(Via Country Gardener)

Posted by admin to Winter, drought, precipitation, snow, snow pack, storms on 2008-03-08, 13:28:00

Today's snowdrift in front of our hoophouse
We tend to get our hopes up for an early spring when the calendar hits March, and the past few winters have lulled us into thinking that the "real" winters of yesteryear were no more.

No so this year: we're getting record amounts of snow. Today's headline in the Toronto Globe and Mail says it all: "Old Man Winter pumps up the volume." We've had snowstorm after snowstorm, and the current one is about the biggest of the season. Some are calling it "the winter from hell."

It certainly is that for snow removal budgets, and there is now so much snow that a quick thaw could bring serious flooding to parts of Ontario.

(Via Girl Gone Gardening)

Posted by admin to Flowers, Sasha, Winter, animals, blue, brown, leaves, rocks, roses, seeds, spring, summer, veggies on 2008-03-08, 11:20:00

25*, feels like 15*, 45% humidity, NW 10 mph wind, partly cloudy, FLOOD WARNING Spring is close. I know it now. This morning I woke to that change in the air, that indescribable smell that wakes me every year when the spring switch is thrown. And though the day is most certainly NOT spring like, there was that smell. It's close. It's coming! Speaking of smells, I also got a whiff of summer as

(Via Girl Gone Gardening)

Posted by admin to Dirt, Waldeath, Winter, animals, books, chores, food, girlgonegardening, houseplants, roses, seeds, spring, summer, tools on 2008-03-06, 08:29:00

28*, feels like 19*, 73% humidity, WNW 10 mph wind, cloudy, FLOOD WARNING It was a difficult morning to wake up today. I slept a sound 8 hours, which is more then the norm for me. 6 hours in the winter, and 4-5 hours in the summer is my sleeping schedule. I was tempted to just stay in bed instead of getting myself motivated for the day. After all, I had things to do like feed the animals, water

(Via Girl Gone Gardening)

Posted by admin to Winter, friends, garden, seeds, veggies, yellow on 2008-03-01, 07:10:00

I don't know about you folks with larger gardens, but those of us with small gardens can't hardly use up a whole packet of veggie seeds all at one time. There usually is some left over for another sowing or two. In the past, I would just fold the seed packets closed, but this has resulted in a whole lot of mystery seed in the bottom of my seed boxes. Sometimes I would tape the seed packets closed

(Via Snappy's Gardens Blog)

Posted by admin to Harlow Carr, Winter on 2008-02-27, 11:28:00

Two opening images from Harlow Carr. I think its one of my most popular tags on the blog. The photo album is marked Harlow Carr 4.
I have been dying to go back, and today Hil's drove me there with Cat, and we met her parents at Harlow. The BBC forecast sunshine, light westerly winds, and sunshine. It was cloudy and rained a bit, but the sun occasionally shone through.
I went on ahead of the others to get walking around my Favourite RHS garden.
I love the Valley, the exposed site, the boggy ground and chilly temperatures, the Beck that runs through the centre of the Valley into the lake, and the woodlands that run across half of it. There is so much to see. Many paths lead around corners to new areas and plants not seen before, or newly added. Not as many flowers as in the height of summer but enough for me to take 235 photos!
The First shows the Wuthering heights type weather, sunshine, then dark rain clouds. This illuminated the plants and tree's.
The Second shows the terraced bed by the main entrance, masses of brightly coloured Heathers and my favourite metal bird sculpture. I found a lot of Art today surrounded by the Gardens plants, shrubs, grasses, and tree's.
I want to go back in a month or so to catch the full Springtime flower show of masses of bulbs, Rhodadendrons, and Magnolias.
I found a suprising amount of colour today. Hils took five photos. I took over two hundred.I had dirty knees from kneeling down to get a plants eyed view.
Every visit is like a new painting, with the strong structures being the Frame.The Winter garden is still as beautiful, but in a different way from the fireworks of Summer.
More posts tomorrow after a good nights sleep. I need to choose which photos to blog...

(Via Girl Gone Gardening)

Posted by admin to Buttons, Little Osa, Pink, Sasha, Winter, blue, chores, daylily, garden, herbs, hostas, pets, photos, roses, shrubs, spring, veggies, video, yellow on 2008-02-27, 09:32:00

Since I don't have much in the way of winter interest in my garden yet other then this dwarf arctic blue willow..... I'm going to stay focused on the inside today. My old gal Sasha is in for surgery today, so while the dog is away, I've been doing a bit of spring cleaning. getting rid of a godawful amount of dog hair from the couches and all that. Just seemed like a good idea to do it now while

(Via Girl Gone Gardening)

Posted by admin to Flowers, Winter, bulbs, holidays, snow, spring on 2008-02-27, 05:08:00

19*, feels like 9*, 65% humidity, WNW 8 mph wind, cloudy, LAKE EFFECT SNOW ADVISORY I'm getting very antsy for spring. It doesn't help that businesses have started decorating windows for Easter, or that shops have gads of brightly colored spring junk on their shelves, and most certainly all the blogs I've seen lately where folks are bragging about their blooming bulbs and gardens isn't helping

(Via Country Gardener)

Posted by admin to Winter, dogs, snowshoes on 2008-02-26, 19:36:00

The boys of winter: my Toby, the white one, and our neighbor's dog, Buddy, are so joyful on snow-days, it's infectious.
The closer we get to spring, the more it seems to snow. I don't mind. I live in country and welcome every opportunity to go snowshoeing with my "boys," but anyone who lives in town or the city with mountains of snow blocking sidewalks is well and truly finished with winter.

The trouble is that winter isn't nearly finished with us.

Snowy willow tree
© Yvonne Cunnington, Country Gardener

(Via Girl Gone Gardening)

Posted by admin to Indiana, Winter, animals, seeds, shrubs, snow, spring, veggies, weather, weekend, wind on 2008-02-26, 06:13:00

32*, feels like 20*, 87% humidity, N 18 mph wind, light snow So much for the taste of spring that we had last weekend! We are now covered in a blanket of snow again, with howling winds. it is said that this is the snowiest year in 30 years. All I know is this is the snowiest winter yet I've had since moving to Indiana. So, in protest and FAITH that spring will return in a timely manner, I sowed

(Via Girl Gone Gardening)

Posted by admin to Winter, food, girlgonegardening, hiking, leaves, project, seeds, summer, veggies, weather on 2008-02-24, 05:55:00

20*, feels like 16*, 86% humidity, SSW 6 mph wind, fog, FLOOD WARNING If it seems like I'm posting a lot today, it has to do with the fact that I'm antsy. I'm waiting for the weather to warm up and then I will be going hiking, checking out some fens I have heard of by word of mouth up in the dunes. It's supposed to be above freezing today. I'd like to enjoy that so I'm willing to wait a while.