What is a microclimate?
A microclimate is a local zone wherein the climate differs from the surrounding area. It’s possible, although unlikely, to have several different microclimates in your yard. Many factors contribute to what microclimate(s) you may have including trees, rocks, buildings, low or high spots on the land, wind, direct and reflected sunlight, bodies of water, etc. The type of soil found in an area can also affect microclimates. For example, soils heavy in clay can act like pavement, moderating the near ground temperature. On the other hand; if soil has many air pockets, then the heat could be trapped underneath the topsoil, resulting in the increased possibility of frost at ground level

What USDA hardiness zone is the Louisville area rated?

We are consistently rated zone 6, although you could have a colder or warmer microclimate in your area of town or your backyard. Click the link below to see a full plant hardiness map of the United States.

-1963 Kentucky’s coldest night on record; lows drop to -36.7C at Cynthiana

-Hoar frost is the tiny solid deposition of water vapor from saturated air which occurs when the temperature of the surfaces is below freezing point. It occurs generally with clear skies.

-The red or orange color of the rising or setting sun is caused by the increased distance through our atmosphere its rays must pass before reaching our eyes. Our thick impurity-laden lower atmosphere only allows the red tones to pass through it. As the sun rises higher in the sky, its light passes through a shorter distance of thick atmosphere. It loses its redder tone and takes on its characteristic yellow color.

-Little Bluestem is one of Kentucky’s most widespread native grasses. Schizachyrium scoparium is typically described as a perennial graminoid. Its most active growth period is in the summer and fall. The blooming period is usually in the summer, with fruit and seed production starting in the summer and continuing until fall. Leaves are not retained year to year. The Little Bluestem has a long life span relative to most other plant species and a moderate growth rate. At maturity, the typical Little Bluestem will reach up to 3ft high. Little BLuestem does well in the dryer sections of your garden and rarely needs watering once it has become established

-The ‘Kentucky Lady’s Slipper’ orchid (Cypripedium kentuckiense) is an endangered terrestrial orchid found from Virginia to Texas in southern hardwood forests on damp, low-lying areas near springs and in flood plains in acidic, sandy, and well-drained soils. It is a large, showy orchid with stems up to 30 in. in length. The stems typically have 5 leaves and bear a single flower when mature. The pouch of the large flower is creamy to pale yellow with greenish purple-mottled petals.