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Through the Seasons

Gardeners navigate by natural rhythms: the precipitation, the seasons, the freezes and thaws. Local lore related to phenology give guideposts to the best times to plant, a gauge for seasonal fluctuations. Seasons have signposts that guide us to giving our plants what they need when they need it.
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Such tips help you sail through each season, some relating to the art of gardening and some based on the science of it.

Plants have characteristics of their own, and most of my favorites are the ones that thrive in my garden, in Ohio. From the pages listed here, strike out on a journey,learn to grow your own, celebrate the joys, and take on the tasks of the gardening year.

All of my garden tips and information are geared towards what is true in Ohio, but climate and planting conditions are pretty similar through out the Midwest, in zones 3-7. [ Find your own zone on the Task Index Page ] While the timetable of frosts and temperature severity differ, the expected seasons and amount of rainfall are similar.

I want to learn about clouds

Seasons

If you need tips for the gardening season, start with these pages from the Task Calender:

We celebrate- because who can resist the joy of an autumn day, a first snowfall, a richly scented rose?

Through the Seasons

Natural Rhythms

Do you study clouds? They are a great indicator of short term weather forecasting.

Cirrus clouds are usually white and predict fair to pleasant weather.
Cumulus clouds accompany fair-weather.
Cirrostratus clouds usually come 12-24 hours before a rain or snow storm.
Altostratus clouds often form ahead of storms with continuous rain or snow.
Altocumulus clouds? thunderstorms later.
Cumulonimbus clouds are the thunderstorm!
~ from the Weather Wiz Kid

Another group of natural changes that gardeners use are the phases of the moon, Gardening And The Moon.

The skill sets of propagation and planting are universal, but the understanding of conditions within even a the radius of city garden can be very individual. Microclimates, areas of differing wind and frost exposure, areas of wet to dry conditions all can be found in your yard. I have a protected place on the east side of my house where I know a hybrid rose, or a more tender perennial can survive, while other parts of my garden are subject to windswept harsher conditions; the first year here I was unaware of what that meant for plant choices.

We are always attracted to the process of growing in knowledge and mastering challenges. Gardening is full of this kind of activity, and if you look at it from the perspective of how much there is to learn and how much can go wrong you might miss out on why so many people come to love gardening. And that is the fact that things want to grow and that even at the beginning we can be very successful gardeners. We just keep fine tuning it.

Proceed to Build Garden Knowledge….
Or Plants and Places

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