adaptability in the garden

It's the buzz word these days - adaptability!  And with a changing climate,this means being flexible and open to all the changes in the garden. Here in the west, we've had a mild winter. Warm sunny days, cool nights and certainly not as much moisture as we had last year. Our warm pattern here brought the opposite to the east, where a polar vortex cold dominated the landscape along with ice, snow and very cold temperatures. Our weather map looked like a yin/yang symbol this winter! For the east the gardening cycle was simple; everything went to sleep and hopefully most of the plants could handle the cold temps,especially in the southeast. Meanwhile, in the west, some plants went into dormancy while others kept on blooming. In our garden we had salvia, scabiosa and rosemary blossoms and even a single echinacea flower bloomed into the New Year!  We went on many long walks in tee-shirts and shorts and the honeybees came out on most days to socialize at the hummingbird feeders!  A few weeks ago we began our annual garden pruning as crocus and daffodils bloomed in vivid colors and the Almond tree blossoms opened into sprays of white flowers. The bees were delighted! About a week ago this "spring door" shut hard. Daytime temps went from the 70's to the mid 40's while the nighttimes dipped into the teens. The blossoms froze and we haven't seen a single bee - they're back to hunkering down in the hive!  This morning we even awoke to a light dusting of snow! Unfortunately, we probably won't get any almonds this year and we'll just have to wait for the next flush of color from the spring bulbs that haven't opened yet. Luckily the other fruit tree buds are staying closed but there's always the danger of them opening during a warm spell then freezing during a cold snap like the almond did. All is not lost, of course, as the blossoms did feed many a hungry bee and that's a good thing!. The vegetables growing in the garden right now such as carrots, cilantro, onions and garlic are adapted to the cold so even though they look a little droopy, they'll spring back to life when the temps warm up again. The healthiest plants and animals in the garden are always those that can adapt to these weather changes. The same goes with us. It's going to be an interesting (and not always easy) time on this planet with climate change so it's best that we all learn to be flexible and adapt to what is. And to keep on loving no matter what. For me, I learn these lessons best in the garden...

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