I am definitely one of those people who likes the great outdoors much better when it is frozen and the bugs are all gone. But once a year, whether I need to or not, I get my hands into the soil by planting annuals in pots around the front of my house.
I like the way the flowers look when they all bloom. I like how pretty they make my house. But mostly, I like that these hardy northern varieties understand that once they are planted, they are on their own to survive at my house since I will not be getting intimate with the soil again. I’m always amazed at how instinctively they get this and thrive through neglect.