Released On 14th Apr 2026
Creating Sun-Trap Areas in Your Garden
A well-designed garden should feel comfortable and inviting through all seasons, but especially during the summer. One of the best ways to do this is to achieve this is to create sun-trap areas. Spaces that capture warmth, maximise natural light, and encourage you to spend more time outside. And the good news is, you can create one anywhere, no matter what your space looks like! You just have to follow a few key design principles to get them right.
Understanding the Sun
Before you start moving things, buying new plants or installing structures, it’s important you understand how sunlight moves through your garden. After all, the sun changes angle constantly throughout the day, so you need to know where it hits and when to maximise the effectiveness of your sun-trap. A lot of outdoor spaces receive sunlight unevenly throughout the day because of things like buildings and boundary walls, mature trees, fence positioning, changes in ground level or even just the direction the garden faces. Watching where the sunlight falls during morning, midday, and evening helps you identify the best places for seating, patios or even what to plant where.
Use Walls and Fencing
Solid walls and fences are great for absorbing and holding heat throughout the day, gradually releasing it as the temperatures cool down. It’s one reason enclosed courtyards and walled gardens often feel warmer than open lawns do. So try strategically placing walls, fencing or even screening throughout the space and see the difference it can make. Done properly, it can shelter searing areas from cold winds, reflect warmth into the space, create a more comfortable microclimate and make the space more usable throughout the year.
Create Sheltered Seating
The most common use for sun-traps is seating. Somewhere you can relax and soak up the sunshine while it lasts. Which means it needs to be sheltered. A seating area that’s exposed to the wind rarely feels comfortable, even in the direct sunlight. Adding in pergolas, trellises, planting screens and carefully positioned hedging can all reduce exposure while still maintaining that open feels. Popular layouts include corner patios enclosed by planting, courtyard style seating areas, sunken terraces protected from the wind, and benches positioned against warm walls. The aim is to create a space that feel naturally calm and sheltered, rather than boxed in.
Choose Plants For Warmth
Planting is one of the more important elements of shaping the atmosphere in your sun-trap. Dense planting around then edges of seating areas can help soften any wind movement and create a sense of privacy. Fragrant, sun-loving plants also provide a better sensory experience in warm outdoor spaces. Some of our favourite options are:
- Lavender
- Rosemary
- Salvia
- Verbena bonariensis
- Ornamental grasses
- Climbers, like jasmine or climbing roses
All of these plants thrive in sunny conditions while adding movement, colour and scent. Just don’t overcrowd the area with large shrubs or trees, as they’ll block out the sunlight you’re trying to capture.
Consider Your Surfacing
The surfacing you choose for your sun-trap can have a surprising effect, not just on the look, but also on the way it captures and spreads heat. For example, natural stone, porcelain and brick paving all absorb heat differently, especially when they have differing colours and finishes. Darker materials will often hold onto warmth longer, while lighter paving reflects more light and can brighten enclosed areas. So while you should absolutely consider what look matches your style, you should think about how the material will perform too.
Don’t Forget About Winter
Sun-traps are ideal for the warmer months, but the best ones stay useful beyond the height of summer. And the good thing is, it’s relatively easy to do! Simple things like adding outdoor lighting, fire pits or patio heaters, evergreen plants, decorative screens, pergolas and weather-resistant seating all mean the space is still functional outside of the warmer months, and feels inviting well into autumn and early spring. The goal here is to design an outdoor area that feels intentional and welcoming all the time, so you get the most use from your garden.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Of course, not all sun traps work out. Some fail, and it’s usually because they’ve prioritised appearance over practicality. Some of the more common issues we’ve seen include:
- Overcrowding with planting that blocks the light
- Creating enclosed spaces with poor airflow
- Using materials that become uncomfortably hot
- Putting seating where sunlight vanishes quickly
- Ignoring wind direction and exposure
A professionally done, balanced design takes all of these factors into account to create a suntrap that truly works. At CMA Garden Design, we believe that successful gardens should be shaped around how people actually use the space, not just how pretty it looks. We love creating effective sun-trap areas by combining all of the factors we’ve talked about today, enhancing the beauty and usability of your garden. If you’d like to know more, just get in touch with the team today to arrange your free consultation.
