leaves brighten shady spots as well as sunny ones.
Good to know: shady gardens usually need less watering, but the cooler, damper conditions do attract slugs. More on that below.
Find the Right Plants for Your Garden at Garden on a Roll
Once you know which way your garden faces, choosing plants becomes much more straightforward. Consider how many hours of sun your border gets each day, and that will point you in the right direction.
If you’d rather skip the guesswork altogether, our ready-made garden borders are designed by award-winning garden designer Antony Henn and our team of horticultural specialists, with options for sunny and shady spots alike. Everything you need arrives together, delivered to your door: the plants, a biodegradable template, and a full planting plan, so you can roll it out and get growing.