Landscaping Microclimates
Regardless of where you live, and regardless of the weather patterns in your area, different areas of your property will have different special climates – microclimates – brought about by several different factors working together. The factors include the orientation of your site, its protection from wind, whether it slopes or not, and the amount of sun and shade it receives each day. Planning your landscape with microclimates in mind could be an important element in how successful your landscaping or garden turns out to be.
Any structures or obstacles that you place on your lot can effect the microclimate. All your landscaping and garden ideas could easily be effected by just one placement. Houses can create windbreaks that alter the flow of air above and around them. There will be cooler spots and warmer spots created on either side of the house with shade in different places at different times. A fence or wall can have an effect on a garden or landscape just the same as natural features like trees and bushes.
Locally, the temperature changes depending on what the ground surface consists of. Some surfaces like paving gets so hot in the warmer summer months that you can’t walk on it. The heat they produce is also felt in the air above. On the other hand, concrete surfaces keep fairly cool. All landscaping projects will be effected differently by different elements. Turf grass is always cool. However, the temperature of the soil under the grass is influenced by how long the grass is growing over it. Temperature changes like this can help you grow warmth loving plants like semi tropical and some tropical varieties. Exposed surfaces that get hot in the daytime will transfer the heat energy back out through the night. This effect can sometimes prevent frost damage in areas that are susceptible.
To cut down on exposure to strong wind in any garden, a barrier of some sort is usually needed. It has been shown that solid barriers like wooden fences create areas of turbulence on each side. This is common knowledge to most landscape design contractors. The best sort of barriers are the ones that allow some air flow. Barriers like that will work like a filter rather than a solid block. You can use trees, bushes, or shrubs with sparse light foliage or even a brick fence with spaces between the bricks. Either of these will create a good wind barrier.
Ponds, pools, and other areas of water will create different effects in microclimates. Depending on the size of the pond, it helps keep the air temperature stable. A pond reflects light from its surface, so plants surrounding a pond tend to get both more water and more light than those planted elsewhere. However, even though a pond has a cooling effect on its surroundings in the heat of Summer, it can also have a very chilly effect in Winter. Keep this in mind when you’re considering where to place a pond.
Both people and vegetation get more out of it when you consider your site’s microclimate and plan accordingly.
