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. Considering microclimates into your landscape design could prove to be one of the most important elements to how successful your landscape or garden is.

A structure or building placed on your lot can cause a number of different effects on the microclimate. All your landscaping and garden plans could easily be effected by just one placement. A house, for example, can cause a windbreak that changes the airflow around it. Some areas on either side of the house will be cooler or warmer than others. There will also be shade in different places around the building at different times of the day. 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 get so hot that you cannot walk on them in warmer summer months and the heat is also felt in the air above. A concrete surface, by contrast, keeps cooler. All landscaping projects will be effected differently by different elements. Grass areas are always cool with the soil temperature under it being influenced by the length of the grass. You can use temperature changes like this to help you grow warmth loving plants like semi-tropical varieties. A surface that gets hot during the day will release the heat energy through the night. This can be used to prevent frost damage in vulnerable areas.

In gardens and landscaping exposed to heavy winds, some type of barrier is usually needed. It’s been noticed that solid wind barriers such as solid wood fencing makes areas of turbulence on both sides of the barrier. This is common knowledge to most landscaping contractors. The best barriers and blocks are those that allow some air flow. A partial barrier like that will work more like a filter rather than a solid baracade. Lightly foliaged trees or a spaced board fence will often provide an effective wind barrier.

A body of water such as a pond or pool can have different effects on microclimates. It helps create a more stable air temperature depending on the size of the pond. A pond reflects light, so plants around a pond will tend to get more light as well as water than those planted in other areas. And while a pond will cool a surrounding garden and landscape on a hot summer’s day, it can be extremely cold in Winter. Keep this in mind when deciding where to place a pond in your landscaping or garden.

Both people and plants benefit when you think carefully about your site’s microclimate and plan accordingly.