North facing back garden?

miss choc

We are in the process of looking at houses and saw one that has ticked all the boxes for us only thing is it is a north facing back garden. Just would like other peoples opinion who have a north facing back garden the house we are in at the moment is south facing but to be honest next doors tree blocks lot of sun in Summer so don't get tons of sun.
I am torn cos I like gardening but don't want to rule out a lovely house cos of it's aspect. It is a longish garden with gravel/stepping stones at the top near french doors and more concrete at the back so was thinking I could make end of the garden the patio area with flowers/shrubs, then put shade/semi shade loving plants up at the top.
Front will be fine it's a long cemented path so can put lots of sun loving flowers out the front.
We have viewed the house twice unfortunately on two dull rainy days and it is hard to predict a sunny day in this country to check the sun aspect. The kitchen is bright with white gloss cabinets and skylight and dining room has french doors so don't think it would be too gloomy. Any tips and plant/garden design advice would be appreciated.

handandy

miss choc wrote: »

We are in the process of looking at houses and saw one that has ticked all the boxes for us only thing is it is a north facing back garden. Just would like other peoples opinion who have a north facing back garden the house we are in at the moment is south facing but to be honest next doors tree blocks lot of sun in Summer so don't get tons of sun.
I am torn cos I like gardening but don't want to rule out a lovely house cos of it's aspect. It is a longish garden with gravel/stepping stones at the top near french doors and more concrete at the back so was thinking I could make end of the garden the patio area with flowers/shrubs, then put shade/semi shade loving plants up at the top.
Front will be fine it's a long cemented path so can put lots of sun loving flowers out the front.
We have viewed the house twice unfortunately on two dull rainy days and it is hard to predict a sunny day in this country to check the sun aspect. The kitchen is bright with white gloss cabinets and skylight and dining room has french doors so don't think it would be too gloomy. Any tips and plant/garden design advice would be appreciated.

check the local weather forecast and arrange to go back for a third time on a dry sunny day with the estate agents . im sure the sellers wont mind if it means you will buy the house off them . theres loads of plants shrubs and flowers that you can buy and sow for a north facing garden and a garden that is shady . do your planting schemes up in a manner that will give you colour and plant features in the garden all year around and not just when its summertime or warm . you could tie the kitchen into the garden and make the kitchen flow out into the garden with the right choice of colours . your back garden will be another room in the house so to speak .

miss choc

Yeah keep checking met.ie bit grim for next few days thats the only way I can check. Last time we went to see it at 11 and 12 but was raining first time and dull second viewing. However the kitchen was bright in fairness cos of the white gloss cabinets, skylight and white paint. Guess it's about picking sun loving flowers for end of garden and the front and semi shade/shade ones for top of back garden. Have to wait on mother nature to bring some sun for another viewing.

handandy

miss choc wrote: »

Yeah keep checking met.ie bit grim for next few days thats the only way I can check. Last time we went to see it at 11 and 12 but was raining first time and dull second viewing. However the kitchen was bright in fairness cos of the white gloss cabinets, skylight and white paint. Guess it's about picking sun loving flowers for end of garden and the front and semi shade/shade ones for top of back garden. Have to wait on mother nature to bring some sun for another viewing.

friday morning and afternoon is meant to be dry and sunny according to rte weather forecast just there a few minutes ago . then its to rain in late afternoonn .
why not also take a trip to various stately homes and parks and see the various flowers and shrubs that are flowering now and in the shade too . i do this and it gives me a great sense of what a flower or plant looks like in the real world . i have my back garden absolutely covered in japanese anemones , white musscari , helebores and i also have large clusters of pachyphragma macrophyllum . all of these plants like shade and semi shade and all are in full flower at the moment , the pachyphragma will keep on flowering from late febuary right up till mid may . i also have other shrubs and flowers for summer and late autumn coliour and then my plants for winter colour too . so if you get your planting scheme right then you will allways have colour in the garden throughout the year .

miss choc

Thanks for that Fri am/lunch seems to be ok it's only a 5 min walk so no excuse try and get a look at it then maybe think Sat am ok too. I always though shade plants would be limited to ferns, hostia but doing some research there are lot more than I thought I luckily like shrubs also so can bulk up a shady area with hydrangeas, rhododendrons and other woodland plants. If I move I want to bring a lot of my own plants with me so am putting them in pots most of the shrubs will be for the back and the sunny ones for the end of garden and front. Thats if I get house :eek: few more things to consider this is the only biggy though. Good to do research anyway on shade loving plants.

handandy

miss choc wrote: »

Thanks for that Fri am/lunch seems to be ok it's only a 5 min walk so no excuse try and get a look at it then maybe think Sat am ok too. I always though shade plants would be limited to ferns, hostia but doing some research there are lot more than I thought I luckily like shrubs also so can bulk up a shady area with hydrangeas, rhododendrons and other woodland plants. If I move I want to bring a lot of my own plants with me so am putting them in pots most of the shrubs will be for the back and the sunny ones for the end of garden and front. Thats if I get house :eek: few more things to consider this is the only biggy though. Good to do research anyway on shade loving plants.

