Cold Climate Gardening

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.

This spring has tested the hardiness of my hardy soul. I bet it's tested yours, too, especially if you live in the Northern Plains and parts east that were bombarded by "Winter Storm Xanto". In light of what my fellow cold climate gardeners are enduring, I'm not going to complain about my weather, which seems [...]

Afflicted with cabin fever, I went on a road trip to see some fabulous botanical images made with a flatbed scanner. That's right, just like the one in your home or office. Flowers, vegetables and other plants and parts of plants in three-dimensional luminous color--they were wonderful! And I'm sharing them with you in this blog post.

The tagline of my blog is "Hardy plants for hardy souls," because you have to be a hardy soul to endure the fits and starts of winter ending and spring arriving. Cold climate gardeners are resilient in the face of adversity and prepared for setbacks before winter is gone for good. Here's how I'm coping. How about you?

I thought it was the end of the world when I discovered my daughters didn't see the colors in my garden the way I did. A garden I toured in Buffalo helped change my mind. Read the rest of my blog post to find out how.

A January thaw I expect. A thaw in February--however pleasant--makes me nervous. Last year we had a mild February--and three feet of snow in March. But whether or not I approve, it appears we are having a thaw. In February.

If you're starting to get a "been there, done that" attitude about your vegetable garden, or if you've seen unusual varieties in a seed catalog and wondered if they're any good, or if you're looking for a vegetable your grandparents always talk about--this is the book for you! It's fun to read even if you don't grow vegetables!

Those lilies-of-the-valley I forced? I transferred them to a decorative container and they became the centerpiece for a tea party baby shower. It turned out very well, if I do say so myself. Click the link to learn how I did it and view the pretty pictures!