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.
hellebores
The First Blooms of 2019
March 17, 2019 – Posted in: Mud Season, What's up/bloomingDesperate 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.
The Last of the Hardiest
November 15, 2017 – Posted in: Hellebores, What's up/bloomingNovember started out marvelously with highs in the 50s(F) and one day even hit 66°(19C). The second week the switch flipped and the real November showed up with a vengeance. Most nights have been in the teens, but we also got two nights that dipped into single digits (9F=-13C)--that's unseasonably low for November and was [...]
October’s Bounty: Garden Bloggers Bloom Day October 2017
October 16, 2017 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingVisitors asked about two plants at my Colchicum Open Garden. The first one is readily available at garden centers or online. The second one is a little trickier to find--it helps if you know someone. But visitors were also surprised to see so much in bloom at the end of September. It helps if you know my special plants and (not so) secret techniques. Click over to my blog post and I'll share them with you!
Spring Is Here! Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day April 2017
April 15, 2017 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingIt's like Christmas, except instead of tumbling downstairs to see what "Santa" left me under the tree, I'm dashing out the door every day to see what's blooming in each garden bed. Believe me, I know where to look, and I usually spot each emerging plant when its tip first pierces the surface. Yes, it's spring! Wanna see what I got?
Yes, You Can Cut Back Dead Plants Too Early
March 10, 2017 – Posted in: Garden chores, Hellebores, Mud Season, WeatherI cut the dead foliage off my hellebores in February, and I paid the price in March. How was I to know we'd have the coldest temps of winter in March? Read on to find out what I did to fix things.
The January Thaw
January 24, 2017 – Posted in: Weather, What's up/bloomingThe January thaw is an accepted part of weather lore around here--thaw being a relative term--meaning warmer than you would expect but not necessarily warm enough to melt all the snow. But this year almost all the snow did melt, save the piles that accumulate from removing it from the walk, driveway, and road. As a matter of fact, it was 58°F(14°C) on Sunday as I glanced at my phone and read "Winter Storm Watch in effect for Monday." What? It's gorgeous out! But--it is January, after all.
Christmas (rose) in January: Garden Bloggers Bloom Day January 2017
January 15, 2017 – Posted in: Hellebores, What's up/bloomingIt's January, and here in the northern reaches of North America we don't expect to find flowers blooming. And yet one plant in my garden is trying to do just that: Helleborus niger, commonly called the Christmas rose. It blooms at Christmas for gardeners in Great Britain. They were the ones who named it. My [...]
What’s Missing From This Picture?
November 18, 2016 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingWhat's missing from this picture are the autumn crocuses. They should be blooming now. No, I don't mean colchicums--they're done. (And they're not crocuses!!) I mean bona-fide crocuses that bloom in the fall. Crocus speciosus, to be precise. I planted more than one hundred of them four years ago, and for the last three years [...]
Spring, Rebooted: Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day April 2016
April 15, 2016 – Posted in: Native/Invasive, What's up/bloomingThe early spring that showed up last month went on hiatus as the Arctic Express roared through with six inches of snow and bitter cold--it dropped to -3F on the worst night. It's almost as if the climate had to reboot to get back on track. But that is all behind us now and each [...]
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