I love the tall spires of sky blue delphinium that create a soft background to lower growing plants. I can’t imagine not being able to grow them along a fence or in a flower garden. The impact of climate change on gardening may mean that delphiniums will no longer be a viable choice for my garden. Climate is changing and with it what can be grown in a specific area changes. Gardeners are well aware of their zone and what is feasible to grow within that area. Gardening in the desert 10b zone seems light years away from gardening in northwest Ohio, designated as part of zone 5b, but it’s changing and even the USDA can’t seem to grasp the fact that hardiness zones need to catch up to the increasing temperature of the Earth. So going forward you may want to start being more aware of what grows well and what does not, take notes, and adjust your planting.
What’s Going On?
Take a look at what climate change is doing to Ohio. According to the report, Economic Impact of Climate Change on Ohio, released in July 2008 by the Center for Integrative Environmental Research at the University of Maryland, the temperature in Ohio has risen over the last 100 years by 1.3 degrees F; precipitation has increased by 10% in the north and decreased by the same number in southern Ohio. The water level of Lake Erie has dropped 3.5 feet. “These trends are predicted to worsen if climate change progresses unchecked.”
The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly
As a gardener perhaps you’re jubilant that your zone will change from a 5 to a 6 giving you a longer growing season for your passion. Well, that’s not so bad, but what else happens?
Within every garden lie the good and the evil. I’m talking about pests. The change in climate doesn’t just affect your flowers and vegetables; it also affects the critters that munch on your prize roses and blue ribbon tomatoes. A longer period of warmth gives the munching, crunching invasive bugs more time for eating through the garden.
Invasive weeds that never knew Ohio soil may advance from the south and into your garden with gleeful exuberance at the expanding territory much to your exasperation and exhaustion.
Combat Climate Change
What can you do to make a difference? The first step is become informed and educated and then put what you learn into sound gardening practices. Start by following the recommended “green” garden changes:
Goldenrod looking bright on an early morning in September.
The covered bridge in Williams County always presents fascinating photo opportunities. The morning light filtered through the trees created a magical moment.
Colorful small leaves looked like confetti dropped at the gnarled roots of this tree standing on the edge of the Tiffin River that runs beneath the covered bridge.
While heading for a wedding outside of Bowling Green in Wood County I stopped to photograph a windmill rising from a ripening corn field with arms swinging in giant circles and whooshing in the wind.
Who can resist the bright red and greens of Asian peppers ripening in the garden? The colorful heat of the peppers makes fall seem warmer.
One Saturday, Redding and I headed out early in the morning to find September. We came across expanses of yellowing soybeans creating a patchwork of fall across the landscape.
The same morning we stopped at a small wildlife preserve outside of Montpelier. Redding ran along a small dock looking at his reflection while his shadow chased him from behind.
I call them tiny sweet autumn wildflowers, others call them weeds; no matter what you call them, autumn asters brighten the roadsides.
