Micro Climate

Some of you have asked why I am planting seeds so early. It is early, especially since we continue to have snow storms, but on the south side of my home where the garden is against the wall, I have a Micro Climate which is close to desert conditions. The awing on the house keeps it from getting much of the moisture from the storms, (I've actually watered the places where I planted seeds), and the sun shines down on it all day. When the sprinklers are on, it gets water, but now it's quite dry and usually warm enough for seed planting. We'll see if they make it.

As you can see in these pictures, I have snow on my Hyacinth and the back of the garden is dry. The high mountain climate is a difficult climate to grow gardens in. With hail, rain, snow, and low temperatures at all different times of the year. Lauren Springer has written a very informative and beautifully illustrated book on plants that are tolerant of this type of climate. The title is "The Undaunted Garden", I highly recommend it if you're serious about creating a beautiful garden in a difficult climate. She shares her experience with indigenous plants and plants from different parts of the world with similar climates.