Mapping the Sun in Your Yard

There's a certain thrill that all gardeners understand about buying new plants. But sometimes we get a little excited and buy things without thinking about where we'll plant them. Lots of plants have pretty specific light requirements, from full sun to full shade, so it's a good idea to know if you have a good spot for a plant before you buy it. 

Most of us have a vague idea of where the sun falls in our yards, but you might be surprised if you actually mapped out the areas of shadow and sun throughout the day. That’s where sun mapping comes in. It’s a handy way to determine sun exposure across your yard over the course of a day. 

There are many tech tools available for sun mapping, and if you love to geek out on the science behind gardening, then go for it! But, for general planting purposes, you can keep it simple with a piece of paper and a pencil. Graph paper does make it easier to get scale correct, but it’s not necessary. 

garden in the shade Mother Nature

Before you get started, it’s helpful to understand what the different light requirements that we see on plant tags actually mean. This will allow you to break your sun map up into 3 different areas: full sun, part sun/shade, full shade.

  • Full sun areas receive 6+ hours of direct sun with no shadows
  • Part sun/shade areas receive 4-6 hours of direct sun
  • Full Shade areas receive 4 or fewer hours of direct sun 

It’s best to map your yard near midsummer. This far north of the equator, the position of the sun changes a lot through the year, but for the concerns of your plants, the location of the sun is most important during the summer. In mid-summer, your trees should also be fully leafed out, so you’ll be able to include the shade they create as well.

Draw a simple sketch of your yard. Include all major structures, fences, trees, and large shrubs that could cast shadows. Make 5 copies of this sketch.

Choose 4 times, evenly spaced through the day, to survey your yard. 9 AM, 12 PM, 3 PM, and 6 PM are a good balance. The sun is strongest between those hours, and any sun that hits plants before 9 or after 6 is pretty gentle. 

person sketching in notebook Mother Nature

Pick a day that is clear and sunny. Obviously, that can change pretty quickly here in Powell River, but don’t fret. You can complete the map over the course of a few days if the weather isn’t cooperating. 

Go out in your yard at each of those times with one of your sketches. Draw in the areas that are in the shade at that time of day and fill them in with a darker colour. Write the time of day on the top of each map.

Once you’ve completed the first 4 maps, you can create your final sun map. It can be helpful to colour code this version. Choose whatever colours you like, but white for sunny areas, light gray for part shade areas, and dark gray for full shade areas, makes the most sense.

Lay out your first four maps and compare them. Notice areas that were consistently in the shade, areas that were consistently sunny, and areas where there was shade for some of the day, and sun for some of the day. Sketch in these areas on your 5th map and colour them in or label them. 


Congratulations, you’ve got a sun map of your yard! Snap a picture of it to keep on your phone, so you have it with you all the time. This will make it easier to plant your new plants in a spot that will give them the right amount of sunlight to thrive. 

If you want to take it a step further, you could mark the location of all your perennial plants on this map too. If any of your perennials are struggling, it might be because they’re not getting the right kind of light. Having this map will allow you to move them to a better location to have a better chance of success.