For a functional, beautiful, and long lasting landscape design, you should first consider the different functions and needs of your landscaping before deciding on the different components and elements that will make up the design. One very important and often overlooked consideration is the climate. Whatever elements or design style you go with, the elements and materials you use should work well with the climate in your area. Having severe climate changes that you’re not aware of can affect your landscaping and your plants. In areas that go through all four seasons, landscaping and gardens will feel the effects of these seasonal changes as well. This is probably one of the better reasons for paying close attention to your landscaping plans and ideas. Here are some considerations that might be helpful in designing landscapes or gardens that will work in most any climate.

Plant choices should be backed by a little knowledge of what works and what’s available in your area. Used quite common in Desert and Southwest landscape design ideas, planting adaptive and native plants is a good way to ensure that the plants thrive in any climate.  Planting natives in your gardens or landscaping in all areas where they will work can do a lot to make your landscaping more beautiful and maintenance free year round. Native plants adapt well to their native soil so soil compatibility is good. Also, because they grow and propagate locally, natives will already be climatized and adapted to your climate. It is almost guaranteed that there are a lot of decorative and eye-pleasing native plants in your area that you can choose from.

You can also plant for climate by using plants for Mediterranean landscape designs or tropical areas. Tropical flowers have vibrant colors that would surely give life to your landscape. Unknown to most folks, some tropical plant varieties actually grow well in colder climates. Do a little research on tropical plants and you may find a few that will thrive in your area. Some of the tropical plants that often work well in non tropical climates are  Bougainvillea, Agapanthus, and Hibiscus. The Lantana, which continuously blooms and is available in a variety of colors, from cool lavender to bright yellow, is one of the prime choices too. Mandevillas, which have beautiful trumpet shaped flowers on long vines are also a great choice.  There are most definitely enough possibilities of tropical plants to give your landscaping some interest for all seasons.

Diversity is another important element for multi climate landscaping or gardens. If you want more bloom time than just having annuals, then you can use plants with different blooming times and patterns and combine them throughout the landscaping or garden. In this way, when one type of plant finishes its season, you’ll still have something blooming to look at in your landscaping or garden. The trick here is to know the different blooming schedules of the plants that you choose. Know which ones are at bloom for each season and choose one or two for each season that you would like to include in your design.

Besides plants, you can also use other ornaments in your landscaping to add more aesthetic interest. Ornaments and garden decor generally make good placements since they aren’t really effected by changes in the climate or weather. You can also use elements like statues, stone pathways, and other hardscapes to make your design more interesting.