Bach 'n Flower Beds

One of my favorite classical pieces is a modest little work by J. S. Bach called, “Awake, O Wintery Earth”. There is something poetic about images of the winter garden, peacefully asleep under the thick blanket of snow. But for perennial plants to survive, our preparation as gardeners needs to be very deliberate and practical.
Perennials need our help to acclimatize or “harden” themselves to face the lack of sunlight and brutally cold temperatures. Many “hibernate” by stocking up their underground tubers or tap roots during the Summer and Fall to provide nutrients in the barren time to come and plants that are nutritionally “balanced” have the best change of surviving. Wise gardeners stop using fertilizer six weeks before the normal first frost date—potentially difficult if slow-release nutrients are used. Fluctuating levels of nitrogen late in the season stimulate new growth that can make plants vulnerable to severe winter conditions.
Too much or too little watering late in the growing season can also hurt the hardiness of perennials. To make sure the September rains do not produce an untimely spurt of growth just before the first frost, adequate summer watering is needed to ensure that fertilizers are absorbed into the plant structure well before frost. On the other hand, Fall drought conditions can reduce root storage, meaning plants won’t have enough energy for bud break and shoot expansion in the spring.
As temperatures drop and days grow shorter, growth slows and dormancy begins. While winter thaws can be great for people’s morale, such unseasonable warm spells can be hard on plants. Sustained warm weather can undermine plants’ hardiness and put them at risk. Intense sunlight on frost-covered ‘evergreen’ foliage also can cause freeze or “burn” damage, although once normal spring growth begins, foliage will often return to a normal color. The drying effect of wind can result in plant damage, though it is not always fatal.
Images of and preparation for the winter garden offer a wonderful life lessons for our own personal journeys. Like our gardens, how richly and fully we live in the growing season is its own reward. But it is also the best hedge against the tougher times that are bound to come. Shallow roots and carelessness about cultivating the depth and resources that make for strength and resilience can wreak havoc in the times of testing that assail us all.
Life, like gardening, is an acquired skill—the art of keeping hope alive under even the bleakest of conditions. My New Year’s wish to all of us is both a promise and a challenge. Happy Gardening!!!