When I finally grasped the concept of placeholder plants, it changed my life. Well, what I mean is, it reduced my garden maintenance load and I enjoyed my garden more, with less work. Not precisely life-changing, but definitely life-improving. A placeholder plant is a garden-worthy plant that you happen to have a lot of, which [...]
feverfew
Frost Is Not The End: Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day
October 15, 2016 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingWe had our first frost on Monday, 26F (~-3C). And another frost this morning, 27F (also ~-3C). We often seem to skip the light frosts altogether and go straight for the hard stuff. Buh-bye, dahlias, cannas, and cosmos. But there are plenty of plants still blooming. And let's not forget colchicums. I was recently called [...]
Garden Color In Dreary November: Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day November 2015
November 15, 2015 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingI'm not going to pretend that November's garden looks as good as October's. I'm not even going to pretend that mid-November's garden looks as good as early November's.But I do want to celebrate the mild November we've been having. Yes, mild. Here in Cold Climate Land, it has actually been unseasonably warm. In fact, the [...]
My Delightful Garden: Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day September 2015
September 20, 2015 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingThis has been the best gardening year I can remember. Until a dry spell arrived in September, we enjoyed consistent rainfall and moderate temperatures. There is nothing like moist soil and a cool morning to draw a gardener into the garden, and that's where I went, leaving my blog behind me. Here are some of [...]
Bountiful Blooms: Garden Bloggers Bloom Day July 2011
July 15, 2011 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingThe plentiful rain and lack of frost that characterized this spring is still bearing fruit. I can't remember ever seeing my daylilies so floriferous. The whole garden has a feeling of lushness that I soak up every chance I get. So it was tough choosing photos for this month's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. For the [...]
Freeze Aftermath: Garden Bloggers Bloom Day October 2010
October 15, 2010 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingOur first frost this autumn was later than usual, and was actually a hard freeze, dropping to 26F(-3.3C) on Sunday, October 10th. Most gardeners in warmer climates imagine a hard freeze like this: But cold climate gardeners know the scene can just as easily look like this: It takes more than one hard freeze to [...]
A Tale of Two Flowers: Garden Bloggers Bloom Day February 2009
February 16, 2009 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingLast week, before prices started to rise on flowering plants for Valentine's Day, I picked up a pot of florist's cyclamen to brighten up the kitchen--and to make sure I had a bloom for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. (Here's the owl's summer home.) There are hardy cyclamen that can live outdoors in the northern reaches [...]
Garden Bloggers Bloom Day November 2008
November 24, 2008 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingThe first half of November, when these photos were taken (November 12th, to be exact), was unusually mild. So even though I missed Garden Bloggers Bloom Day by a mile (well, okay, only 9 days), I'm going to post these photos anyway, so I can remember this mild November when next winter comes around. That [...]
Garden Bloggers Bloom Day October 2008
October 15, 2008 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingThe double colchicums, which are later blooming, are at their peak:Our summer never got really hot for long periods this year, and the pansies kept blooming. These "black" pansies were part of a mix, so I wondered where the rest of them went to. Turns out something's been nibbling them. Leaves are still there, but [...]
Garden Bloggers Bloom Day June 2008
June 15, 2008 – Posted in: About this site, Colchicums, Recommended LinksPoppies, peonies, and iris: the three Grandes Dames of June In a cold climate, the gardening season is shorter and more compressed. By the time the spring flowers get going, boom! it's summer. Consider this: on May 29th we had our last frost. The next day it hit 80F (27C), which we reckon to be [...]
Recent Comments