Finding your dream home sometimes means that compromises need to happen. You might have to let go of your dream for a playroom or settle with for a north facing garden.
If you are an avid gardener, this could seem like a major disappointment. Even with the best garden tools and experience, you might feel ill-equipped to handle this space. But, what if you knew that there’s no reason your north-facing garden can’t still thrive?
While this may be a harder goal to achieve than in a sun-drenched yard, keep on reading for just a few tips that’ll help you perfect your outdoor space, no matter its direction.
# 1 - Smart Design is Essential
Design and landscaping are always essential elements of getting your garden just right, but they become even more important in north-facing gardens that may have limited to no sun at certain times of the day.
You certainly can’t afford to plant whatever you fancy and hope that it does well. Instead, you should either do some research or work with an experienced landscaping team to perfect design focuses like zoned planting and vertical gardens.
Both techniques can add interest to your outdoors and, importantly, allow you to make the best of any area with more sun exposure. This ensures ample growth in key areas regardless of your North-facing position, and can soon see your garden thriving in all of the right ways.
# 2 - Choose the Right Plants
Even with the right north-facing design, some plants are guaranteed to do better in your garden than others. This may be frustrating to start with but accepting this fact is far better than wasting time and money on plants that will never live long enough to flower.
Realistically, homeowners with this kind of garden should prioritize a more strategic plant selection that incorporates –
- Shade-loving plants: Shade-loving plants like ferns, hellebores, and ivy are all sure to survive and thrive better in your garden.
- Evergreens: Evergreen plants like bamboo and holly are generally hardy, and are more likely to look great outside during even low-sun winter months.
- Shade-tolerant climbers: Climbing plants have the benefit of finding their own sun in any space, especially shade-loving varieties like hydrangea.
- Vegetables: Don't think that you can't grow a full vegetable garden in a north facing area. Here are just a few things that would do well without full sunlight: lettuce, spinach, arugula, kale, swiss chard, mustard greens, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, carrots, radishes, turnips, parsnips, and many herbs like parsley and mint.
While it might not be your dream, you may also benefit from considering a few artificial plants. There are now plenty of realistic options that could add some much-needed color without requiring any sun at all.
# 3 - Brighten Where you Can
Whether your garden gets no sun or only experiences slithers of sunlight at certain times of the day, you’ll want to brighten this space wherever you can. After all, as well as being uninhabitable to plants, a dark garden simply isn’t somewhere you’ll want to spend any time.
Choosing bright paving slab materials like natural stone or sandstone for a patio or pathway could, in itself, make a huge difference here. Equally, you could incorporate other brightening additions, like decorative mirrors on your fencing or borders.
Well-placed garden lighting is another great option for adding light on even the shadiest winter days and could include fairy lights if you’re looking for outdoor ambience, or spotlights if you want to brighten certain areas. Generally, you will want to avoid solar lights in a space like this, as there’s simply no guarantee they’ll get enough sun to get the job done.
# 4 - Consider a Garden Room
Shade is inevitable in even the best-designed north-facing garden, and it’s an issue you can best overcome by considering the addition of a garden room.
Obviously, you’ll need a pretty large garden to make this work, but it could be a great way to host outdoor get-togethers without needing to worry about your guests getting cold because of the lack of light.
Garden rooms also provide another opportunity to incorporate additional lighting, which could pair with large windows that also allow you to enjoy even the tiny bits of natural light in your garden.
No keen gardener loves the idea of a north-facing garden, but there’s no need to let this reality stand between you and your ideal outdoor space. In fact, your north-facing garden could rival even the south-facing alternatives across the street if you get to work perfecting it with these tips!