theres loads and loads of shade loving plants flowers and shrubs to choose from . good luck with the house viewing . dont forget to take a compass and notepad with you and get the precise location of various parts of the back and front garden and take note of where the sun is shining in the garden and at what time too . also take a camera with you and take pictures of both front garden and back garden . then you can look over the gardens and get your ideas together when you are back home and having a cup of tea with your partner-husband . 2 fantastic places to visit at the moment would be the botanic gardens in dublin and also mount usher gardens in wicklow , if you want to buy some very select shade loving plants then a trip to mount venus nurseries is well worth it .

jrby

http://www.yr.no/place/Ireland/Leinster/Dublin/long.html

this is a good website for weather forecasts....a lot of golf clubs use it as more accurate than met.ie

miss choc

Great thanks for that yeah met bit crap can plan week in advance with that site. Used to use weather underground but a bit americanised.

LurkerNo1

I wouldn't let the aspect put you off, in fact id see it as a bonus as it narrows down your choice of plants considerably. If it's in deep or part shade/ dry or moist shade plus what the soil is like and the choices are easier again. Like said previously if you are in Dublin go out to Mount Venus Nursery they have a huge range.

handandy

LurkerNo1 wrote: »

I wouldn't let the aspect put you off, in fact id see it as a bonus as it narrows down your choice of plants considerably. If it's in deep or part shade/ dry or moist shade plus what the soil is like and the choices are easier again. Like said previously if you are in Dublin go out to Mount Venus Nursery they have a huge range.

yep mount venus nursery and also pergola nurseries up in virginia county cavan are 2 great spots for some nice shade loving plants and flowers . also seaside nurseries up in donegal is a fantastic little nursery , been up there 3 times and the owner has allways looked after me on each occasion , only a small nursery but he grows for some garden centres and delievers down to some of the garden centres in meath and dublin .

Sonnenblumen

Of course there are plenty of plants which will grow happily in north facing gardens but typically the conditions of these sites can be challenging (cold) in the summer at best and in winter damp, dark and uninviting. No amount of colour will make a garden warm, it may look better but looking good and enjoying (using) are two different factors.

pwurple

What size is the garden? If it's a suburban small garden, then it can be tricky if it gets no light at all with the neighbours tree, and the house itself blocking light. If it's a bit bigger, then some part of it should get light. See if you can see any area of the garden which does get some sunlight, for usage.

As said above, you can plant in any conditions, but having a place to sit out and enjoy it is important too. Ideally you would have both.

I have a north-facing garden in the city myself, but it's just big enough that I have a patio by the house which is a really warm sun-trap, and all my shade loving plants against the boundary at the other end.

Rancid

Think long and hard before you opt for a north-facing garden.
If, as you say, the garden is fairly long, you'll get *some* available sun at the very end right through the year. But for the winter months 2 or more metres right outside your back door will be shaded, dull and damp and not getting the opportunity to dry out. Every year.

You say you're used to a south-facing garden with shade from big trees, that sounds exactly like my front garden, and I have to say, it doesn't even come close to the lack of "brightness" at the back for most of the year.

But ... you'll find plenty of plants love the shaded damp areas, you'll have no trouble populating them with a wonderful variety through winter and summer!

Gairdin nua

Lots of helpful suggestions there.
I think it might also depend on how important the garden is to you and your family. My brother is an indoors person and only goes in the garden for an occasional beer after work so would not be bothered. I have had a house in the past and part of the raeson I sold it was the garedn was north facing and was hell to mantain as it got mossy every winter and it was a battle to have any quality of grass and even when I had reasonable grass, it was cold, uninviting and left me feeling permanently envious of my more sunnily disposed neighbours. A priority for me since after having lived ina number of different houses are 1) an independent (non shared drive) and 2) a sunny, lightsome garden.

miss choc

It's so hard to know what to do the house, area facilities price ticks all the boxes it just this. Some things that work in our favour we don't have kids so dont need to be putting them out the back to play, tbh havent a problem re plants I can take a lot from my garden now that are mature and there are some nice shady plants around. I think the end of the garden will get some sun in the evening it is laid out with cement so I think to brighten it up it needs lots of plants white walls light gravel etc. The part that is damp is outside the french doors as the paint is bubbling/blistering there so it is never going to dry out fully would probably need moisture/shade plants there.
Length of back garden is 15 metres/50ft it will get some light but mostly as back. There are no trees blocking the garden however there is a attic roof extension next door to the left so might block a bit when sun is high in the sky. Will get tons of sunshine out the front. Just trying to get a day when we can view house on a sunny day.