The Climate Of The Region

One of the greatest challenges of gardening in the Southern Great Lakes Region involves the lake effect on the climate. Because this region is protected Lighthouse Graphic Courtesy of Arnetta Mann-Brinkman to some degree by the climactic influence of the Great Lakes, we are affected by this phenomenon both in the winter and in the summer. Lake effect provides added moisture to the area and moderates the temperatures all year long.

This is both a blessing and a curse. Rain is more plentiful because of it so is snow. Living downwind of the lakes offers protection in the winter for our garden plants in the form of "snow mulch". However, as a person goes further inland and south of the lakes, lake effect dramatically decreases. South Bend, Indiana, might receive six inches of snowfall while Fort Wayne, also in Indiana, might receive less than an inch.

The lakes also have a subtle influence on temperatures. For instance, Rockford, Illinois, only 150 miles west of the region, might experience temperatures 5 to 10 degrees colder than what we experience here while in summer it might be 5 to 10 degrees warmer than our region. Another feature of our climate is that we are not subject to the frequent and dramatic see-saw in temperatures that someone further away to the north or west of the region, say in the Dakotas or Kansas, can experience. Our climactic changes are, as a rule, gradual.

There is a gentle rolling to the land here. While we do not have mountains or high hills and valleys, the further north into the region one goes, the more the land displays a hilliness. Trees are more abundant here than just to the west. There are also numerous rivers, streams, and small lakes. All of these help influence the climate of the region.

Our USDA gardening zones are rated at zones 5a to 6a. This means that our winters in zones 5a will range from -15 to -20 degrees Fahrenheit at the coldest. 5b ranges from -10 to -15 at the coldest. Zone 6a ranges from -5 to -10 at the coldest. The majority of the region is in zone 5b. The region varies from Zone 5a to 6a, with the majority of the region being in 5b. Some years our zones can be as cold as zones 4a or 4b, although not very often, thankfully. Other years, our zones can approach zones 7a or 7b status, although not very often, regretfully.

To give you an idea of how the winters can differ from year to year, I can remember an incident as a small child in Rossford, Ohio, a small town just outside of Toledo. My mother forgot to dig up her cannas one year, and they spontaneously grew the next summer. The Winter was that mild. The next year or so, had she forgotten to dig up her cannas, they most likely would not have survived. Winters can vary that much. The key to all of this is regardless of the winter, there will be little to no wild fluctuations within the winter itself.

It is impossible to completely predict how harsh or mild a particular winter might be. I site my marginal plants in as protected a spot as possible, and I make sure my garden has plenty of organic material in it. I do apply mulch to many of my more borderline plants such as my Austin Roses. If we buy suitable plant varieties, if we site our plants properly, give them their basic soil, fertilizer, and moisture requirements, they will usually be strong enough to survive. But, if there is a particularly borderline plant in my garden, I have a mountain of leaves set aside that I can mound around them. I also throw blankets on them to boot for added protection if the snowfall is lean and the temperatures are really going to drop. I have gone out in the middle of winter when a harsh cold spell is predicted and added extra mulch to plants, and on rare occasions, some wraps. As a rule, I do not routinely do this for the whole winter season, although I know of gardeners who do. Only if we are in for a bitter stretch of weather will I do this. If the plants get too large for this treatment, such as larger bushes or trees, all one can do is pray. The up side of all of this is that the large plants such as trees tend to become hardier with age. I suppose that is because they have already survived so much to have reached their large size!

We plant many wonderful ornamentals and fruit trees that people only a hundred and fifty or so miles west and north of here would not be able to grow very successfully. However, a late spring frost can cause considerable damage to these plants or their blossoms, to which any fruit grower in Lower Michigan can attest.

So why do we push the envelope so much? Because most of the time we can successfully grow different plants and trees normally not grown at this northern latitude. Putting it another way, it boils down to this: If you are a gambler, and anyone who gardens is, you will hedge your bets by growing plants that will do well in this area. As a gambler, you will realize that sometimes, even though you hedge your bets, you will lose. You can hit the jackpot by being able to grow some things that people think are not possible to grow in this region. Above all else, you are also realistic. You know you cannot grow a Cabbage Palm in the open ground, but you might grow it in a container that you move indoors after summer. You realize that a particular rhododendron might be a bit tender for this area. You give it a fighting chance; you do not plant it in the sunniest, most exposed spot in your yard. You don't plant it in a heavy clay, alkaline soil. You learn. You constantly learn. One last thing: About the time you think you know everything there is to know about gardening in this region, Nature will teach you something more...