From The Old Farmer's Almanac.
The boys of winter: my Toby, the white one, and our neighbor's dog, Buddy, are so joyful on snow-days, it's infectious. 
Snowy willow treeHmmmmmmm. I am sorry to report, this year’s show in Seattle was a disappointment.
There were a handful of very good display gardens, but just a few. Much to my chagrin. Here are a few snaps from my favorites:
Robyn Cannon’s French potager: delish! One part of a three part display titled Garden 2 Table.
A diminutive planting of purple, gray and blue…….enchanting, and was found at the base of the the upcoming planter……
At the base of this ripped and curled steel planter which I absolutely coveted. Couldn’t imagine getting this on the plane.
And this was a cheerful outdoor space……..good color
Incredible dry stack rock work. We were crazy about the walls. I might even be able to pull off the river rock gabians.
And this soft aqua/blue/gray patio set up may be my favorite garden this year, the plant materials were perfectly coordinated with the fabrics or maybe the other way around…..anyway……it worked for me.
I also really liked this outdoor kitchen because it was so humble. No $10K barbie here folks. This reminds me of the rusty kamp kitchen we have in Oregon or the canning kitchen that was featured in one of the articles on Mary Jane’s Farm in Idaho. LOVE IT!
It came with a chicken coop full of laying hens a ‘layin (I counted 2 eggs Wednesday and 1 on Thursday). Sorry the focus is so poor. The coop was roofed with a strawberry patch. This was a LOT of fun!
One more for good measure: This birder’s identification chart was eye catching and a great idea. May steal this notion for the botanical garden. OK, maybe for my garden.
Post from: Idaho Gardener
The scientists/botanists of Norway and their colleagues deserve a serious shout out for their latest planet worthy accomplishment: the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. As reported on the news tonight, it is a safehouse for seeds from all over the world and holds 4.5 millions seed samples. Protected by polar bears, armed guards and nasty cold, the vault has already withstood a 6.1 earthquake and can preserve seeds for 200 years even if the power goes out…..because of permafrost. I am guessing they calculated in global warming.
This is just one of over 1400 seed banks in the world.
My small voice of thanks if offered up to the people who care about these issues, who work to protect our food supply and our horticultural heritage.
A couple of years ago, I read a book titled Hunger, by Elise Blackwell. It is a fictionalized account of the Seige of Leningrad 1941-1943, which lasted 900 days, and focuses on the scientists and their families who starved to death in an effort to protect the collections from invading rats and German soldiers. Sadly and ironically, the director of that seed bank, Nikolai Vavilov, later died of hunger in a Nazi prison.
Look for a new book by British author Peter Pringle later this year :The Murder of Nikolai Vavilov: The Story of Stalin’s Persecution of One of the Great Scientists of the Twentieth Century. It is scheduled for release in May.
Take THAT! Monsanto.
And to think there are naked cowboys running around New York when there is work like this to be done.
Post from: Idaho Gardener
“You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet, still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.”
At any rate, a vivid imagination is necessary to fully appreciate the subtle details in my back yard. I sat outside on the porch swing in the first warm afternoon of the year, and I tried to take Kafka’s advice about sitting still. And then I noticed a magic troll hiding in the shadows under the bridge. 