Climate Zones


As you look into the most appropriate solutions for your Climate Zone, you may want to also consider how the zone relates to: Bird Feeders, Container Gardening, Creating Theme Gardens, Garden Designing, Garden Enhancements, Garden Sculptures, Gardening with Children, Indoor Planting, and Planting Seeds. Understanding your climate zone is key to taking advantage of regional impacts of solar gain, wind speed and direction, and rainfall. The more that you know about the climate and seasonal differences in your very own back yard, the more that you can make decisions that will take advantage of the potential opportunities.

The solution for your property may come in the form of orienting some aspect of your garden design, themes, or enhancements so that certain sitting areas are in the sun at the desired time of day. Plus, make sure to put annual or perennial flowers and flowering shrubs in locations that get FULL SUN so that that they will thrive vs. other plants and ground covering plants that prefer shade. As well, drought tolerant plants typically work better at the top of hills and embankments than in swales or valleys. When it comes to the impact of the climate zone on your home itself, on the south facing façade, you can take advantage of the winter heat gain while simultaneously designing an overhang that shades the summer sun in your area. Given the tilt of the earth, each latitude has a different peak summer sun and lower winter sun, and you can check the sun altitude in each season to determine the right way to integrated overhangs, awnings, or sun shades. If you have recently moved into a new home in a new area, you may find that it makes sense to ‘live’ with your property through a few seasons, take notes, check into indigenous planting options, and then start to plant a few test specimens before investing big money into a major landscaping effort. Naturally, local Landscape design professionals have the answers, but the cost may be significantly higher and less rewarding that learning for yourself. Regardless of the climate zone, consider rain barrels to collect run off from your roof to use either outside irrigation or for watering indoor plants.

The right home improvement products, techniques, and services:
Contractors, home improvement stores, and specialty shops in your area may not yet have a complete familiarity with the ‘green’ opportunities, products, system integration, and overall savings potential. So, you may get some resistance, since people in general are typically more comfortable recommending something that they are already familiar with rather than something new. To help break the inertia, use the information across this website like our Return on Investment Master ROI Table. Also feel free to post a question in our forum on the message board about a particular need for your home relative to your area. Our team has spent multiple years aggregating research from public and private sector performance reports and from manufacturers and homeowners across the country in order to provide you with the perspective you may need to see the initial payback and long term advantages. Environmental enthusiasts and leading institutions like the American Institute of Architects and the National Association of Realtors, see the value and link into our resources to support their members.

The Green Home:
For your overall home improvement, you can save money, improve your family’s health, and save the planet. Find out for free how much it will cost to do different types of home improvement in your home from a qualified and member approved contractor in your area. Get a FREE Quote . Plus, regardless of the size and scope of your home improvement project, save money and keep your home clean with the top rated chemical free and concentrated Green Home Cleaning Products.

Home Improvement Basics:
When it comes to home improvement basics, look for interior home improvements like creating a clean, safe, and healthy home through sustainable ‘green’ furniture, home décor, zero VOC and Interior Paint, plus ENERGY STAR Appliances and Electronics. For energy and utility savings you can focus on insulation and air sealing, windows, doors, lighting and skylights, water saving plumbing opportunities, and high efficiency heating and air conditioning systems. On the outside of your house, look for exterior home improvement opportunities through landscape design and gardening plus solar energy, wind and other power sources. If you are undertaking a major home renovation, an additions, or building a new home, then take the lead to ‘go green’ in as many ways as possible to save money and the environment.

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