Microclimate: The atmospheric characteristics prevailing within a small space, usually in the layer near the ground that is affected by the ground surface.*
The sheltered corner of our Westview Terrace faces southwest. As a result, it has a warm microclimate. The snowdrops and hellebores planted there typically bloom weeks ahead of schedule. These snowdrops started blooming in mid-February.
*Allaby, M. (2006). A dictionary of plant sciences (Revised ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.