A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Banter Hall The weather eh?

I'm going to share a little story:

I was watching a special program on tv about the Canadian government trying to draw a new hardiness map. The current Canadian one that we have in Canada varies a bit from the one that the USDA has (I'm a 5b on both) but ours was meant for shrubs and trees instead of flowers and perennials. On the program, there was a gardener (he had a fancy degree/work/education behind him but don't remember now) he was talking about how if the climate changes, gardeners would be the first to know. Really interesting! He used the example of the Russian ivy. It's marginally hardy where he was, and dies completely to the ground. This type of ivy normally stays as a groundcover (much less invasive than English ivy here) but for the past few years it started to climb his wall. It has never been seen growing so well/climbing up a wall up this north in Canada.

He also said that about 20 years ago, his first hard killing frost was the first week of september, but for the past few years, it's been as late as the second week of october. That's an extra month of growing!

One thing that I've read about climate change has to do with bulbous perennials like tulips, daffodils, etc. If they don't get a cold or long enough dormant period, their scapes (the stems that hole the flowers) will be stunted. Same is supposed to apply clivias - they will look like they're flowering from the middle of the leaves without a scape if they don't get enough cold when they're setting buds.

We had frost this monday, and now as i'm typing this, it's 29*C (84*F) outside. It might not seem that great, but 84* at this time in this part of Canada is quite something! If the world keeps warming up, we'll probably have to either bump the zones up or add new, warmer zones...z13 anyone? Not to mention...imagine the next time you're peeling a banana and the sticker says 'product of Canada!'

boy Kenny that sounds like one interesting show you watched--I imagine the same holds true for the USA---


I guess we just get to wait & see......

we'll all just move to Canada and work in the banana fields. Interesting.

that does sound like an interesting show you caught, kenny.
banana's from canada?

I'm overhearing the news now as I type and they are already talking about hurricane season coming again. We still have Ike depris!

can we all live together in rows close together so we can actually visit???

perhaps we can move close to tamara???

kenny, I was listening to Science Friday on NPR and it was about this very thing.