What to Put in Your Sun Trap — 5 Seamless and Elegant Ideas for Your Garden's Sunniest Spots

A sun trap garden catches the sun throughout the day and is a sheltered space that doesn't have much (or any) shade. This can happen as a result of the natural garden environment, or you can design it that way using trees, hedges, or hardscaping features like walls and terraces to create the right effect.

Think of a sun trap garden as a sheltered micro-climate that allows you to grow plants that wouldn't thrive in other situations. And now that you're aware of what not to put in your garden's sun trap — it's time to note down what you can indeed put in this area of the home. You'd be glad to know that it's also one of the best places to position pools, ponds, and other water features, as well as create a seating area or choose other modern garden ideas that utilize the sunshine.

One thing is for sure, having a sun trap garden can only ever be a good thing. We asked garden experts for their ideas on what to put in your sun trap, and they came up with five key suggestions to inspire you.

1. Choose the Right Space for Seating

"It's generally preferable to position a seating space in the sunniest spot when designing your dream garden, then deal with how to add some shade during the summer months," says landscape designer Helen Elks-Smith.

"An umbrella is always an affordable option, and you just have to work out where to place it, as the sun will be coming from a different angle at midday to the early evening. Generally, it's the midday sun when most protection is needed."

Creating more than one terrace to take advantage of the light and views at different times of the day is another good way to make the most of a sun trap. If you have the space, include terrace garden ideas such as two different seating areas to make the most of the morning and evening sun.

Helen Elks-Smith

Known for her thoughtful approach to design and expertise in subtle, textural planting, Helen Elks-Smith studied garden design at Writtle College and set up her studio in 2005. She was made a Fellow of the Society of Garden Designers in 2019 for her outstanding contribution to the industry. Helen has won numerous awards, including two RHS gold medals, three design awards from the Society of Garden + Landscape Designers, and two Design Excellence Awards from the British Association of Landscape Industries.

2. Go With Gravel Garden Ideas

"Choose gravel planting for the summer and especially for any sun trap spots in your garden," says landscape designer Charlotte Rowe. "This is the ideal kind of planting for a warmer climate. The gravel protects the soil around the plants from losing too much moisture, and the plants become more resilient."

Versatile gravel landscaping ideas like this design by Charlotte are perfect if you're looking for inspiration about what sort of hardscaping to put in your sun trap. Gravel highlights relaxed and naturalistic planting, is a water-wise choice, and is permeable so rainwater filters through it for your garden's benefit.

The main positive of gravel as a ground cover choice is that it allows you to create planting pockets without the need for formal beds. Aim for a ratio of more planting to gravel to achieve the right balance.

Charlotte Rowe

Award-winning garden designer Charlotte Rowe trained as a landscape designer, then set up her design studio in London in 2004. Since then, she has worked on more than 300 urban and rural design projects for clients both in the UK and overseas, including an olive estate in Northern Italy, a Moroccan-style garden in California, and roof terraces in Manhattan. She also designed the Gold Medal winning show garden at the 2014 RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Charlotte is a fully-accredited member of the Society of Garden and Landscape Designers.

3. Introduce a Tranquil Water Feature

The still reflection pool in this modern courtyard garden by Kitti Kovacs Garden Design is just the thing for a sun trap. Water garden ideas enhance the feeling of a peaceful space for moments of calm and solitude.

It's an eco-friendly garden design featuring drought-tolerant planting and sustainable landscaping in stone and gravel, ideas that also work well in a sun trap. Choose an interesting sculpture, like this one, to add a playful touch.

The highlight of the drought-tolerant plants in this design is the deep red ‘Lasting Love’ lilies, which love full sun and will flower from June to September. They’re easy plants to grow and don’t need lots of space, which means they're ideal for small urban gardens.

You can buy your own 'Lasting Love' bulbs to plant from Crocus.

4. Plant Trees to Enhance a Sun Trap Garden

Tree landscaping ideas work well to either create cooling shade or to soften the full strength of the sun, says Helen. "Many large shrubs and small trees respond well to pruning and can be positioned fairly close to a seating area and kept to size. This is very useful when considering the amount of shade cast."

Choose trees that do best in full sun with little rainwater. There are lots of types of olive trees that can take full sun in hot-summer climates and, once established, will thrive even if water is infrequent. Other trees that suit sun trap gardens include Southern catalpa, Eucalyptus, and honey locust. Consider planting trees in supersized containers if space is tight.

"Every garden needs a tree, or two or three or more, depending on how large the space is," agrees gardening expert Nan Sterman, author of Hot Color, Dry Garden, available on Amazon. "Even a courtyard can support a tall shrub trained into tree form. Beneath the tree, larger shrubs form the backbone of the garden."

Nan Sterman

Nan Sterman is passionate about plants, has degrees in botany and biology, and her work has appeared in many major gardening publications. Her Emmy award–winning TV show A Growing Passion airs on public television in San Diego and online at AGrowingPassion.com. Nan lives in Encinitas, California, where she speaks, teaches, and writes about sustainable gardening, and designs landscapes for both private and public spaces.

5. Add a Pool for a Full Sun Trap Experience

"Spas and pools are usually found in the sunniest spots in the garden," says Charlotte. "After all, is there anywhere you would rather be when it's boiling hot?" This country swimming pool design by Charlotte is situated in a walled garden, and there's a lot to take away from this if you're looking for inspo for pool ideas.

"The advantages of placing the pool and a large amount of key planting within a walled garden are two-fold," explains Charlotte. "It provides a sheltered area for the family who use the pool regularly, and most importantly, it's rabbit-proof, which the rest of the garden certainly is not."

If you're looking for small backyard pool ideas for your sun trap garden, be sure to enhance the look of your small pool by planting around it. Loose and airy planting in the beds adjacent to this pool includes an airy mix of Sanguisorba, Verbena bonariensis, and Nepeta, all plants that love full sun and look fabulous against the backdrop of water.

You can buy a Sanguisorba hakusanensis 'Lilac Squirrel' plant on Amazon, plus a dwarf Verbena bonariensis Lollipop plant, and a Nepeta fasennii Purrsian Blue plant on Gardening Express.

FAQs

What Part of the Garden Gets the Most Sun?

The question of what part of my yard gets the most sun also needs to take into account ‘what time of day does my yard get the most sun’, according to Helen Elks-Smith. "Often, a spot to sit in for a quick coffee first thing in the morning is a very different space in the garden at midday or the evening.

"It’s also worth looking at how you use the garden and when. Light also changes over the seasons, and the spot that gets the light in the colder seasons is often far too hot to enjoy in the full sun of high summer."

The trick is to go into the garden at different times of the day and mark out where the sun falls, advises Helen. "If you can do this over a few months, it's a worthwhile exercise. But often that just isn’t practical, in which case you need to take a look at the direction of the sun and see whether the sun might be blocked by buildings or trees if the sun were not so high up in the summer, or if checking in winter whether a summer sun would reach past anything in its path."

We have one final idea for what to put in your sun trap. They are perfect for turning into your tropical paradise, too.

"Create an exotic landscape by combining hardy palms like the windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) and Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis) with leafy foliage such as New Zealand flax," suggests gardening expert Fiona Jenkins.

"For an extra splash of color, try ornamental banana plants like Red Abyssinian and cordylines such as 'Pink Passion'."

Now, all that's left is to get up to speed on the hacks to make entertaining in your garden more comfortable during the hot weather.