backyard microclimates

Our neighborhood, being in the foothills of the Pocono mountains in Pennsylvania, has several microclimates. My neighbor across the street's house is many feet lower than my own - and many of her plants are blooming up to two weeks before mine.

In my own yard I have a garden built in the ruins of an old barn with stone foundation. Because the stone holds heat and then radiiates it back, I have been able to grow some zone 7 and even zone 8 plants in that garden even though I am nominally in zone 6.

We also have alarge pond, which seems to create a miniature version of the "lake effect" - zone 7 plants like Calla lilies grow there with no special protection.

• Virtually Gardening

San Francisco is living proof of how microclimate can change over very short distances. The ocean fog that our "zone 17" city is famous for actually only afflicts neighborhoods east of the 900 foot Twin Peaks hill range that runs down the center of town. The cool fog dissipates when it hits these hills, leaving the east side of town mostly sunny and relatively warm. It can be windy and 60F west of the hills, but a few blocks to the east, down in the Mission district, it'll be a calm 70F. The consistent warmth there no doubt explains the large Hispanic population, as well as the exotic palms, avocado and tropical flowers that brighten this "zone 16" microclimate. These plants would be lagging had they been planted across town, near the cold and foggy Golden Gate bridge.

The above post was added by Moose on January 18, 2000 at 8:40 am PST.

San Francisco is living proof of how microclimate can change over very short distances. The ocean fog that our "zone 17" city is famous for actually only afflicts neighborhoods east of the 900 foot Twin Peaks hill range that runs down the center of town. The cool fog dissipates when it hits these hills, leaving the east side of town mostly sunny and relatively warm. It can be windy and 60F west of the hills, but a few blocks to the east, down in the Mission district, it'll be a calm 70F. The consistent warmth there no doubt explains the large Hispanic population, as well as the exotic palms, avocado and tropical flowers that brighten this "zone 16" microclimate. These plants would be lagging had they been planted across town, near the cold and foggy Golden Gate bridge.

The above post was added by Moose on January 18, 2000 at 8:40 am PST.