A long winter is not for sissies. If you are new to the tribe of hardy plants and hardy souls, here are 10 time-honored ways to beat cabin fever. How many do you already practice?
winter
Winter Garden Design
February 11, 2011 – Posted in: DesignI just read an interview with Piet Oudolf in the New York Times about designing a garden for winter. I was glad to see he was asked, "What do you do if you live in an area with much snow?" His answer was less than satisfying. When the snow comes down dry, it doesn’t flatten [...]
A Winter Walk
February 10, 2011 – Posted in: MiscellaneousMost people living in a cold climate would probably tell you it isn't the cold that bothers them as much as the endless succession of dreary, cloudy days. (Heck, even people in the balmy Pacific Northwest complain about how dark it is in winter!) Well, today it was sunny for a change, so I went [...]
January Thaw: A Video
January 25, 2010 – Posted in: FAQ, WeatherWhat 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 [...]
Why Is This Winter So Cold?
January 10, 2010 – Posted in: WeatherYesterday, the low here was 8F (-13C). That's not too surprising. But Dee Nash of Red Dirt Ramblings told me her low that same day was 5F (-15C) in Oklahoma. Whoa! What's going on here? Check out Eric Berger's explanation in the Houston Chronicle. It turns out a lot of factors have contributed to the [...]
Did my plant make it through the winter?
May 8, 2009 – Posted in: Acquisitions, FAQ, Plant info, What's up/bloomingSpring: 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): [...]
How do I winter over hardy plants in containers?
November 11, 2008 – Posted in: How-to, MailbagNot too long ago, a reader emailed me and asked, I bought some hostas and dwarf bleeding hearts to plant. Shortly thereafter I hurt my knee and I can't go out there and plant them. They are all planted in one gallon plastic pots. How can I safely winter them? If I put them in [...]
Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day: February 2008
February 15, 2008 – Posted in: MiscellaneousThere are snowdrops under this snow Some of you, I am sure, thought I was being overly pessimistic when I said the snowdrops sprouting in January wouldn't be blooming in a month. As you can see above, my assessment of how things would go was pretty accurate. As a matter of fact, at this point [...]
New Year’s Eve sunrise
January 1, 2008 – Posted in: MiscellaneousFor those of you who think my snowdrops will shortly be rocketing from the earth and bursting into bloom: fear not. The snow came back. More predicted tomorrow. Happy New Year.
Christmas eve sunrise
December 25, 2007 – Posted in: MiscellaneousOne of the nice things about short winter days is that it's not too difficult to get up before sunrise. These two photos were taken a bit after seven thirty in the morning. It's not going to be much of a white Christmas, I'm afraid. Sunday the snow pack was dissolved by rain and highs [...]
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