Design Mistakes to Avoid in Sun Trap Gardens
With over two decades of professional experience in high-end garden design, we continue to see the same issues recur time and again. Throughout our work in premium garden design and landscaping, we have observed that many people struggle to make the most of their sun-soaked gardens.
As this is a common issue for many homeowners, we were recently asked to share our best tips for sun trap gardens with Living Etc magazine.
In this post, we share four design mistakes to avoid in sun trap gardens and offer the best way to approach highly exposed landscapes.
Top 4 Things To Avoid
A sun trap garden can be a wonderful asset to your home, offering long hours under the sun and plenty of daylight for outdoor activities. However, without the right design approach, you may end up misusing this space or creating a garden that is simply unfit for purpose.
To ensure that your sun trap garden is a safe, attractive and comfortable environment, you need to ensure that garden design works with the sun exposure, rather than against it. This is done by avoiding common design techniques, such as:
1) Dark Paving
Dark paving is a popular trend for modern outdoor spaces. It can have a dramatic visual effect and provides stunning contrast to soft landscaping areas, but it is not suitable for sunny gardens.
Gardens with little to no shade are likely to feel like an oven on most summer days, and this will be more extreme with dark paving across a terrace or patio.
Dark colours absorb sunlight and can retain heat for long periods of time, especially without any shade to cool them down. This makes it impossible to walk through your garden without shoes on and can make it uninhabitable on those long summer afternoons.
If dark paving is a must for your sun trap garden, such as complementing the colours of your property, then shade will be needed.
Whether that is a pergola, a parasol, shade sails or even strategically placed planting, shade is needed to keep your sun trap garden functional and safe, especially during peak summer.
2) Poor Planting Decisions
When it comes to planting schemes for gardens, many homeowners focus on the appearance of the plants rather than the care needed to maintain them. This can lead to long-term issues, as the plants cannot survive in the natural conditions of your garden.
For sun trap gardens, this means shade-loving plants or native species such as ferns, hostas, and heucheras simply will not do. They cannot survive in the high heat or sun exposure, and no amount of garden maintenance will be able to combat this.
With the wrong planting decisions, your sun trap garden may only look good for a few weeks or months before quickly falling apart. This is why, when it comes to planting for any outdoor space, working with the organic conditions of your landscape is essential.
This means choosing plants for your sun trap gardens that thrive in high heat and long sunlight exposure hours. Mediterranean-style planting, such as salvias, lavender, sedum, verbena, and ornamental grasses, is the best option for these kinds of gardens.
A combination of these drought-tolerant and structural plants adds movement, texture and visual interest to the garden without having to constantly fight the natural conditions of the space.
3) White Rendered Walls
As dark colours are unsuitable for a sun trap garden, you may be tempted to go with an all-white theme. However, this can have just as much of a negative impact on your garden as dark paving because it also makes the space uninhabitable.
White is a reflective colour, which will transform your garden into a blinding ski slope throughout the seasons due to the high sun exposure. With this colour scheme, it will be impossible to sit in your garden and enjoy a summer’s afternoon peacefully due to the harsh colour scheme.
Not only is white a poor colour choice for sun trap gardens, but it is also impractical for many outdoor spaces, as it is hard to keep clean.
This does not mean your walls or structures have to be boring, as there are better alternatives, such as vertical planting, rustic stone walls, and vertical timber fencing to add height and interest.
4) Artificial Grass
Artificial grass is an extremely popular choice with our clients seeking a low-maintenance, long-lasting solution for their outdoor space. However, for those with a sunny garden, it can be an extremely bad decision.
While artificial grass mimics real grass in its appearance and feel, it lacks the organic temperature control. This means that under direct sunlight, artificial lawns can become dangerously hot. With some reports of grasses reaching up to 60°C on a summer’s day, this makes it a genuinely unsafe choice for bare feet and pets alike.
This is why many official organisations, such as the RHS, have now banned artificial grass from all show gardens, and we rarely recommend it to our clients.
If you were looking for an alternative to traditional grass, we’d recommend replacing the area with bespoke paving or ground cover plants over artificial grass.
How To Make The Most Out Of Sun Trap Gardens
While there are several things you should avoid in your garden, there are plenty of opportunities to take advantage of the space and make the most out of the sun, with design features such as:
Strategic Placement And Layout
Layout is a key part of garden design, and plays a significant role in sun trap gardens as it determines how usable and safe the space is. South and west-facing spots are your best options for seating areas and terraces, as these provide the longest sunlight hours.
The high sun exposure can be balanced with shade, such as pergolas or plant screening, to create a safe, comfortable environment for relaxing and dining throughout the day.
Thermal Hardscaping Materials
Paving materials such as stone and concrete naturally absorb heat throughout the day and will release it slowly when the sun goes down. This creates a thermal effect within your sun trap garden, creating comfortable seating, dining and entertainment areas without any additional heating tools or furnishings.
Structural Planting For Shade And Screening
Sunny gardens are often largely exposed, not only to the sun but also to the wind, which can wreak havoc on your outdoor occasions. Tall, structural planting such as pleached trees, tall grasses, and hedging can be a great way to screen key areas within your garden while also enhancing visual appeal.
These plants can not only act as a wind breaker and provide shade, but can also offer privacy screening in lounge or dining areas for a more comfortable outdoor living environment. For depth and visual enhancement, consider layered planting displays with taller species, such as pleached trees, in the back and smaller shrubs or grasses at the front.
Avoid Extremes
One of the best ways to create a safe, attractive garden is to remain balanced. Avoiding extremes in colours and materials and instead opting for neutral alternatives can buffer the impact of high sun exposure.
Extremely dark paving or white wall rendering can make the space feel harsh and hot, whereas neutral tones, such as warm natural stone or cool concrete paving, allow for considered garden design and comfort.
When designing a sun trap garden, you need to work with the organic sun exposure of the space, rather than against it. This means considering the garden as a whole, rather than your sun trap as an individual focal point to ensure cohesive, timeless design.
Conclusion
A sun trap garden can be an asset to your home and lifestyle when designed well. By avoiding the four common mistakes of artificial lawns, poor planting decisions, white walls, and dark paving, you can create a cohesive, safe environment to use all year round.
Andy Stedman Design are your partners in premium garden design and landscaping, and we can work with all requirements. If you are looking to renovate your garden or take advantage of a sun trap, our team has over two decades of experience in the industry to help.
We will ensure that your new landscape is safe, accessible and attractive to complement your unique lifestyle.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best way to design a sun trap garden without it becoming too hot?
The key is balance, and working with the organic sun exposure patterns within the landscape. With this in mind, south and west-facing spots are best for long-lasting sun, and can be complemented with neutral paving, pergolas or tall planting for shade and comfort.
What materials work best in a sunny garden?
Extreme dark or light colours can be too harsh in sunny gardens, which is why neutral shades such as grey concrete or warm natural stones are your best option. These paving solutions are also thermal, as they will absorb heat from the sun during the day and release it at night, creating a comfortable outdoor living space at all hours.
How can planting help a sun trap garden?
Strategic planting plays both a practical and aesthetic role in sun trap gardens, offering enhanced visual appeal as well as shelter, shading and screening through careful layout. Drought-tolerant and structural plants are the best option for these kinds of outdoor spaces, and layered planting displays add depth and privacy screening to key areas.
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