Climate Design Decisions
Constraints of Climate
Clearly, you need to take account of climatic conditions in your garden design.
That does not mean that climatic conditions dictate absolutely what you can and cannot do. However, if you decide to grow plants or incorporate features that are not compatible with your climate you will need to intervene from time to time in order to compensate for what nature throws at you.
First of all, therefore, you need to establish the general climate for your area. A good place to start is with the local meteorological forecasts. You then need to take account of the effects of local climate on your site. Probably the best source of information in this respect is to talk with the owners of other gardens in your area that have the same aspect.
Armed with this information you can decide what features to incorporate in order to create the micro climates you want or to provide a sun-trap for example for outdoor entertaining.
You can also search the catalogues and explore local garden centres and nurseries for plants that will thrive in your garden.
You may also decide to erect a green house, which could range from something as small as a cold frame up to a poly tunnel which could be big enough to house a complete garden in its own right.
Design Considerations
In all the talk about climate it is easy to forget that for any given climate, the weather conditions change throughout the year.
It is useful, therefore, to consider the affects of climate for each of the four seasons. In the northern hemisphere, these are:
- Spring – which runs from March to May
- Summer – which runs from June to August
- Autumn – which runs from September to November
- Winter – which runs from December to February
The southern hemisphere of course is the mirror image of this.
You should then be able to establish typical temperatures and rainfall for each of the seasons so that you can select plants that give of their best throughout the year.
Read more about Climate and Weather |
Read more about Soil and Climate |