Gardeners are committed, but even the most steadfast would appreciate some better summer weather

My hope for the New Year is for just a little better summer weather. I hope that is not asking for too much.

I know, I know. Officially much of the state had warmer weather this summer than normal. This is a trend that seems to have been going on since at least the early 90s. There is simply no question about the advance of global warming and my wish for better weather shouldn’t be taken as a weakness in the belief.

I am pretty darn sure I am not alone in my hope. I am pretty sure sometime in the past six months you commented on how bad this summer’s weather was. And, you probably have been in a conversation where someone noted we only had nine sunny days this summer! OK, some folks say we had 13 sunny days. Does it really matter? Could that be true? I have not checked, but it sure seems true having lived through the season. And note: these were not all consecutive days of sun.

Less than two weeks of sunny days all summer? What? That is too crazy. Even if it might not be completely accurate, it does capture the sentiment about Alaska summer weather this year. I suppose sometime this summer I am going to have address our lousy winter weather in the same vein.

I could have simply noted that the high temperature in Anchorage this summer was 73 degrees. OK, that is fine, and that would be delightful to someone from Phoenix — and I hope we become a climate-escape destination for folks who are getting the worse part of global warming — but come on. Give us some more sunny days. That sweatshirt depicting the state’s weather is supposed to be a funny joke, not reality.

In case you want to know the other numbers for Southcentral, the low temperature of 3 below zero was back in February. That confirmed last week’s observation about what gardening zone we garden in and the warming of our winters. We had 23 inches of rain and so far about 120 inches of snow. The latter is not the norm, as we all know.

Oddly enough, our crappy summer weather did not stop a single one of us from gardening this summer. That is the character of gardeners. We do what we do no matter what. I used to think this is because Alaskans are tough, you know, pioneer spirit and all that stuff. But after giving talks to gardeners around the world, I realize it has nothing to do with being Alaskan, but rather everything with being a gardener.

If you are a gardener, you garden no matter what is handed to you weather-wise. When it gets warm enough, you figure out what you need to do and you plant, weed, mulch, water and anything else it will take to have success. You adapt to what nature serves you. Sure, we Alaska gardeners would love to have 300 days of sunshine and a wee bit warmer temperatures — and a lot less snow — but we don’t. We garden anyhow.

But it would be wonderful if we could just get a few more days of sunshine.

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ALPAR Christmas Tree Recycling: You know the deal. Christmas trees dropped off in designated areas at select Carrs/Safeway are recycled into wood chips for local trails. Please note: Midtown Carrs/Safeway is no longer a drop off site. Trees must be free of all lights, decorations and not in a bag. Live trees only; no wreaths; household use only — not intended for businesses to drop off unsold holiday trees. Need help with your tree? Call (907) 868-8899 and a youth group will pick up your tree in Anchorage for a donation.

Alaska Botanical Garden: Join and visit www.alaskabg.org. Brighter Winter Nights tickets now available until Jan. 20.