Seasons Aren't Universal.

I used to think seasons were predictable.

Spring = growth.
Summer = peak.
Autumn = decline.
Winter = dormancy.

That framework worked well in Connecticut.

In Melbourne, it doesn't play out the same way.

Summer isn't just peak — it's stress:

• heatwaves
• water restrictions
• plant survival mode

Winter isn't dormant — it's often the best time for establishment.

And spring? Less of a clean transition — more variable than expected.

To be fair, parts of this felt familiar to how I grew up.
But in practice, seasonality behaves differently here.

In Connecticut, seasons helped structure design decisions.
In Melbourne, they introduce variability you have to design around.

That shifts how you think about:

• planting timing
• species selection and performance
• risk heading into summer

I stopped treating seasons as fixed cycles — and started seeing them as fluctuating conditions.

And just as that clicked, another assumption broke: the plant palette I relied on didn't translate either.