Climate Control


The Lessons of Flowering Plants.

If I were to teach a little kid about direction and elevation and the differences they make to climate, this would be the time of year to do it. We've had a cold spring, with frost mantling the higher ranges of the grassy "island" in the center of our cul-de-sac. The grass goes from wet and green at the edges to cold, brittle and white as the mound rises. And yet, plants which shelter close to the house are fine - even the herbs in the tub out back.

The front of our house faces North, and we are surrounded by trees, so we are partial-sun/shade gardeners. All down the street, azaleas are exploding in scarlet, white, and pink blooms. Our most advanced one is barely unfurling a few petals. Our neighbors directly across the street have peonies which I covet with envy as green as the new leaves of the trees on our street, but their south-facing house has the sun for growing peonies and ours does not.

As mobile animals, we have a poor conception of what the differences in shade, direction, and elevation can do to climate. We exclaim about how cold it is in the shade and move to the sun, rubbing our arms and shivering. Plants do not have the same luxury of rapid movement: they can slowly reach their faces toward the light, hoping to get there in time, their slow progress impeded by the lack of the thing they seek.

I look across the street at the bright blooms and savor my mammalian quickness as I dart around our local nursery, making shade-hardy selections from the vast array. I also watch my own azaleas' slow flowering and know that my neighbors will appreciate these blooms when theirs are gone.

Posted: Wednesday - May 04, 2005 at 08:18 AM         | |


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