Microclimates

Microclimates

Gardens are fun! A beautiful garden doesn’t have to be a full time job either.  By using thrifty methods and growing the appropriate plants, anyone can have a beautiful and flourishing garden!  You don’t need to live in the country to have a garden either.  Gardens can be made in even the smallest of spaces such as a rooftop garden, sidewalk tree lines, and small front or back yard spaces.

Microclimate 

Having a successful and low maintenance garden requires that you grow the right plants for your garden.  To ensure the success of the plants, your gardens microclimate must be determined.  Plants will be happiest in environments that are suitable to their needs.  Happy plants mean less work for you!  If you don’t want to worry about the plants at all, grow wildflowers from your area.  Seeds of wildflowers can be bought locally. Another option is to grow drought-tolerate plants that do well with minimal watering. 

Determining your garden’s microclimate(s) is essential in having a successful garden!  Plants will thrive if they are grown under the right conditions for that plant.  Plants grown in environments where they are unhappy will struggle to thrive and will create unnecessary work for you.  Both of these scenarios can be avoided through observation of your garden’s microclimate.

A microclimate is an area of your property that has unique environmental qualities.  Different areas of your property may have different microclimates.  It depends on the area’s relationship to environmental characteristics such as sun and shade, its surroundings, and moisture.  It is possible to have multiple microclimates right next to one another, or to have a different microclimate in the front and back of your home.

Growing plants in the appropriate climate allows the garden to flourish!  The garden will require less work, it will look great, the plants will be happy, and you will be happy!

Determining your microclimate:

Observe:

• • Sunlight/Shade

  • Heat

  • Moisture

  • Wind

  •  Materials of the surrounding area (against a fence, cement, wood, metal, grass)

    • examples:

o   cement walls trap heat

o   large trees provide shade

o   south-facing walls are sunny and warm

o   open areas are cooler

Tips on how to determine garden characteristics:

1.     Observe where snow melts the earliest = warmest area

2.     See where frost remains the longest = coolest area

3.     See how long an area stays moist after rain

4.     Observe where moss is growing (moss only grows in highly moist places)

5.     Observe where your pets like to rest outside (in the summer =coolest area, in the winter = warmest area)

After you have determined your microclimates you can begin to think of your garden in terms of these characteristics.  Do you have an area that is full sun, hot, dry? Shady, cool and moist? Something in between?  With these microclimates in mind, you should next choose plants that are most suitable to these environments.

Southern exposures are usually the warmest. Buildings, roads, sidewalks, or any structures made of concrete, brick or stone hold heat. Fences or walls may trap heat or protect an area from wind, while the shady side of a wall, fence, or more open areas exposed to wind, may be cooler. A site under eaves will have very dry soil while an area near a downspout may be constantly damp.  A large tree can cast a lot of shade, and the large roots of some trees may make it difficult to grow plants nearby. Pets are good indicators of microclimates; where cats and dogs lie down are usually the warmest areas of a yard in the winter, and the coolest in the summer. Observing where snow melts first or last, or where frost forms or melts, can help you figure out which spots are warmest or coolest. Noting how long an area stays moist after a rainfall can also be helpful (the presence of moss or mushrooms indicate that an area is moist).