Cold Climate Gardening

Spring is right around the corner, and I've been going through photos of the garden bed adjoining our back deck. My, has it grown up--but it also needs tinkering. If you're looking for some flower power to get you through mud season, c'mon over and check this post out. Who knows? Maybe you'll get some ideas for your own spring renovation.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Thank goodness my “desperate measures” are already in place. I’ve been planting early blooming bulbs where the snow melts first for several years. And every time the snow starts to melt, I check all those places for signs of emerging sprouts. Do you want to see what I found during our most recent thaw? It's easier than you think to have flowers blooming sooner than your neighbors.

Challenging myself to learn more about plants by trying new techniques and by researching and growing unfamiliar plants helps me grow as a gardener--and as a person. It's all about being a hardy soul and not letting winter get the best of me. Read what I've been up to the last month and let me know in the comments: What cabin-fever-fighting tricks do you have in your arsenal?

It's cold outside and warm inside, but you've read through and marked up the seed catalogs, going through each one twice, and even placed some orders, so-now what? Read some books, like the two I review here and even more linked to at the bottom of the post.

Bulb forcing has had its ups and downs this winter, but I continue to experiment. One day I'll figure out what works best, but in the meantime, come learn along with me!

Forcing paperwhites is supposed to cheer the gardener through the gloomy, dark days of winter. But this gardener is wailing and gnashing her teeth because the paperwhites aren't cooperating!

It's an experiment: I'm wintering over a bunch of plants from my summer containers, hoping I can grow them again next year, even bigger and better. I know I don't have ideal conditions, but I won't know what works and what doesn't unless I try. Read along to find out how I'm storing over a dozen different plants.

What do your houseplants teach you? Houseplants are the only plants blooming in November, but they are fascinating in their own way. Here's what I've learned from a few of mine.

When does the gardening season end for you? The first frost? The first snowfall? I find it hard to call it quits, and here's why . . .