Man, interesting question! The differences are so vast... but concentrating on "easier" there's still several answers. In regard to my wild never-ending dreams about putting tropical plants in the ground for at least most of the year to pretend I live in a tropical place, yes, south is easier. In regard to being attacked by ants and mosquitoes, south is more difficult. In regard to being able to take a break for 5-6 months, south is more difficult. In regard to finding all of the already-bagged leaves your time and vehicle will let you drag home, south is more difficult. In regard to finding a wide variety of perennial landscape plants, south is more difficult. In regard to keeping things looking nice over summer, south is more difficult, just too flippin' hot to do anything but find a way to cool off.
I'm not a good one to ask about flowers though. Hardly any of the plants I bring home are because of the blooms. It's the foliage that I'm really into. Plants that are otherwise boring except when blooming just make me anxious. With enough wild foliage, I've had many people say, "I love your flowers" when there's not an actual bloom on the place.
