micro-climates in your garden (news item).

Just looking on Google News for any gardening/plant related items.

Not much to report at the moment, though I thought this might be of interest, so here's a link: http://www.examiner.co.uk/leisure-a...ants-surviving-winter-weather-86081-25717785/

 

Its very true. It took me a long time to work it out. I had a big beech tree at the bottom of my garden. As it was on the north side it didn't shade the garden from the sun, but its roots sucked up all the water and made it a dry area. Before I took a serious interest in gardening, I had tried to grow Azaleas there, which I later found like damp soil - but they kept dying.

Once I realised it was sunny but dry I grew Centranthus (red valerian) there. It loved it and flowered for about 5 months of the year.

 

I suppose it's like anything; you can get by without the research but if you put the time in, it will pay off and make the interest a hell of a lot more rewarding!

 

Hi Hartley Botanic. Good point.
Every garden has its own little micro climates - even if it's only the difference between north side and sout side - it can be a big difference.
Then there's the difference between sheltered, shady, sunny, windy etc.
I would recommend peeps hang a couple of max - min thermometers in different areas of the garden and see what goes on.
And go out and inspect with their eyes to see what is happening.
They will soon see all the little micro climates in their own garden.
Good thread.

 

If you ever get keen enough or have enough time to start carefully recording and analysing things like - light levels, slope,drainage, soil composition and then start looking at the associated flora and fauna, you can really start to see the relationships that occur.
Our son is currently doing this in a small glen that after 96 years of no human intervention (after almost a 100 years of quarrying) is in the process of almost reaching climatic climax - a state of natural equilibrium where all the natural forces and resources are balanced. We get to join him on his field trips and it's fascinating stuff.

 

I am glad this is of interest to others too. I find this topic something I could get quite lost in, if I were to even start to dip my toe into it!

Wow, that does sound fascinating.

Man, I love nature, haha :luv: