What is a microclimate?

CalScape.org for Native Plants in your area

 

Sunset Western Garden Book Climate Zones

This book is no longer published, but a used copy is a great reference to have at hand. Don’t worry too much about which edition – any of the last few are very similar.

 

Marin County Sunset Zones 15, 16, 17

USDA Climate Zones

SF 10a, 10b

Mill Valley

9a, 9b, 10a

 

Novato

9b, 10a

 

Marin County

USDA zones 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b

 

Based on maximum and minimum average temperatures, so zones will be creeping with climate change. Don’t know whether Sunset will be editing zones or not. USDA should update from time to time as data becomes available.

Our climate is sometimes described as “Mediterranean” but I prefer to call it “dry warm summer/cool wet winter” as more descriptive and less Euro-centric. Each continent has a warm dry-summer cool wet winter area – in the Western Hemisphere it is on the Western Coast, thus parts of California and parts of Chile share many similar climate-zones. In Africa, South Africa has areas of similar climate on the Cape, and in south and southwestern Australia are zones of similar climate. Many successful imported landscape plants hail from these areas of similar climate.

Mediterranean origin: Many, as it is a huge basin, from Spain around to Turkey and North Africa. Most commonly, Lavender, many of the common bedding plants (). The most common bulbs, such as daffodils, tulips, and many iris. Most herbs, many trees and shrubs.

South African and nearby countries origin: Lion’s Tail; Leucadendron; Protea; Leucospermum; Grewia

Chilean origin: Alstroemeria, Azara microphylla, Embothrium coccineum, Escallonia, Gunnera, Lobelia tupa, Tropaeolum. Lapagaria rosea Luma apiculata

Australian origin: Eucalyptus, Melaleuca, Grevillea; Pittosporum undulatum

New Zealand origin: Phormium, Cordyline, Libertia; Pittosporum tenuifolium; Pittosporum eugenoides;

Many of our imported landscape plants come from climates that are more humid in summer, receive rain during summer and are colder in winter. Examples include the Eastern U.S., China, Japan, the Himalayas. Many of the trees and shrubs are deciduous, meaning they go dormant in Winter and lose their leaves. Relatively few plants native to our Bay Area go dormant due to adaptation to cold, but many have developed “drought dormancy” so they go dormant and lose their leaves during the summer when the ground dries out, then start growing again soon after the rains come in Fall and Winter.

Lesson to learn: if your deciduous tree or shrub is cold deciduous, you will need to irrigate it during the warm dry season, as it needs to continue its growth through summer to store energy for it’s big push of growth and floweringnin Spring.

 

China, Japan

  • Pittosporum tobira
  • Camellias
  • Azaleas
  • Euonymous **

Himalayas

  • Rhododendrons
  • Deciduous Magnolias

Seasonal color

  • Warm dry summer flowers
  • Marigold (origin Mexico)
  • Petunia (origin South America)
  • Dahlia (origin Mexico, Central America)

Fall flowers

  • Salvias (Sages) (origins Central and South America; Central Asia and Mediterranean; Eastern Asia)
  • Asters (Origins North America, Europe) Many hybrids

Winter flowers

  • Azaleas
  • Camellias
  • Daphne
  • Pieris
  • Carolina jessamine

Dry shade

  • Heuchera
  • sweet box
  • Helleborus

Soggy spots

  • Salvia uliginosa
  • Asclepias incarnata

 

Cool, moist season flowers

  • Viola (most from temperate northern hemisphere) 550 species
  • Pansy – hybrid violas developed for larger flowers
  • Calendula (origins southwestern Asia, western Europe, Macaronesia, Mediterranean)
  • Native annuals from seed
  • Sweet peas (origins Sicily, southern Italy, Aegean Islands)

 

Design Department