Is there anywhere safe to live? According to a report issued by USA Today, bad weather is brewing. From blizzards to heat waves across the nation, we face the prospect of ongoing natural disasters fueled by unhealthy shifts in the environment. Still,

although present-day studies and reports are alarming, I believe we need to view our world as a glass half full, thankfulness for the world’s natural beauty. For nature is resilient and leaves us each season with a promise renewed.

 

While I know everyone says their area is the worst gardening site, I truly believe my area central Virginia is in a class of its own. Central Virginia offers the choice of acidic clay or rocky soils in which to garden. And, if soil is not your worst enemy, there is an ongoing flux of climate. In fact the year of 2010 will go down in history as not only the year of an extreme winter but summer, too.  So, you see, in comparison to central Virginia I challenge anyone to complain about their growing season!

Nevertheless, why (you question) would I view my glass as half full? Because of the result of climate shifts, I’ve adjusted my plant choices, moved plants that once flourished to more sheltered locations and extended my planting zone guideline of 7 to zones 6 through 8, considering both extreme cold and hot. In other words, I listen to national environmental warnings and then, incorporate change into my gardening strategies.

Responding this year to a garden club’s query to provide a speech topic ‘surviving climate change’, I candidly advised ‘plug in’; acquire a weather station such as those provided by Wind and Weather, www.windandweather.com. I also recently advised attendees of the DC Green Festival to create sustainable landscapes by accepting personal accountability, ‘growing green market share’,  creating eco-cities and understanding the term ‘sustainability’. So, as I progress into the holiday season, I want to be thankful for the world’s natural beauty.

Won’t you join me and view the world as a glass half-full? Together, let’s appreciate the resilient of nature: the promise of a season renewed.

 

Cycle of Foliage

Deep inside a plant’s limb,

promised foliage upon a stem.

 

Survivor of seasonal cold,

storage of colors bold.

Foliage variety, cycle of change

size or shape within a range.

 

Beginning node, promised life

provides shelter from nature’s strife.

Opened bud, petals of hope

ties cycles together as a rope.

 

Dew sparkling upon its face,

leaf emerges with grace.

Extends through the opened leaf,

welcomed shade, sun’s relief.

 

Then, hint of color signals an end,

but not before a gift extends.

Awesome color is this gift,

as a leaf upon its stem shifts.

 

Colorful breath-taking glitter

red, orange, gold, yellow litter.

Scattered by the winds of fall,

wrapping its trunk like a shawl.

 

Until once again by its stem,

foliage sheltered within a limb.

 

 

 

Picture – Fall tree/shrub color signals the end of seasonal growth and the beginning of a dormant season.

 

About the author

Sylvia Hoehns Wright, recipient of the Turning America from Eco-weak to Eco-chic Award, specializes in eco-landscape/garden strategies. For details, see web site www.TheWrightScoop.com or to acquire assistance, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (804) 672-6007.