The importance of climate for plants

When designing a garden or purchasing plants , it is highly recommended to study the climate we have, as this will prevent problems from arising.

Each climate zone creates a habitat for a certain class of plants. It could be said that it is the climate that makes the plants the way they are, since depending on the rainfall, the humidity of the environment, the temperatures,… there will be some plants or others.

Broadly speaking, there are three types of climate on planet Earth: warm, temperate, and cold.

Warm weather

Tropical climate

-Warm humid climate: we find the tropical forests of the world. They are the place of the vast majority of plants: palm trees of all kinds, ferns, bromeliads,…

The temperature never drops below 10º, and rainfall is very abundant, so the ambient humidity is very high.

-Warm dry climate: we find the deserts, habitat of the cacti and the beautiful arborescent aloes. Rainfall is very scarce, and the temperature can quickly rise to 40º and drop to 5º in one day.

Mild weather

Mediterranean climate

In the temperate climate we find the habitat of trees whose autumn color amazes many people, such as maples, oaks, chestnut trees,… It is also the place of conifers, such as Sequoia, pines, junipers.

It has a very wide temperature range, as it can drop to -30º in winter, and rise to 45º in summer in some areas. It is the only one that has the four well-differentiated seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. In spring and autumn the greatest number of precipitations are concentrated.

Cold weather

Tundra

In cold weather precipitation is quite frequent, however, due to the proximity of the poles, the wind is very cold. Temperatures rarely exceed 10º.

It is the habitat of the tundras.

Generally, when we go to a nursery, the “Indoor Plants” section is the section for tropical plants, that is, plants originating from warm, tropical climates, with very high humidity, and very warm winters.

It is highly advisable to acquire native plants,  or alternatively plants whose climatic origin is similar to the climate we have, not only to avoid problems, but also so that the maintenance of the garden is low, and we can save time and money.

The importance of climate for plants

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