The great internal debate for the gardener is, do I prefer milder, more comfortable winters that allow me to plant half-hardy plants and work outdoors many days into the winter, or must we save the planet? Hopefully, the outlook is not so dire, but there is little doubt that gardeners, and certainly this one, are conflicted but enjoy the longer period of mild winter temperatures.

Yes, there are complications. Widely varying temperatures can be more of a problem to plants than the typical, steady cold of winter though that rarely seems to be a problem in this garden where spells of warmth have been too brief to stimulate plants from their dormancy.  Of course, as an old timer I must mention a winter morning when I was a young man riding my bicycle several miles to work in temperatures twelve below zero (Fahrenheit). Many plants perished that cold winter that included a night of eighteen below when I stayed indoors, and memories of this help assuage my guilt in taking pleasure with warming winters. I’ve been through that, and I don’t like it.

In any case, there is little more I can do. This garden is bordered by a native, undisturbed forest, and what was a farm meadow thirty-four years ago has become a dense forest of Japanese maples, redbuds, dogwoods, and dozens more trees. Here, natives and non-natives thrive side-by-side. Below is a layer of shrubs and a cover of lower growing ferns and perennials so that hardly an inch of bare earth remains. I’ve done my part, there’s little room for more, but certainly, this is a minor benefit to moderate the changing climate.

With the changing climate beyond my influence, I have two goals. First, me. I must be happy, and the garden does this for me. Yes, I think my wife benefits also, and also visitors and perhaps readers, but as the garden has matured I’ve recognized the huge benefits to wildlife, from bugs to birds and the various beasts that visit in the dark of night.

Long ago, I gave up on pesticides, though I confess that a stinky deer repellent is required to grow the plants that please me most. While weeds will always be here despite my best efforts, I notice that destructive caterpillars and aphids are controlled without any effort on my part. I am entertained sitting back and observing as beetles munch aphids, but also enjoying the sounds of frogs and birds as I ramble through the garden. I do not hope for the cold of winter to disappear completely, only that there are more days I can get out into the garden.