Anyway, until I can cut out every last strand of my paternal genetics I'm stuck in the realm of the attainable (dealing in reality really sucks sometimes). So while my dad may be, at least at the moment, a complete and utter disappointment and overall terrible human being, I believe the reasonable part of him that actually does listen to numbers, logic and substantiated, reasoned arguments will eventually come through for me... one can hope anyway. So to cut to the chase, my Dad does believes that global warming is an actual thing, and while using any one specific instance/season to support global warming is more than a bit silly, it certainly doesn't hurt my cause (my cause being getting him to vote for anyone but Trump) that we have had one of the worst summers on record.
PRETTY SURE THIS PLAYS ON A LOOP IN TRUMPS HEAD WHENEVER HE HEARS SOMEONE SAY "GLOBAL WARMING."
Just to give some context, the general Boston area is AHS heat zone 4 with an average of between 14-30 days above 85 degrees/year. This summer (as of the 30th of August) after a very brief look, we've already had 43 days above 85 degrees, and we still have a few weeks left to go. Couple what is now the sixth hottest summer on record (as of August 25), with what is likely to be THE driest summer on record and you have a gardener's worst nightmare. The tiny bit of rain we got has been spread out in small little bursts where things get just wet enough into fooling you that the plants are actually getting water. Our local forests probably haven't seen rain since June (as most of the rain that fell never made it through the canopy. And while our native flora and fauna is resilient, all things have their limits and if we haven't passed those already for many species, I'm sure we're getting very very close to the point where they may not be able to recover.
While one exceptionally bad summer is by no means a predictor of summers to come, if this is any indication of what's ahead I've probably missed my window on growing many of my favorite plants that I've lusted after from the cool cold climes of the northern hemisphere. I've always thought of USDA zone 6/AHS heat zone 4 to be the unofficial southern limit of being able to successfully grow boreal species, and as those 2 delineations move gradually (or not so gradually) northward, so to does the region where these species can be grown well. Even if in an alternate universe I had somehow managed to obtain and grow some of these plants prior to this year, with the summer we just had, whatever wasn't done in by the drought would have succumbed to the heat, or vice versa. So to reach some sort of closure I thought I'd honor a few of these plants and try to come to terms with the fact that I may never get to grow them (at least in the Boston area). All 4 of these species have a (more or less) circumboreal distribution, so if you live in an area where these plants already grow and are looking to buy some, please select regionally sourced plants as you could be buying a plant that may be from genetic stock on the other side of the continent or another continent all together. Also, ideally I would have listed the heat zones for these plants as well, for it is excessive heat, rather than lack of extreme cold that will ultimately do these plants in. Unfortunately for me, AHS heat zones haven't become mainstream yet so are very rarely listed in the literature, and until this becomes standard make sure you do your research!
Cornus canadensis (recently changed to Chamaepericlymenum canadense) - Bunch Berry
Zones 2-6(7)
I grew up at the very southern end of this guys range (at least at lower altitudes) so I occasionally would happen across patches of this ground cover in the woods where conditions were just right. So like every plant that we associate with childhood (or at least the ones we don't have to eat) I'm particularly fond of this flowering dogwood relative and have always wanted to have a nice big patch of it someday for my very own... and I suppose I still can, just not where I live currently :-/ Its foliage flushes with beautiful burgundy tones in the fall. This, coupled with it's red berries make for quite a show. Apparently, when its happy, it can spread aggressively.
Purchase from: Far Reaches Farm, Forest Farm, Heritage Flower Farm, Lazy S'S Farm, Perennial Farm Marketplace, Prides Corner
Epilobium angustifolium (recently changed to Chamerion angustifolium) - Fireweed or Willowherb
Zones 2-6(7)
If you think cold and big exuberant plants are mutually exclusive think again. In it's native range this plant is a pioneering colonizer that is one of the first to take hold after a major disturbance event, like a fire for instance (hence the fire in fireweed). It's enemies are shade and competition, but in lieu of these it will otherwise spread and seed around rather aggressively when happy. Pictures of the white form still give me goosebumps.
Purchase from: American Meadows, Annie's Annuals, Everwilde Farms, Forest Farm, J. L. Hudson, Morning Sky Greenery, Prairie Nursery, Prairie Moon, Smart Seeds, Terroir Seeds
Linnaea borealis - Twinflower
Zones 2-6
What this diminutive little evergreen creeper lacks in height it more than makes up for with its elfin beauty. All the pictures I've seen make me drool. Have yet to see it in the wild.
Purchase from: Far Reaches Farm, Fraser's Thimble Farms, Tripple Brook Farm
Vaccinium vitis-idaea - Mountain Cranberry or Lingonberry
Zones 3-6(8)
If a blueberry and cranberry got frisky pretty sure the baby would look something like this species. I've only seen the native form of this evergreen (V. vitis-idaea var. minus) in New England growing in alpine and sub-alpine environments as a diminutive prostrate creeper. European forms seem to be much more robust and shrubby as well as more heat tolerant. Edible (have had a berry or 2 myself... not bad). The european form is widely available, so I only included links to our "native" north american form, (V. vitis-idaea var. minus).
Purchase from: Bay State Perennials, Bovees Nursery, Gossler Farms, Youngblood Nursery
IMAGE SOURCES: Trump Thought Diagram, C. canadense, C. angustifolium (LEFT, RIGHT), L. borealis, V. vitis-idea
