The sun is one of the elements essential to the success of our landscaping. However we can find it cruel by its absence or its too great presence. Its excesses can be harmful if we do not adapt.
There are tricks and solutions that allow us to circumvent or even solve the problems of sunlight. The choice of materials, plants, layout ..., a whole list of important elements to take into account.
Shaded areas
Although most of the old buildings are exposed to the south, it happens that some terraces are exposed to the north and, therefore, very shady and cool. In these cases, we strongly advise against using wood to cover them. Indeed, wood will tend to turn green, slip and degrade much more quickly. Instead, use natural stone or paving stones, without forgetting to protect them with a water-repellent treatment that will facilitate maintenance and prevent moss from growing too quickly.
In this type of exposure, the use of so-called "Mediterranean" plants is not very judicious because of the negative temperatures in winter and the increased humidity of the soil. They would not be able to withstand winter or will have to be covered with winter felt, which is not very aesthetic and not very practical to put in place.
The mulch of choice is pine bark. It insulates and protects the roots from freezing. The process of degradation of the organic matter also generates heat and feeds the so-called "heathland" plants.
Be careful with moss that can form on mineral mulch and spoil its colors. The atmosphere that should be created in this type of space is the Japanese garden with plants that are often very floriferous such as camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons, without forgetting the tree that sublimates this type of garden, the Japanese maple.
Sunny areas
The trend is towards exoticism and sunny plants. Everyone likes to have a small space reminiscent of vacations and the scents of the south.
The spaces more exposed to the sun are ideal to realize these arrangements. However, they should not be arranged without prior thought. Some Mediterranean plants, although acclimatized, require special measures. For example, the olive tree will do better if it is planted in draining soil, an oleander should be sheltered from draughts...
Mineral mulches are a perfect complement to these plants and bring colors, shapes and interesting contrasts.
With this type of exposure we can easily let our imagination run wild without any particular constraint in terms of choice of materials. Be careful with the color of the soil you choose. Black slate terraces retain a lot of heat.
From east to west
In these two types of exposure, the choices are much easier, but you must be careful with the wind. In fact, in our region, the west is exposed to mild but more violent winds while the east will tend to have cold winds. Choose plant species with strong roots for the first, and resistant to frost for the second.
Working with nature
The fact of adapting our decisions to the conditions imposed by nature allows a better success of our landscaping. Once the choice of plants and materials is made, the notion of style (contemporary, zen garden...) can be established by the layout, the perspective, the volumes and the shapes given to the landscaping.
The sun is at the base of our environmental system, it is up to us to make the most of its omnipresence, as well as its discretion.
