I thought it might be fun to kick off 2025 in style with some talk about climate, gardens, and the adjustments we continue to make to both our gardening choices and practices. Gardeners have certainly always been flexible, or rolled with the punches as they say. As Mother Nature surprises us with this or that, she always reminds us who the boss is when it comes down to it. I mean seriously, up until the last couple of years I had never heard of a “bomb cyclone” or an “atmospheric river”, yet now it seems to be a regular occurrence on the news. As creatures on this planet, all we can do is try to learn, adjust, and essentially evolve with our surroundings, just as living things both large and small have done since the dawn of time.
Gardeners, like plants, come in many shapes and sizes, bringing a huge variance of abilities and experiences. I like this plant, you do not. She likes that color, he does not. That plant struggled here, but wait, it thrived over there. So that’s what happens when you prune that plant back… oops! All we can do is try, then try some more, and then try again after that. When it comes down to it, gardening is the ultimate exercise of trial and error is it not? Either someone messed up in the past and taught us a lesson, or we figure it out for ourselves. If you are like me, the phrase “well, I won’t do that again” comes out of your mouth on occasion - probably more frequently than you wish to admit. I hope I learn from my gardening mistakes, and certainly hope that others will learn from them too, just as I learned from someone before me.
In this day and age there are so many resources available for gardeners, mainly that thing called the internet for one. But be careful please. I see a lot of garbage online, and as you know our climate is much different than California, Georgia, or upstate New York. One huge disagreement I have always had with internet sites of all kinds has always been the climate hardiness zones. There are so many microclimates everywhere, and frankly our Zone 8 designation leads to plant failure in our area. We seem to always get that one arctic blast each winter, and for many plants (especially broadleaved evergreens) this results in extensive damage, if not death. I would boldly state that I am batting 0 for 50 on Zone 8 plants living long-term at my place in Everett, and that is a conservative estimate I am sure. Did I have fun trying and learning? Sure did. Will I try and force these plants into my landscape again? Surely not. But I am sure that I will try another, because that is what gardeners do.
When you are seeking advice, inspiration or certainly specific diagnoses, always stay local. Look at websites from your local Master Gardeners, local Ag schools (in our PNW region the WSU Cougars and OSU Beavers set the bar), and most importantly local garden centers with Certified Professional Horticulturists on staff. We may not always know everything, but we can certainly find you the right answers to your gardening questions. Attend classes, as many nurseries like Sunnyside Nursery offer free classes all through the year, and be sure to bring your eager gardening mind full of questions. I might also suggest two other avenues for continuing education; your local garden club and arboretums. Joining a garden club meshes you with people of like mind and allows you to talk shop, share ideas, find company in mutual failures, and learn from gardening peers. Volunteering at a local arboretum work party or attending their classes will have similar benefits. Chances are that you will be able to teach others some things as well. Keep in mind that loads of experience nor being an “expert” is mandatory, simply loving gardening, plants, getting a little dirty and being eager to learn is all that matters!
Some things I see on our horizon (call them trends if you will) for this year and into the future, are topics I see day after day coming up at the garden center, amongst our staff and patrons alike. Natives and drought tolerance have become top of mind in the last few years, and will continue to be as we seem to get drier and warmer weather every year. The topic of pollinators and their health is ever important, and it makes me thankful that more and more gardeners are selecting pollinator-friendly plants and more importantly are making better choices when it comes to “murder-death-kill” chemicals in the garden. Nothing is better than seeing gardeners making choices to go green with a resounding “No!” to products and practices that harm our pollinating friends or our climate. Anything edible also continues to be a trend, with more and more gardeners choosing to grow some of their own. Those doing this will literally enjoy the fruits (and berries and vegetables) of their labor - a most gratifying garden practice.
So for 2025, let us all try to stay positive, keep that gardening chin up and not dwell on failures. Do your best to see those mishaps as new opportunities and not lost ones as there is always room for improvement with anything, and certainly gardening is no exception. My OCD half will sometimes try to convince me perfection is attainable, but nature and the garden will inevitably throw me a curve ball to keep things interesting and remind me that it is not. I am sure others are feeling the same angst as I, at least on occasion, but be sure to embrace those feelings of bliss and satisfaction when things work nicely. Either way, here’s to a new year filled with smiles, successes, and as much dirt under the fingernails as possible!
