It’s important to know where the position of the sun is and how it changes throughout the year in your yard. Knowing where the sun is going to be is extremely helpful when you are planning your landscaping. It’s even more important in planning your garden plantings if you are including growing vegetables in your plans.
It’s best to start with a drawing of your lot. Place any buildings or structures on your drawing. You will want to mark the direction of north on your landscape plan. This information will help you to plan what sort of landscaping will be most effective in your yard. The consider where the sun hits at various times during the year. You’ll also want to account for the directions of regular winds, as they vary by season. You’ll want to avoid choosing windy spots for outdoor living areas. Remember that cold air flows downhill like water.
Do you have to wait an entire year to figure out how the sun changes during the four seasons? No, you can follow some common basics. In the summer there may be fifteen hours of daylight. That’s when the sun is directly overhead with few shadows to the north. In the spring and fall there may be twelve hours of daylight. The sun will be higher in the southern sky with some shadows to the north. In the winter there may be nine hours of daylight. The sun is low in the sky, with long shadows to the north. The sun is the highest in the sky at the start of summer and lowest in the southern sky at the beginning of winter. Mark the areas that receive summer sun and winter sun. Once you determine the sun possibilities you can look to what types of trees, shrubs, and plantings would work well.
The landscape designers and architects at Architectural Landscape Design MN can help you pick the right plantings for every location. We are a MN landscape company that is very experienced in determining the Minnesota sun, Call us today on 952-292-7717.
