I live in southcentral PA, just above the Mason-Dixon. We get heat and humidity during the summer months; usually we have fairly mild winters, but it can drop to below zero. My biggest challenge is summer heat and dry spells. We normally have a "spell" of pretty dry weather every summer and it's hard on many perennials. I am always envious of gardens in wetter/cooler climates; the plants are huge compared to many of mine! I've spent the past 25 years mulching and improving soil conditions (heavy clay with fractured limestone underneath) and it definitely has helped, but there's not much you can do about the high summer temps. Lupines, delphiniums....they just melt. We've also been seeing a much more abrupt change in seasons...it sometimes seem to "jump" straight out of winter (temps in the 30s-40s) to high summer (temps suddenly soaring to (70-80s). That wreaks havoc with the spring bulbs, especially tulips. But....not much point complaining about the weather!
