Landscaping For Any And All Climates

A well designed landscape or garden plan needs to consider all details and factors first before deciding on the different elements that will make up the design. One very important and often overlooked consideration is the climate. Whatever design style you choose, it should fit with the weather and climate that you have. Having severe climate changes that you’re not aware of can affect your landscaping and your plants. If you live in an area where you get to experience all four seasons, your garden will also feel the same climate changes. Paying close attention to landscaping plans in areas that may be effected by climate changes is important to a long term design. Here are some considerations that might be helpful in designing landscapes or gardens that will work in most any climate.

Plant choices should be backed by a little knowledge of what works and what’s available in your area. Going native, which is often only associated with Southwest landscape design, is the best way to have a beautiful landscape in any climate.  Designing natives into your landscaping plans wherever they’ll work can help make your landscaping more beautiful and maintenance free all year long. Native plants are already adapted to local soils so there’s no problem from different soils. Also, because they grow and propagate in your area, natives will already be adapted to your climate. Regardless of where you are, it’s a good possibility that there are lots of native plants in your area that you can use.

You can also design your planting scheme for climate by using plants for Mediterranean landscaping designs or tropical areas. Most Tropical flowers have very bright colors that can add a lot of life to the landscape. Unknown to most folks, some tropical plant varieties actually grow well in colder climates. Do a little research on tropical plants and you may find a few that will thrive in your area. Some of the tropical plants that you can grow even in non-tropical climates are Oo-La-La Bougainvillea or Purple Queen Bougainvillea; MidKnight Blue Agapanthus; Full Moon Hibiscus; and the Itsy Bitsy Red Hibiscus. Lantana, which blooms all the time and comes in several different colors, from light lavender to vibrant shades of yellow, is also a prime choice. Mandevillas, which have beautiful trumpet shaped flowers attached to long vines are also a great choice that is extremely fast growing, .  If you choose, there are probably enough tropical plant varieties that will work in your area and possibly give your landscaping some interest all year long.

Diversity is another important element for multi climate landscaping or gardens. If, for instance,  you don’t like the idea of having only annual plants, you can choose plants with different blooming patterns and combine all of them in your landscape design. So even if one plant variety dies off for a season, you’ll still have something blooming in your yard or garden all year long. The key here is knowing the different seasonal bloom schedules of your different plant choices. Choose at least one or two that blooms in each season.

Besides plants, you can also use other ornaments in your landscaping to add more aesthetic interest. Ornaments are good since you can put them in your design with no worries of wilting or being damaged due to climate change. For the most part, many different elements like ponds, pavers, pathways, sculptures and other hardscapes can be added to your landscaping and garden to make it more inviting and appealing.