Many think that the growing season belongs to only one climate per year. This prevents many from even planting in their yards and gardens because of the work yield with only one season to bear yield. With such varying conditions, there are many plants that do better in the hotter climates and those that need the cool and cold to thrive. There is an opportunity to grow landscaping and gardens for many months of the year, not just the summer season. In the most successful gardens planning and forethought are of the essence.
There are certain plants that must have consistent warmer temperatures in order to endure. Plants like sugarcane and coffee do much better South of the equator where temperatures never reach near freezing. With the variance of climates north of the equator, there are many different types of plants to grow in the different seasons.
While planning for your warmer weather climates, you might consider a different catalog of plants for spring and summer, late summer and fall, and late fall and deep winter. Well plotted landscaping can look just as beautiful and alive in winter if you know the right plants to put around your yard. A yard that is thriving all year round will take many different varieties and species
Warm weather plants do their greatest amount of growth once the weather is consistently sunny and hot. These plants like the soil temperature warm as well as the air and water. If you are harvesting from them, most likely you will do this in the last warm days of late summer. Whether you are planting grass, corn, beans or squash, it is best to put these seeds in the warmed spring soil after any threat of late frosts. If a frost does occur, these plants will not survive.
Grass seed companies suggest planting your warm weather grass in spring if you live in a cooler climate. Popular warm-weather grasses are Bermuda grass, Zoysia, and St. Augustine. Cool weather grasses are Kentucky Bluegrass, Rye, and Fescue which might need extra care and reseeding if you want to grow them in hotter climates. They are less fuss if planted in locations with cooler summer and winters, as well as being planted in late summer early fall.
Other warm climate crops include sweet potatoes, tomatoes, basil, cucumber, eggplant, watermelon, cantaloupe, and peppers. The more preparation that is completed, the less work you will have to do with your plants.
In cold weather climates, there are many surprising flowers and fruiting plants that love a cooler home. Ruby Mound Chrysanthemum blooms very true-red flowers all through fall and early winter temperatures. A beautiful bright purple flower called monkshood will trick you into thinking it has passed…but just in time for fall, you will see it bloom. There are many varieties of lettuces and kales that grow and flourish in colder climates. They can be seeded in fall so you can enjoy fresh greens deep into the colder months.
If you live in a colder climate, most of the months are dedicated to the fall and winter seasons. Choosing trees, bushes, and shrubs that compliment these seasons will lend itself toward more enjoying and less laboring. The Cornus Arctic Fire is a dogwood that has fire red branches that glow in the winter white landscape. The guardians of colder climates are the evergreen family. This family of trees does not lose their leaves or needles all throughout winter. Pine and Fir trees are excellent cold climate landscapers that look best scattered amongst a variety of other low lying plants. There are many evergreens that only will grow in tropical regions, so its best to make sure of what you are choosing for the cooler zoned yard.
No matter where you live, the availability of variety for your yard landscaping can be as diverse as your creativity. What will determine the success of your plants is your preparation and mindfulness of what is typical for your climate or not. If you choose more exotics for your climate, it doesn’t mean instant failure, only that you will have to put in more work for it to be successful.
How do you vary your landscaping according to the climate and seasons?
Share your thoughts and comments with us.
Leave A Comment