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. 

Cold Frame

I took these photos on November 24, and the plants are stable. One kohlrabi plant survived the slugs but has stopped growing.  The base of the plant is not growing big enough to harvest , but I could eat the leaves. I picked some lettuce ahead of the cold snap. 

I've had to weigh down this frame with some heavy rocks due to our hefty winds. I'll keep checking on the plants inside, even as I fear their days are numbered with an especially cold snap (single digit lows!) beginning Thursday/Thanksgiving night.  

First Snow and Season Wrap Up

Yesterday was our first snow of the season, mostly rain but enough to cover the ground. I felt bad for the chilly trick-or-treaters because we've had warm weather up to this point. The above photo shows strawberry leaves, and below is the fabulous fall color on the honeysuckle bush. The bees love it in summer, and I love it in fall. For this season's wrap up, here's what I've learned. I'll pay careful attention to the rabbits, which are voracious year round. I'll start most of my seeds in a tray on the deck or otherwise protect them. I suspect feasting slugs, but anything that likes tender young seedlings (rabbits, chipmunks, squirrels, birds) may be eating them before they really get going. And I'll try to order early again so I can get the plants and seeds I want. When I browsed for a second order, I found my choices had already sold out. 

I'm hoping the lettuce (below) survives because it's tucked inside the cold frame. The rocks weigh down the frame, which had flipped over in earlier winds. This snow officially concludes the season. I'm going to put more mulch down and wrap the base of our new tree. I feel a little lost because I always seem to find something to do in the garden. 

First Freeze

The temperature was 22F on my outdoor thermometer, which may be a degree or two low, and the bird bath (shallow platter with water) was frozen solid. Yep, it was our first freeze. 

The frostiness is lovely. Earlier I harvested the remaining carrots, which are perfectly imperfect, 

and taste so crunchy and sweet. Delicious!

A final frosty photo

A Minnesota Desert?

A beautiful morning! I'm not sure what to do...Keep covering everything? Clean it all up? We're living in a desert-like environment with no rain (note the brown lawn). The days get warm, the nights get cool, and we'll have some nights of frost with no freeze in the forecast. We've had one frost, but a lot has survived. My two rain barrels are drying up. I'm going to focus on keeping my perennials, shrubs, and new tree hydrated to survive winter. I enjoy this weather, because it cools off so nicely at night for good sleeping and it doesn't get so hot so I can work longer outside in the garden longer. Climate change is bad, of course, but it's keeping Minnesota temperatures a little more moderate. The lack of precipitation is a problem, though, and I'm wishing I had yet another rain barrel.