Hot Monday Tropics

With the weather feeling quite tropical, the title is just a play on words. But there is a hot Monday topic to discuss and it's worth a repeat summer performance. Before the segue into microclimates and why it's important to understand them as they relate to garden and design, there's another quick message - pay attention to the nature of things. What's the best way to do that? Expose yourself to nature everyday if you can and pay attention to the process occurring as you take it all in.

Where did your paths lead you this weekend? 

Somewhere in nature?

To beautiful and contemplative spots like this.

But onto the hot Monday topic - microclimates. Why is this topic so important? Because there are layers to microclimatic conditions, some more predictable than others. The best way to understand these layers? Take a peek at this great Cornell University link. Sometimes we try to beat the odds but microclimates play a huge role in our gardens. I especially love this Charles Mazza quote. "In the real world, we garden in microclimates, not hardiness zones."

With this oppressive heat, now is a good time to research, plan and even redesign certain areas on your property based on your microclimates rather than just your hardiness zones. The best way to create a beautifully designed landscape is to understand the microclimates. But always enjoy nature, which is often your best teacher for so many important garden lessons. Or you can just return each semester to the 'College of Hard Knocks'.

Why a fig to end this post? Besides the fig fact shared last week on our FB page, we use our stone wall and terraces to get the best figs even if the season is short. Then off to cold storage during the winter months.

As Charles Mazza stated, "In the real world, we garden in microclimates, not hardiness zones." And  sometimes we'll do whatever it takes just to grow a fig.

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