A fickle winter, mild with occasional cold. A day of 73 degrees in January came after a prolonged stretch of non-winter like weather, this can only spell doom. Or so many of us think. I am still a believer in the law of averages so looking at our balmy temperatures leads to the conclusion that winter will arrive and the temperatures will turn to below average. Much below. In anticipation of the impending doom I took a walk into the garden. It was heartening to see that perennials were still dormant. How do they maintain dormancy in the face of record heat? Much of it has to do with their internal temperature requirements. Even seeds have an internal clock, or shall we say thermostat. As winter, with its short days passes, every day with below freezing temperatures is counted, or at least stored in some internal memory bank. It's fascinating stuff. That is why so many perennials do not survive in warm climates. The first signs of short days with cooler temperatures in fall puts these lovely plants to sleep. Waking up comes in spring after certain criteria have been met. A temperate perennial in Florida will never reawaken, death is slow, the long, long sleep that never ends. The criteria for cold in a tropical climate never arrived. Key to understanding this comes with knowledge of where any particular perennial comes from. There are perennials for mild climates, a bit confusing, I know. It helps to put native plants in the garden for just this reason. But the depth and length of cold, often leads to a better show in spring, especially for perennials from Eurasia like peonies, iris and primrose. Colors seem more vibrant, bud count higher after harsh winters. A deep sleep can make a big difference. A peony in Michigan is a far lovelier site than one in Virginia. The colder nights also keep the flower stalks shorter, the need to stake them is negligible. A broad overview on my part, but certainly true for a large percentage of our garden plants. Knowing this leads to concern over record warmth. Will there be enough cold? What about the few plants that have sprouted prematurely? The solution would be cold with snow, at least a foot. Temperatures would then be maintained at 32 degrees within the white blanket.

In the garden my winter aconites are blooming, a full month earlier than usual. They are tough, the flowers of winter are intended for bees, no competition for pollination. Where else would bees go on warm days? The same can be said for helleborus, particularly Helleborus foetidus. It too is almost in full bloom. Some years they suffer, most years they don't. My Helleborus orientalis is budded at or just above ground level. The plump buds are surrounded by a collar of foliage. Like a protective circle to catch the cold, they will manage just fine. Flowering trees on the other hand are another matter. The spring show may be diminished. Let's hope for a return of winter, yes we must. A winter to keep our gardens dormant, just a little while longer.