It's that time of year when our gardens need that extra bit of effort to turn them from passable to show-style in no time, but what if your garden is north-facing and struggles with light?
When you look out and it all feels a little too gloomy and the inspiration to turn it around is lacking, the quickest way to add light and change up the look is by using colour.
It's the same principle as with a north-facing room – clever colour choices can transform your space from dark and depressing to light and airy with a new shade. I asked the experts what the best paint colours for a north-facing garden are and why, and it will help with your north-facing garden ideas too.
1. Neutrals
According to Bailey Oates, colour expert at Earthborn north-facing gardens often need warm colours to feel inviting. 'South-facing gardens offer much more flexibility thanks to the consistent natural light throughout the day. A great way to breathe life into a north-facing garden is by painting an exterior wall in a soft, neutral shade.'
It's also key to choose the right neutral, you don't want it to feel 'cool' – we particularly love Honeycomb by Earthborn. 'Colours like this or ecru offer a clean, timeless look that will help carry the light and bring a brightness year-round,' Bailey adds.
Laura Dollimore, head of paint at B&Q suggests neutrals too: 'A light, warm grey can provide a sophisticated backdrop that brightens without being stark. It reflects light well and acts as a neutral canvas for plants.'
Laura recommends her favourite grey below, which is also great value.
As head of paint at B&Q, Laura combines trend insight and product expertise to shape high-quality, stylish, and practical ranges for every space. She works closely with suppliers and design teams to ensure B&Q shoppers have access to the best products to complete their projects with confidence.
A lovely, easy-on-the-eye grey sits right in the middle of the spectrum – not too pale, or too dark. It will definitely uplift your north-facing garden, and the smooth finish will create a modern look. Available in 10L containers, you can use it on concrete, pebble-dash, render and stone.
2. Greens
We love the idea of using greens in a potentially lush-looking north-facing garden. Why? Because it will enhance what you have, and if you pick the right shade of green, it will work wonders.
'A pop of colour on a wall or fence can really brighten the space – opting for a paint with a bit of warmth works really well, such as a green with a hint of yellow,' advises Sophie Smith, founder of Zhoosh Paints. 'As it's inspired by nature, it will sit comfortably in any outside space, adding colour and character that doesn’t feel too incongruous.'
'These colours naturally complement the garden environment,' says Laura. 'A muted, lighter green can blend well with foliage while still feeling fresh and expansive.'
Planning your garden, love green but prefer a punchier look? Check out this vibrant shade below.
Brighten up your garden with this fabulous shade of green that has a tropical feel. Use it on your wooden furniture or shed, or create a statement by painting your fence. It has a matte finish that will enhance the grain of natural wood and comes with a 6 year weather protection.
3. Pastels
If you love ice cream shades anyway, then painting a part of your garden in one or two pastel colours will help to lighten it up and add cohesion to your outdoor living scheme.
The bonus of these colours is that they can be combined very successfully too. Bailey agrees, 'For those looking for a more playful result, pastel colours like Buttermilk or Rose Quartz will inject some colour and look beautiful when flowerbeds or bushes are in bloom.'
Pick three shades to use together, you could use them for your furniture, walls, fence and a shed.
This pretty shade of lilac will look fabulous in a north-facing garden. The tone will lighten a wall or fence perfectly, team it with other pastels like green, sky blue and lemon. This topcoat can be applied to brick, concrete, plaster, stone and wood surfaces and will produce a consistent, water resistant finish.
Love a coastal feel? Then this Spray Blue is your colour – use it on your walls to help create that wonderful seaside feel in your north-facing garden. Team it with fresh white or a soft cream to complete the nautical style. It has a mould resistant formula and provides durability and an all weather protection for exterior walls.
This pretty pastel yellow will add a sunshine feel for sure. It's a lovely shade that will uplift a dark wall in your garden. This paint will dry in two hours so choose a sunny day for applying it and it will be good to go by the evening. Its water resistant formula will protect your walls and allow them to breathe.
4. Terracotta
'Our collection with British landscaper Jinny Blom is formulated for both the indoors and outdoors and is perfect for exterior walls, garden furniture or architectural features,' says Dominic Myland, CEO of Mylands. 'The collection centres around Blomster No.JB01, a mineral red which can be used in shaded gardens to create an exciting contrast.'
It's a beautiful earthy shade that will really ground your garden's look, and you can team it with interiors too, as these colours are going to be big for autumn – beige is being replaced with a deeper hue.
Patrick O’Donnell, brand ambassador for Farrow & Ball agrees with these warm reddish shades. 'A sun-drenched summer isn’t always on the cards here in the UK, so try bringing in your own warm glow – from the hot spice of Bamboozle to something slightly less challenging such as Setting Plaster or Templeton Pink, where the former shade will be a wonderful choice for render and it’s slightly richer sibling a smart accent for a garden bench!'
