Even though winter solstice is drawing near, the usually cold nights, snow flurries and wind chills are absent. November was one of the warmest on record in Vermont and so far that streak is expected to continue through December.
Our warm weather is a product of a particularly strong El Nino year, and colder weather is not expected till later in the season.
For gardeners, the warm weather is a blessing and a curse.
It means Brussel sprouts, kale, root crops, and parsley are still coming up in gardens. But so are daylilies, bulbs and anemones.
Even with the warm weather this fall, perennials and woody plants won't grow much this time of year. A bigger concern is if this warm weather continues into March, when plants would start growing too early and get zapped by a freeze.
There isn't much we can do about the weather, but mulching perennials, bulbs and shrubs can help keep the soil cool and prevent them from growing too early.
This week's tip: Consider a good book for the gardener in your family this holiday season. I humbly recommend my new book called Foodscaping: A Practical an Innovative Way to Create an Edible Landscape.
