A Warm Spring Stretch

The strawberries are blooming, which seems early. The neighborhood lilacs are in full bloom, and the crabapples are finishing. This (too) warm stretch of weather affects everything and all of us. Below, the new daffodils thrive, though some old ones didn't survive, perhaps due to a cold snap without snow. Yes, those are dandelions. The bees love them. 

Below, the muscari  have brown tips on the leaves, mostly likely due to a frost as they emerged, but they're looking good!

Spring Excitement

May has arrived, and I've completed several projects. This is the first spring in a few years when I've had time to work outside in the garden because my schedule and the weather have cooperated. And I'm happy to have found some great deals! Above is a dwarf Alberta spruce "Conica." It gets 6 to 8 feet tall. I'm planting it so that birds have winter cover. It's small enough that it shouldn't block the light for my vegetable garden. Below is a cherry tree, "Mesabi."

Below is a mock orange "Snow White." It'll block the view of the electric and cable boxes eventually.

Below is a wire fence to keep the rabbits out. Last year they chewed through the plastic fence, which had become brittle after a few years of use. I'll keep this fence up year round because it was a lot of work to install. Thanks to my hubby for helping!

This is spring?

I hear thunder. Yet it's snowing. Then it's raining again after we had a glaze of ice a few days ago. Nature is showing the effects of a long winter and an intense spring. The viburnum berries that have stayed on the shrubs are shriveled and hang heavily (above). The stems with seed heads (saved for the birds) are falling over. I can't clean it up yet. Too wet. Too cold. 

I'm glad to be indoors, but it's interesting and beautiful. Never a dull weather moment in Minnesota!

Update: We got seven inches of snow--too heavy to shovel, too wet for the snow-blower.

The Colors of Cosmos

Happy first day of spring! I thought I'd share the varieties of cosmos I planted last year. Seed companies sell more varieties than I'm showing here, but I'd say these were a success. 

Two bees!

This is asters disease on Cosmos. I pulled up the plants immediately, and it didn't spread. 

Above is all the cosmos planted together in front of painted lady runner beans. I saved some seeds, and they may have intermingled, so we'll see what kind of flowers they sprout this summer. Below is Purity. It is vigorous to the point where I worried about the native perennials I planted in the same space. Purity looked feathery and lush, covered in blossoms. 

Sonata, a shorter variety, in a container (below)

Picotee

Picotee

Picotee

Picotee

Daydream

Daydream... I think. I tried to save seeds of this one.

 

Bouquets

These are summer memories to help make it through these next few bitterly cold days here in Minnesota. When we have weather advisories and warnings due to the cold, I tend to stay inside. Yes, I feel a little sheepish that I'm not walking outside (am I not a Minnesotan?), but I'll get back out there when the temperatures are above zero and the wind chill isn't so brutal. Here are some bouquets I made over the summer. You'll see that they tend to be small. That's because I have trouble cutting flowers when they look so good outside. Also, bees and butterflies enjoy the buffet that is my garden, and I don't want to take too much from them. Above is a begonia. Below are cosmos.

Limelight hydrangea

Zinnias with lemon basil

A single rose in a vanilla bottle

Zinnias!

Reminder to Myself

Here's the temperature when I walked this morning. Yep, that's a negative sign. The wind chill was -16F. The sun was bright, the sky was clear, and my toes were cold. Was it cold? Yes. Was it too cold? No. I was dressed for the weather (though I may need an extra pair of socks next time). 

Here's my reminder to myself. January can be a difficult month because the temperatures range from cold to frigid, making it more difficult to be outside. Yet it's a great time to buy seeds and plan my garden. I'm subscribed to Brit Box to watch Gardener's World for inspiration. I'll give some attention to my houseplants and organize some projects indoors, which I neglect during the growing season. This is a month of indoor opportunity. 

Here's yet another reminder to myself. Do NOT start seeds indoors too early. I want to have commercial greenhouse looking plants in May but I don't have a commercial greenhouse. I have one heating pad and one south facing window. Seedlings do not do well in my cold house in winter. My new philosophy is to start seeds when the seedlings can be outside in the sun during the day and come inside at night. This means late (late!) April at the earliest and more likely May. So, no, I'm not starting seeds in March this year. Really. I'm publicly declaring that I will wait. I'm skeptical as I write this, but I'll be honest when I update this blog. 

Stay warm and dream of gardens!

Longest Night of the Year

Happy Winter Solstice, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Festive Festivus, Good Yule, and whatever winter celebrations you celebrate! It's tough garden in the snow, but my intention is to embrace winter and all its beauty.