Any examples of exotic gardens on a N-facing slope?

[Yorkshire Kris]

Does anyone have a north facing slope for a garden? Got my eye on a nice house but the garden is sloping to the NNW. hmmmm.

[Conifers]

How steep and extensive a slope?

[Yorkshire Kris]

How steep and extensive a slope?

I'll be able to answer that properly in about an hour once I've been. But looks to be around 60ft long by 50ft wide. Sloping quite a bit but no need for steps.

[MikeC]

I've had a house with a north facing sloping garden, and it does stay really cold and damp through winter.

For me personally I'd only consider a south facing sloping garden, simply because me and the plants both like as much sunshine as possible.

[Dave Brown]

North facing slope can be a real pain. The sun does not shine on anything in winter and the ground is always colder until late spring. It will limit what you can overwinter in the ground as frost always lasts llonger. My back garden slopes north by about 5ft and this makes winter shadows much longer. If I was to move Again I'd definitely go for a south facing slope

[Dave Brown]

My garden very slightly north sloping, Will Giles garden strongly south sloping

[Adam D]

Sloping up or down Kris?

[Yorkshire Kris]

Sloping up or down Kris?

Sloping down..

Well I've just got back and the garden is smaller than I thought it would be and steeper than I thought. I definite no-no.

Still would be interested in knowing if anyone has made a success of a north facing slope.

[jezza]

My front garden is on a NW slope. The very top of it nearest the road is the coldest part and only a rhododendron has ever survived there, beating a Trachycarpus and cordys.

[RogerBacardy]

Kris, like Dave I've got a north facing slope. The work-around for me is having the garden levelled off to two flat areas of elevation, rather than a slope. The lower area (patio) gets a lot of shade, and nothing tender is growing there, whilst the higher area gets more sun.

However, even the higher area at the edge of the retaining wall will be colder than a flat area, as it is right next to a shady, mossy frost hollow, so the temps would be affected.

Although it's not much of a slope, the problem is accentuated as there's a tall wall at the bottom (south end) of the garden, and the previous occupants built an outbuilding against this, so shadows are long in winter at the bottom of the garden. I'm trying to grow my plants tall, and out of the winter shade.

My old garden was on a south facing slope, and it was so warm. In winter snow didn't settle (when it would settle on flat ground near by), the cordylines I planted there are still going strong, unprotected for the last 13 years. We could dry clothes quickly, gas usage was much lower, and the whole place seemed brighter.


Next time we move I'm aiming to get on the south side of a hill again

[MikeC]

I'm buying a house at the moment (aim to complete on the 23rd of this month).

The garden is not particularly big (usual for a 10 year old house these days), but it is on the due south side of a steep and large hill and garden faces south and slopes down away from the house. Seems to get sun even at this time of year.

Choosing this wasn't by accident.



Good luck on the house hunt, and for me, a north facer is a no no.

[Yorkshire Kris]

I'm buying a house at the moment (aim to complete on the 23rd of this month).

The garden is not particularly big (usual for a 10 year old house these days), but it is on the due south side of a steep and large hill and garden faces south and slopes down away from the house. Seems to get sun even at this time of year.

Choosing this wasn't by accident.



Good luck on the house hunt, and for me, a north facer is a no no.

Cheers Mike and welldone for getting a south facing garden.


I think from all the responses above a north facing, sloping garden is a no no for a truly tropical/exotic garden in the UK.

The funny thing is I don't think I've EVER viewed a house with a south facing garden.

[grub]

Mine is Kris though to be honest it's not that much of a slope.

[billdango]

My garden faces due south west but my side entrance wall faces due south so gets baking hot most of the summer.

The valley that I live in is on a north south axis so that means all the coldest winds of winter can roar through merrily and its a bit of a frost hollow as well.

Due to the hills on either side of my house I do lose a lot of sun in the winter months esp now that a block of flats have been built opposite me on the south side.

billdango

[Yorkshire Kris]

Mine is Kris though to be honest it's not that much of a slope.

You have worked wonders Grub.