I’ve just returned from traveling in South East Asia. While I was enjoying warm tropical breezes, my friends back in Pennsylvania kept me posted on the weather unfolding at home. Their reports of record low temperatures and photos of snow-covered trees contrasted sharply with the steamy weather and rain forest foliage I was experiencing. I couldn’t help thinking “What would it be like to live in this country and to have essentially the same weather year around?”
Ever since childhood I have found it exciting to wake up to a snowy morning. Early in the development stages of Wallace Landscape Associates, we plowed snow to get us through the cash strapped winter months. We no longer provide that service because it puts such a strain on our equipment and our highly trained installers. In those early days we did look forward to snow to pay the bills.
Tropical foliage is mostly thick and leathery. While it can be beautiful in a coarse way, it is always the same. It can’t compare with the thrill of tender new leaves emerging in the spring or the fiery magnificence of autumn foliage in our Mid-Atlantic states. We have our evergreens and berries in winter and even a few plants that flower in those cold months. And we have a fresh flowery spring, a plant rich and productive summer and a lovely transitional period in autumn.
So, no, I would not trade our exciting climate for year round warmth. The ice and snow can be inconvenient at times, but the advantages of seasonal changes far outweigh the few days of truly bad weather. The pleasure of looking forward to the refreshing coolness of spring and fall, the exhilaration of seasonal flowers, foliage and berries and the cycles of rest and renewal are all enhanced by a wonderful landscape. The pleasures of seasonal change can be enhanced by a skillful designer. If you find your garden boring in any season, a makeover may be in order. To discuss the possibilities during these quiet winter months, call Wallace Landscape Associates Inc.