Microclimates offer useful possibilities for the gardener. I haven't posted a photograph of this particular view of the garden before. The back bedroom was occupied by a flatmate who moved out recently. Standing in the empty room I found myself looking out at a familiar locale from a different vantage point.   

 The microclimate in question is a corridor of sorts that runs between my house and the next one divided by a fence. A shard of sunlight shines down it for a short while each morning but the border is shady most of the time and damp. For that reasons ferns are well suited to this position. I also planted Ramsons aka Wild Garlic (Allium ursinum) which require a moist soil in shade. A patch of London Pride (Saxifraga x urbium) tolerates the low light levels and likes the moisture. Enchanter's Nightshade (Circaea luetiana) has self-seeded and Tellima grandiflora grows out of the cracks in the paving stones, a plant that does well elsewhere in the garden. It likes a shady spot but seems to be at home in both damp and dry shade.

 Like many gardens this one contains a number of microclimates i.e. small scale variations in growing conditions. Identifying a microclimate and working with the conditions is far more productive than working against them. Right plant, right place!