How bad would these trees be at blocking out the sun?

Hi,

I may be buying a house which is surrounded by very tall trees. Some of my friends/family say it looks really nice and private. But others have said it would block out light, feel very enclosed and it would just be a bit gloomy. It's a South Facing garden - but what's the point if the sun is just blocked out other than 1-2 hours in the day.

I've never had a garden. I'm really keen to spend time having BBQ's through the spring and summer, or sit out there in the morning maybe. But would this even be that nice if it's just this enclosed?

I'm not asking here as I want to grow anything, it's more about the quality of life and what it would be like. Any thoughts?

 

If you are interested in having bbqs in spring and summer then a bit of shade on a very hot day and shelter from strong winds could be a good thing. I can't see anything in the photos that would worry me from a quality of life perspective and a bit of shelter can be good for garden plants as well once you rely less on the ones that thrive in exposed conditions. A lot of the trees appear to be deciduous so when they drop their leaves around now the place may seem a lot brighter. It can be difficult to get a feeling for a space from just pictures and one person's feeling of what is claustrophobic might just seem cosy to someone else. I once stayed in a holiday let where all the houses in the area were set in mature trees that were very close to the buildings and it seemed like a very nice environment to me but you are the one who will have to live in the house you buy so you may have to rely on your own judgement. If it is a marginal issue you could always hire a tree surgeon to crown thin some of the trees to let more light through by cutting out some of the more shade casting branches. Maybe you could ask to stay at the house for a few days to see if you could cope with the environment or even just a good proportion of a day might give a better understanding of how the light moves through the space. If the trees that are a problem are on a neighbour's land then maybe you could approach them about weather or not they would be willing to let you get them professionally trimmed to let more light into your garden.

 

If you are getting sunlight in the garden now you will get even more during the summer, but maybe not so much in the evenings.

 

Hello felicty28, welcome to GC. I think a lot of your questions hinge on whether the trees belong to the owner of your proposed plot, or whether they belong to neighbours. Given the frequency of disputes over trees, shade, views, pruning etc. and the costs involved in tree surgery, I'd be inclined to walk away from a potential minefield. I had a similar choice here in France (without the potential neighbour conflicts). What was a reasonable prospect in July would have been intolerable in December, with the sun never getting above the treeline. Not to mention the difficulty of growing anything in dry, sandy, root-ridden soil.

 

I love trees, so for me a house in the woods would be amazing. The place has character, and that's a beautiful thing.

Although you will get some shade, it's not going to be deep shade, just light dappled shade. With a couple of exceptions, the trees don't actually cover your garden. It might reduce your direct sunlight for sunbathing, but it's still going to be light enough in the evening for barbecues and stuff.

Gardening wise, most plants are still going to be OK with it. Some things which really need bright full sun might object, but most stuff is likely to work fine. There are likely to be some roots, but TBH it shouldn't be any worse than normal. The only thing you probably will need to consider is if you reseed the lawn - it's going to need shade tolerant grass seed. Not a big deal though.

Your garden is also going to be regularly visited by woodpeckers, jays and basically all kinds of birds. The place will be alive with hedgehogs at night. You'll get rabbits and deer in your front garden.

For me, this is a definite "go for it".

 

Having lived in a house with a garden surrounded by the neighbours oak trees with tpo's, id definitely say avoid. Even just maintaining them is expensive and you have to apply to the council everytime. Not to mention the roots growing into your garden which make it impossible to dig, the lack of light, the mess from vast amounts of leaves and the hassle of clearing them (otherwise your whole garden is just covered in sloppy leaves). It's even more annoying when they're not your own trees and your neighbours couldn't care less.

however, we did love watching the squirrels in the trees

 

@felicty28 .

Have to say that the property looks fab and the area very lush, but.....we are surrounded by trees ,which on the whole we love but since we moved here nearly 40 yrs ago the trees have grown!! One huge Oak in particular makes our small( snug) lounge very dark indeed and is on land owned by a very large country estate and has a TPO on it. Unless it causes problems to the cables that run through it's canopy we can't ask for anything to be done.

Even now when it sheds it's leaves the room is still dark. Have to say though on a boiling hot day it makes the room perfect to chill in.!

It all comes down to your own preferences and gut feeling really, everyone will have their own veiws and likes.

 

Hi All,

Thanks for your responses. The trees do not belong to the council. Some belong to a local property management company. I spoke with them yesterday and they said they're cut back "as and when they need to be".

I spoke with the person selling the house who said "the company regularly inspect them, coming out twice per year and has arranged work trimming through their own tree surgeon".

He also said "Light isn't an issue. The summer sun is high enough that it is above the trees. There is shadow later in the day but it's dappled light and not blocked entirely like if it was a solid object in the way. From now until April time the trees are bare so sun is able to pass through"

 

Sounds all good then

 

Sounds good to me!

I had a (rented) house once which had a flat-roofed extension with a huge oak tree spreading over it. In any kind of breeze in autumn, falling acorns sounded like the house was being machine-gunned! The leaves also gummed up the gutters. So I'm pretty aware of the problems with trees too close to the house.

For me though, Felicity's house hits just the right balance - trees around the garden, but enough back from the house to not be a problem, and enough garden to give a nice sunny clearing.

Do spend a bit of time with a rake in autumn to clear up leaves though. Lawns really don't like leaves left on them long-term. It's not usually a big deal - one pass mid-autumn and again in winter when everything's finished falling is usually enough. And pull up any rogue saplings that try to grow in your garden. Even if they don't self-seed from ashes or sycamores, squirrels will bury seeds and forget about them, and you'll get stuff sprouting which you don't want.

 

Tell me about the acorns @Graham B ..!!!!.We have them raining down on us and one side of our house ,the noise is terrific as they hit the patio, doors and windows!

 

I don't think your decideous oaks are as bad as mine. Not mine in reality because they are behind my garden fence. The oak trees there are evergreen and acorns from them fall in my garden and start growing. This summer I was pulling out about 5-15 of new growing plants a day. I am afraid to miss them and they will take over my garden in no time.

 

Oh I know @Black Orchid ...same here to with the ordinary Oaks...we are constantly finding Oak saplings growing all over the place, paths, borders , driveway and in pots and planters too!!!!