Our gardens and countryside are full of natural processes that are incredibly sensitive and have evolved to respond to gradual changes. Gardens and the plants within them are having to adjust to more erratic conditions, flip-flopping from spells of mild and wet weather – for example, last weekend temperatures reached 19.6C, the hottest temperature ever recorded in the UK in January – to incredibly cold snaps, with no warning or time to acclimatise.
When natural and gentle rhythms within the garden are disrupted, there are detrimental effects to the way in which our plants grow.
Plants adapt over many months to progressively cold, wintry weather, by ripening wood or hardening soft buds. These buds sit dormant until temperatures rise, when fresh shoots can emerge in the more ambient springtime climate, which is conducive to growth.
When we have a mild winter, or a prolonged spell of above-average temperatures around Christmas or New Year, which then abruptly slams into a period of below-zero temperatures, plants do not have the time or ability to adapt quickly enough. This dramatic U-turn from wet and mild to extreme cold can cause a number of plants to perish. If winters remain mild and continue through until the spring, then plant fatalities are reduced because most plants will much prefer to be in a slightly warmer condition then a much colder one; but it’s the abrupt change that is hard for our plants to cope with.
Are there any benefits to a mild winter?
There are a few advantages to a mild winter. You will find that you can garden for longer without being locked out of the soil due to the frost or snow, and newly planted shrubs and trees will continue to establish and grow without a period of dormancy triggered by the cold weather. Winter vegetables such as leeks and parsnips are easier to harvest, and kale will continue to produce new growth through the more unseasonably warm weather.
You might have caught a glimpse of a few snowdrops, crocuses, aconites and daffodils peppering the garden from soon after Christmas, due to the spring-like conditions. If daffodils in December and January appeal to you, regardless of the weather, then Narcissus ‘Rijnveld’s Early Sensation’ is well worth growing and will reliably flower before the end of January most years.
Dr. Thomas Hughes is a UK-based scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to readers. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
