Garden microclimates
Light and shade
Plants vary in their need for light. Flowering plants usually require strong light and one or two hours of sunlight a day is often not enough for good quality flowers, while lack of flowers and spindly weak growth is usually the result of too much shade and insufficient light. Buildings and overhanging trees will shade areas at different times of the year. Areas shady for most of the day during winter can be quite exposed as the position of the sun changes in summer.
A pool or light coloured surface will intensify and bounce light onto surrounding plants, increasing the amount they would normally receive. A pergola or change in wall colour may be needed to reduce harsh reflected light from the walls of a house near a patio. Shade can reduce wall temperatures by 10'C and mulch on the soil can reduce its heat by 10 to 20'C and these will cut down plant water needs. The south side of a slope may be shady, cool and damp all the year round while a block on the north side may be hot and dry. This effect can occur in the garden too, where plants near the side of the house may be sheltered from rain and in a rain shadow.
A pool or light coloured surface will intensify and bounce light onto surrounding plants, increasing the amount they would normally receive. A pergola or change in wall colour may be needed to reduce harsh reflected light from the walls of a house near a patio. Shade can reduce wall temperatures by 10'C and mulch on the soil can reduce its heat by 10 to 20'C and these will cut down plant water needs. The south side of a slope may be shady, cool and damp all the year round while a block on the north side may be hot and dry. This effect can occur in the garden too, where plants near the side of the house may be sheltered from rain and in a rain shadow.
Humidity
Hot, dry winds reduce humidity and increase evaporation from the plants and soil, while plants growing in groups close together can increase the humidity and reduce evaporation. Lawns, ground covers and shaded walls will cool areas as moisture evaporates from them into the air.
A wind blowing across a pool increases the humidity, cooling the air, and reducing evaporation from the garden. Ferns will quickly shrivel if planted by themselves or in a windy open spot. They need moisture in the air to survive.
A wind blowing across a pool increases the humidity, cooling the air, and reducing evaporation from the garden. Ferns will quickly shrivel if planted by themselves or in a windy open spot. They need moisture in the air to survive.