Dear Gardener, Like so many other words, "solstice" has Latin origins; it's a combination of "sol," meaning sun, and "sistere," meaning to stand still. On winter solstice, the sun gives an impression of pausing in its trajectory as Earth tilts farthest away—resulting in the shortest day of the year and the gradual lengthening that follows. As gardeners, our lives teem with movement, change, and activity: microbes dance in the soil; seeds germinate; pollinators fly; fruit grows heavy; and we try