Oh how I wish for more hot spots in my garden! I don't have very many really sunny spots so my garden is generally behind a lot of others I see at this time of year - in fact in the shade garden on the north side of my garage, nothing is even growing yet except the lamium and a couple tulips just starting to poke up!
Anyway, here are two pictures of sedum Autumn Joy I took this morning. One picture is the plant just starting to appear in my north-east facing front garden. The other picture is in a little hot spot in between the south-west corner of the house and a patio. The reflected heat from the bricks and wall, plus the warmth of the basement wall below the soil makes this the hottest spot in my garden. The plant in the hotter microclimate is weeks ahead!
I've also heard people complain that Annabelle hydrangea doesn't grow in Calgary, but I've had one for 5 years on the northwest side of my house right up against the house and in a spot sheltered by trees.
These warmer microclimates are great places to experiment with plants that are rated for warmer zones. I met one gardener last week-end who is growing a buddleia (butterfly bush) in her front, hot, west-facing garden! Wow am I jealous. Are you growing anything in your garden that isn't supposed to grow here?
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