Cold Climate Gardening

After ordering every colchicum offered in this country that I didn't already have for several years running, I thought this was the year I wasn't going to order any. No one was selling colchicums that I didn't already have. But then I was able to obtain some from an unexpected source. Come see the new colchicums that bloomed in my garden this fall.

Just in time for Halloween: the creepiest native plant I know! Do you dare to read about it? Don't blame me if you have nightmares!

Where do people get this silly idea that hardly anything blooms in autumn? I gave my colchicum presentation this week and one attendee remarked that I inspired her to have color in her fall garden. There's plenty of color in my fall garden, without even looking at the trees. Here's just a sampling of what I see as I stroll around.

I had a fabulous 60th birthday back in April. My family completely and utterly surprised me with a gift I never could have imagined and will always treasure. You've got to see it to believe it!

A goldenrod that grows in the shade? Yes, there is such a thing!

Asters, black-eyed Susans, mums--are you tired of the same old autumn-blooming plants? Check out some of the more unusual ones growing in my garden. Maybe you'll find the perfect spot for one in your own garden. You'll never know unless you take a look!

Need some "buttercup cheerfulness"? Sundrops are the plant for you--and me.

Crocuses. I bet you think you know all about them, but I have some crocuses you've never heard of. And do you grow them in the lawn? Yes, squirrels eat them for some people, but not me. They are too busy eating the bird seed I put out for the birds. This is the third in my series about planting the earliest blooming bulbs where the snow melts first. Click over and read it!

Snowdrops are tied with winter aconites for the prize of very-first-bloom. They have become quite the "it" flower and single bulbs of rare cultivars can go for breathtaking prices. But save your breath and your pocketbook and invest in the varieties that multiply quickly, such as those described in my post. Buy a few and pretty soon you'll have enough to make a patch. And a patch will be visible from inside the house. Just sayin'. Click over to my blog and read all about them.