Or, if these shades feel a little too rich, opt for a paler shade like below.
A stunning warming colour that will literally glow when the sun hits it. This finish can be used on both plaster, wood, brick, stone, metal and plastic. Mould and weather-resistant it's durable for up to six years and comes in a gloss finish. It's water-based and only needs a single coat.
5. Dark and moody
This may feel counterintuitive but it can work very well, similar to painting your interior dark, it can create a cocooning and cosy feel that feels rather Bohemian.
Paint and colour expert, Annie Sloan explains, 'I love a earthy dark reddish-purple like Chalk Paint in Tyrian Plum used with a lovely blue lavender colour like Old Violet. These are colours that go so well with all the green foliage in a garden but also work with every different colour of flower. They are perfect for north facing gardens because they make all your green leaves sing!'
'Moodier colours can look great in north facing gardens,' agrees Sophie. 'It’s about stepping into that existing colour palette that your environment has given you, and going a bit further with naturally dark blues and purples. These can then provide a wonderful contrast against lighter-coloured greenery and flowers.'
Have you considered navy or charcoal for this kind of look? It's a particular favourite amongst the team here at Ideal Home and you can team it with learning what bedding plants that work best in the shade.
This charcoal shade will add depth to your north-facing garden. It's not too dark that it won't create a statement, and what it will do is highlight your planting like both Annie and Sophie mention. The contrasts between this colour and bright plants and flowers will detract the eye from the lacking light. It's non-toxic, water-based and low-odour, so it's good for the environment too.
6. Blue
Blues give you the choice of whether you want to go moody and dramatic, contemporary with a mid-blue or coastal with a sky shade.
Teal is a good 'in-between' option as Lucy Steele, paint and interiors expert at Valspar, explains.
'If you live in a home with a north-facing garden, you’ll have noticed two main issues: the darkness and the cold. But that doesn’t mean your garden will be dull. When decorating, you’ll need to be particular about the plants you buy, making sure to fill your basket with shade-loving plants, like ferns, shade annuals, begonias, bleeding hearts, or low-light tropicals. In terms of colour, bright shades are the way forward. A colour like Sail The Seas is perfect for bringing out the most light in a north-facing garden and making sure it feels full of life.'
For a similar colour that's slightly paler, check out this pretty shade below.
This bright blue will really enhance a north-facing garden wall or fence. Its water-based solutions shields surfaces from water damage and reduces the growth of moss, lichen and algae. You can use it on concrete, plaster, brick and other surfaces.
7. Black
Pollyanna Wilkinson, an RHS award-winning garden designer, believes you can use black successfully in a north-facing garden. This might seem a bit radical – it's also about what you plant and where.
'North facing gardens simply mean the area closest to the house is in shade for much of the day, whilst the rest of the garden is sunny, (sun mapping your garden can help with this) so there’s no reason not to paint your garden the same colour as one would in any other aspect.
For me, it’s less about the paint and more about what you put on top of your painted surface. Whether it be a wall or a fence my goal is not to make a feature of hardscape but instead to cover it in plants, so 9/10 times I will recommend a black, off black or very dark blue or green – not because I want you to look at a big black fence, but because I want you to cover it in plants and the dark colour will make the fence vanish – you won’t even notice it.'
Does using black depend on what kind of garden style you have? Pollyanna adds, 'If you live in the countryside then the black fence approach can feel a bit extreme and this is where we might look at putty shades or light green - but that does come with more maintenance, as light colours show the dirt….so we tend to lean more towards hedging in country spaces.'
If you fancy exploring this dramatic look, then check out our top black masonry paint buy below.
If you're going to go for a black paint then choose one that's really black, not a dark charcoal. This brand has great reviews and a 4.4/5 rating. It has an excellent coverage and can be used on brick and terracotta as well as wood. Quick drying so not waiting around and it has a wax enriched element.
Pollyanna Wilkinson is an RHS award-winning garden designer, Sunday Times best-selling author and co-host of the Ins & Outs podcast. Her debut book, ‘How To Design A Garden’ was released in February 2025. Pollyanna has won the People’s Choice Award at Chelsea Flower Show and Hampton Court, as well as three RHS medals.
FAQs
North-facing garden colours to avoid
There aren't actually any 'rules' that say you can't paint your north-facing colour in a colour that you would normally love. As Pollyanna mentions, it's more about using it as a base for your planting, and that's what can make a difference to how your garden feels throughout the day and the light that it receives.
Light colours will naturally brighten up, but will show the dirt more, and dark colours can create a statement – it all depends on the kind of look you want to achieve.
First of all, pick a colour that you love, that represents your personality and style. There are usually many shades within the colour spectrum to choose from, for example, if you love pink, then choose a pale pink if it uplifts your garden wall.
Dominic has some great advice when choosing colours, and this works for both interiors and exteriors: 'We always advise testing paint choices in a space first to see how they appear in different lights throughout the day.'
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