A rough guide to the selection of suitable plants can be gained from observing what grows in similar conditions in the wild. In exposed places in Europe one often finds silver birch, mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia), pines (shrubby varieties are good on a roof), heathers and gorse. The trouble with any kind of wind break is that, although it lessens the wind pressure in one place, it may increase it elsewhere.
While in a hot climate a patio should be sited to catch a cooling breeze, in more exposed areas it should offer shelter from the wind. Design can be as basic as this.
Shade-loving plants tend to be the ones with relatively large leaves, since these become hotter than small leaves when exposed to sunlight. While plants and soil absorb heat from the sun during the day, at night they give off heat into the atmosphere. On cloudy nights, heat radiated from the ground is partly reflected back again, so that temperatures do not increase too rapidly. On clear winter nights, however, nearly all the heat is lost to space and the ground temperature falls rapidly until it is lower than that of the air. The soil then takes heat from the air at ground level, resulting in freezing.
The incidence of frost will be less under overhanging trees and covering the ground with materials such as straw or sacking will also help to reduce night-time heat loss. A free flow of air, ensuring that cooled air gets whipped away by the wind before its temperature drops too far, prevents the formation of frost pockets.
The lateness of late frost, for example, affects early planting, early sowing, fruit tree blossom, potatoes and the safe point at which to bed out dahlias and geraniums. At the other end of the season, it is a good thing to know when to take in plants which are not frost hardy.
By contrast, the design shown on the right holds the eye within the garden, with the pool and fountain creating an internal point of interest garden. So the curved bed (in the right foreground of the picture) has been kept deliberately low to allow a view through to the neighbouring garden and the trees. - 15266
While in a hot climate a patio should be sited to catch a cooling breeze, in more exposed areas it should offer shelter from the wind. Design can be as basic as this.
Shade-loving plants tend to be the ones with relatively large leaves, since these become hotter than small leaves when exposed to sunlight. While plants and soil absorb heat from the sun during the day, at night they give off heat into the atmosphere. On cloudy nights, heat radiated from the ground is partly reflected back again, so that temperatures do not increase too rapidly. On clear winter nights, however, nearly all the heat is lost to space and the ground temperature falls rapidly until it is lower than that of the air. The soil then takes heat from the air at ground level, resulting in freezing.
The incidence of frost will be less under overhanging trees and covering the ground with materials such as straw or sacking will also help to reduce night-time heat loss. A free flow of air, ensuring that cooled air gets whipped away by the wind before its temperature drops too far, prevents the formation of frost pockets.
The lateness of late frost, for example, affects early planting, early sowing, fruit tree blossom, potatoes and the safe point at which to bed out dahlias and geraniums. At the other end of the season, it is a good thing to know when to take in plants which are not frost hardy.
By contrast, the design shown on the right holds the eye within the garden, with the pool and fountain creating an internal point of interest garden. So the curved bed (in the right foreground of the picture) has been kept deliberately low to allow a view through to the neighbouring garden and the trees. - 15266
About the Author:
Selecting suitable plants that suit to the climate of the region of your garden is important in garden planning.
