1 Fruit: Consider planting white strawberries, which are native to both South America and Japan. Most varieties are sweeter than red strawberries but generally smaller. You can also grow pineberries such as the Florida Pearl variety, which are larger than typical white strawberries but with a tangier taste that has been likened to that of pineapple. White strawberries and pineberries are readily accessible through Internet vendors. Japan is noted for its strawberry-growing prowess and has developed more than 300 varieties, many of them white. They can also be pricey, with Bijin-Hime, a red variety as big as a tennis ball, fetching several hundred dollars per fruit. Strawberry connoisseurs have a protocol for strawberry consumption that starts with stem removal immediately before eating. Bites from a strawberry should progress from the stem end to the tip, since the tip is the sweetest part and it is desirable to advance in the direction of greater sweetness when consuming this special fruit or, for that matter, when living life in general.

2 Vegetables: You can germinate seeds indoors now so that seedlings will be ready for planting in the garden once the danger of frost is past by the middle of March. Use a sterile, soilless potting mix. The surest way to facilitate germination is with a heating mat that encourages robust root development. Enclosing the seeds in plastic via a humidity dome or even a zippered plastic bag will keep soil moist until germination occurs. As soon as seeds sprout, remove the plastic covering so air can circulate. If you do not have a south-facing window, you will need to bring grow lights into the picture. Keep them on for 16 hours a day and make sure they are adjustable so you can raise them as seedlings grow — keeping them 2 inches above foliage. Warm-weather crops such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplants are excellent candidates for indoor germination now.

3 Herbs: Every now and then, but not nearly often enough, I lay my eyes on a licorice plant. No, this is not a plant from which licorice confections are made, but it does have a licorice scent on hot summer days. It is impossible not to love licorice plant. Two versions are seen, the standard gray species (Helichrysum petiolare) and a chartreuse cultivar known as Limelight. No plant covers the ground or spills out of a flowerpot with more grace and charm than these plants. They have soft leaves that you must touch and, although they do not visibly respond when you do so, I have a feeling they don’t mind this tactile attention at all. And yes, licorice plant has a most distinguished standing among the pantheon of drought-tolerant ground covers. Licorice plant is also referred to as curry plant because the flavor of Asian curry leaf (Murraya koenigii) includes a hint of anise/licorice.

4Flowers: Pansy (Viola x wittrockiana) and Johnny-jump-up (Viola tricolor) are the irresistible charmers of the winter garden but will last through the spring when they are planted in partial sun exposure and their faded flowers are regularly removed. Although their petals’ velvety texture may suggest they cannot stand the cold, the opposite is true and they will even survive some exposure to freezing temperatures. Their flowers, often in two colors, are edible and are used as garnishes for salads, soups and other dishes. Pansy floral blotches often have the form of faces, while Majestic Giants sport 4-inch flowers. Blue and yellow Johnny-jump-ups — which look like miniature pansies but are actually their parents — often self-sow and, as new plants are constantly coming along, provide color almost throughout the year. Johnny-jump-up hybrids include those with mauve, yellow, orange and red colors, too.

5Grasses: There has been a breakthrough in the development of an attractive yet truly drought-tolerant lawn grass. UC Riverside has just released Coachella Bermudagrass for commercial propagation and sales. It is a hybrid grass that can only be propagated from rhizomes or sprigs, since it is essentially seedless. Although conventional Bermuda grass requires 40% less water than the ever-popular tall fescue (marketed as Marathon), Coachella takes drought tolerance to a new level, needing 65% less water than tall fescue, which is also less than what ground covers used as lawn substitutes require. Moreover, while conventional Bermuda grass undergoes winter dormancy and loses its color, Coachella keeps its color throughout the year. At present, Coachella is being marketed exclusively to golf courses and sports stadiums but is projected to be available to the general public in 2026. Jim Baird, professor of turf science, decries the removal of lawns due to their cooling effect. “If we continue to rip out our lawns,” Baird says, “that’s going to elevate temperatures, particularly in an urban environment.”

— Joshua Siskin