Mine has to be dealing with the wind...it is a rare day it isn't blowing...we get winds out of the northwest several times a year...which always seem to do some kind of damage...My 4th of July rose is a prime example..I don't think it has a leaf on it without some windburn...luckily it is a tough bugger!!

Also, it is typically 5 to 10 degrees cooler here than even a mile inland...I find I am always a couple of weeks behind the blooming curve, and tomatoes..forget about it!! Just isn't worth it. On the positive side..planting season is just about all summer long with pretty good results..

Another positive I have noticed is that it seems I don't have as many pests as others I read about..I am never really bothered that much by Japanese beetles..and my asiatic lilies grow and multiply without poison..

I spotted an Asiatic Lily Beetle over at my neighbor's gardens a couple weeks ago but that's the only one I've seen. We live on a small pennisula with only a few houses surrounded by downtown Mystic. So, I'm hoping we won't have as many pests as even Mystic Seaport (about a mile from me) has.

One thing I have noticed that's different is the sun...or at least I believe that is the name for the large red/orange ball some people report seeing in the sky. We see very little of it here. In fact, I painted our sunroom w/a color named 'Mystic Pewter' because I like the color but also the name! And, it's so true...there's always an overcast sky. Well, not always but much of the time. So, I'm wondering if perennials that need lots of sun (lavender?) might not do too well? I'd like to hear from other about this.

Good questions and I'm looking forward to reading responses.

Angie

Cooler summers and milder winters compared to the inland. Spring comes later here by the water, except in sunny, sheltered microclimates. My friends in the Worcester (central Mass.) area have their spring flower blooming when mine have barely poked through the ground. But, my garden is still blooming after the inland gardens have succumbed to a killing frost. Our frosts are several weeks later.

We don't have leaves on the oaks until mid-late May; my peonies are just wrapping up their performance, my inland friends are one week past peonies. Yet, in November, we're still harvesting vegetables and I've had flowering annuals (not Mums) in my windowboxes on Thanksgiving (not every year, mind you, but it's not uncommon).

It IS more humid here... powdery mildew is very much at home here, as are an assortment of fungi. We don't suffer the winds, as we're across the road and behind a substantial buffer of trees, but a walk down the road quickly reminds me of its perpetual presence (good in the summer for sailing!).

Generally, winters are more mild, though last year was the toughest yet. I lost a lot of very hardy things... Miscanthus, Dictamnus, Akebia, Sweet Autumn clematis, bulbs fared poorly, too. Buddleia, Caryopteris, hardy Hibiscus, and roses suffered big hits, or "folded" completely.

I've lived here for 13 years now; I've gardened in earnest for 12... and I've only just begun to understand, let alone massage, the subtleties of the climate that dictates success/failure in gardening!

-Claire