From the category archives:

FAQ

January Thaw: A Video

January 25, 2010

What happens when the snow melts in the middle of winter? I made a brief video to show you:

Some roads and a few low bridges have flooded, forcing early school closings and rerouting traffic.
A thaw in January is common, but rain doesn’t always accompany it. Sometimes it is brilliantly sunny, inspiring snowball fights in shirt [...]

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How Do You Know If A Plant Is Hardy?

January 21, 2010
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I was just reading Graham Rice’s musings on plants that grow in the coldest climates. He observed that the resources he consulted did not agree on which plants were tough enough to take USDA zone 2. If you’ve been gardening for any length of time (which of course Graham has), this won’t surprise you.
First, [...]

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What’s the Difference Between a Frost and a Freeze?

October 11, 2009
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Last night the National Weather Service issued a frost advisory for our area, and we did indeed get a frost. They are issuing a freeze warning for tonight. What’s the difference?

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What Happens to Plants After an Untimely Freeze Part 2

June 1, 2009
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In Part 1 I mentioned the two hard frosts and a freeze we had recently, all of them rather later in the season than is typical. I illustrated how different species in the same genus reacted to the freeze differently, and also gave examples of plants that were damaged even though they were protected.
Appearances Can [...]

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What happens to plants after an untimely freeze? Part 1

May 27, 2009
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Part of what makes my cold climate garden cold is the fact that we live in the bottom of a valley, and cold air flows downhill and settles all around us. So however cold the weatherman predicts it will get, it’s usually colder here. Often, ten degrees colder. For example, on May 12th, when a [...]

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When is my last spring frost?

May 9, 2009
Read about guessing the last spring frost date

Usually, when you want to know your last spring frost, the experts send you to a hardiness zone map, a chart, or even the NOAA records, conceding that this will only give you a ballpark figure. If you really want to know your local last frost date, consult a neighbor–at least until you’ve kept records [...]

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Did my plant make it through the winter?

May 8, 2009
Read about plants that didn't make it through the winter

Spring: when a gardener wonders which of last year’s new plants made it through the winter. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote down a list of things I had planted last year but hadn’t seen make an appearance yet. Here’s the list, with my current thinking on each (click on each thumbnail to enlarge):
Hedyrotis [...]

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Mud Season: A primer for newcomers and Southerners

March 10, 2009

Mud season has finally arrived. As I have had more contact with gardeners in other climates, I’ve come to realize that certain aspects of my climate are completely foreign to them, so I thought I’d explain mud season for those who have never encountered it. It will sound pretty elementary to my fellow cold climate [...]

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Why rain gauges break and plants heave

December 28, 2008

It was a balmy 57F out today, a pleasant change from last week’s snow, so I took a stroll around the garden to see what I could see. I saw the new growth of sedums at soil level, and I saw colchicums emerging from the earth, way too early as usual.I also saw the damage [...]

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Snow is good for dormant plants

December 19, 2008

“Finally, a decent snowfall.” That’s my first reaction as an ornamental gardener, thinking about the dormant plants. Snow is a great insulator and keeps the soil–and the roots of plants–warmer than if that same soil were exposed to the air.
This is one reason why Ellen Hornig of Seneca Hill Perennials can grow many plants from [...]

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Plants that still look good in late autumn

October 26, 2008

The mums and the last of the double colchicums are still throwing out new blooms, but after a hard freeze they look like wet facial tissue. All but the stubbornest trees have dropped their leaves, and most perennials, if they have any leaves at all, are looking either yellow, brown, or mushy. But there are [...]

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The first frost: To cover or not to cover?

September 24, 2008

Carol over at May Dreams Gardens advises us to Embrace The End of The Growing Season For A Happier Life. She says, “Save yourself both time and worry and forget about covering plants in the fall.”

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What is a cold climate?

February 7, 2008

This photo was taken two days before the digital thermometer bottomed out in January 2005

Quite a while ago, someone emailed me, asking what was a cold climate. I never did answer them, because I thought it was obvious. A cold climate is any climate too cold to grow the plants you really want to grow. [...]

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