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North Facing Garden how bad are they?

Looking at buying a property which has a North facing garden. All places I've lived in thus far have had south or south west facing gardens so have always benefited from nice a sunny garden, therefore no experience of a north facing garden.

Was wondering what the drawbacks of having a north facing garden are and how bad are they.

On the plus side it does overlook open pasture land. Unfortunately the previous owner swapped some of his side garden for part that pasture land. From what I understand we will not be able do utilise that part of the garden for “normal” garden purposes, and will therefore only really be able to “landscape” or use as a normal garden that part which is closest to the house.

Thanks
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Comments

  • Sonofa
    Sonofa Posts: 300 Forumite
    Given the last two summers we've had this is probably a moot point anyway.

    I don't own a compass and have lived in the same house for 16 years, and yet, could not tell you which direction my garden faces if my life depended on it.

    If it bothers you so much just knock the house down and enjoy guaranteed sunshine whatever the direction.<insert 'I'm being obtuse' smilie here>
  • david29dpo
    david29dpo Posts: 3,747
    First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
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    Having had a south facing garden for the last 14 years, i couldn't cope with a north facing one. Only you can decide on this one.
  • We moved into a house with NFG this summer. Our lounge with patio doors is at the back of the house so it suits us cos it would be very hot if it was south facing. The garden is 10x10 mtrs and in the summer it was in the sun up to about 4mtrs off the back of the house in the middle of the day and all of it was late afternoon/evening. So I was suprised how much sun it got. Also we have very young kids and I like that they can get some shade in the hottest part of the day when out playing there.
  • we have a north facing garden - not too bad in the summer as the sun is high enough to come in over the house and reach most of it

    come winter though its a different story

    tips would be using a grass mix for a shady lawn if trying to establish a lawn which worked a lot better than our first attempt.
    making sure it is free draining soil as if its clayey without the sun for some evaporation it can quickly become waterlogged
    pick plants that dont need a lot of sun.

    the trade off is that the front of the house is very sunny and so are most of the rooms we use day to day so i'm happy enough with it
  • poppysarah
    poppysarah Posts: 11,522 Forumite
    If you want to "garden" then you'll not be able to grow lots of fruit and things - they need sunshine and lots of it.
  • Greatgimp
    Greatgimp Posts: 1,049
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    A fair amount of algae gathers on the north side of my garden as it's constantly in the shade, specially nearest the house - slimey wheelie bins, patio etc. Moss on the lawn can be a bit of a problem if not treated routinely.
  • silvercar
    silvercar Posts: 46,861
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    We moved from SFG to NFG. The main difference is that the sun doesn't make the room at the back of the house boiling hot in the Summer. The garden still gets sun except for a small area of the patio; to be honest its nice to have aa bit of shade.

    In the winter we noticed the back of the house did get cold, though we have solid stone walls. Since we replaced the double glazing it is not so noticable.
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  • My last house faced North East. It was ok in the morning, as the sun would hit the back of the house. Didn't last for too long though, even in the summer. By the time 2.00 roled around, it was in the shade. Did have the advantage of keeping the back of the house cooler in the evening though.

    I now have a South facing garden, and I much prefer it. Its nice to be able to sit out in the sunshine until late in the evening.
  • katkim
    katkim Posts: 1,144 Forumite
    It does make a difference, particularly if you want to grow fruit or veg and flowers. It tends to be a couple of degrees colder on an average day. Luckily we have a long thin garden and we can utilise the far end, but nothing except moss and the hardiest plants and shrubs survive nearer the house.

    And you're right, your neighbour can't landscape or put any climbing frames or swings etc on the pasture unless he gets planning permission for it. The pasture land isn't designated as 'residential' and so he can't use it as such. Looks like your views are safe :)
  • The biggest problem I have with a north facing garden is how quickly my footpath at the back "greens" up, it seems to need power-washing every 4 weeks.
    I used to have a south facing garden, the conservatory was unusable on hot summers days, at least now I have some shade to sit in........ although it seems like a long long time ago when we last had hot sunshine!!!!!
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