Just One More Day of February!

I know. I know. I know. It's wrong to wish your life away, but when it comes to the month of February, I'm going to make an exception. The coldest month of our year just isn't short enough. But, it's almost over and I've found some wonderfully hopeful signs. Look - I think I see snow mold just to the right of this mucky piece of melting snow. I couldn't contain myself when I saw this lovely moldy mess. In the off chance you've never had snow mold, this happy sign of spring is caused when not completely frozen ground is covered for an extended period of time. (Basically, a description of our winter - early snow that didn't leave.) Fortunately, it is harmless and after a good rake and a bit of rain - woosh, it's all gone.

Yesterday the day hit 9C (48F) - and then the temperature fell to -16C (about plus 3F). Fingers crossed for everthing that is now uncovered. This really is one of the tricky times when crowns of plants are reduced to mush as the temperatures spring back and forth.

You really can see how much snow we've lost - just think, in May the town will have these beds filled with bedding annuals.

Canada Geese hanging out on the ice in 16 Mile Creek.

No wind, no big waves, but a really nice February day.

These leaves have been rolled up like cigarettes from the cold - so nice to see the buds nice and plump and the leaves unfurled.Woohoo - it's what you don't see here that's important - not a flake in sight.

But, as warm as it's been, I still haven't been able to remove the shiny red Christmas tree from the planter. It is completely frozen in place. I'd purchased it a couple of years ago - stowed it in the basement and used it this year for the first time. In a fit of Christmas madness, I had decided to have a red theme Christmas vignette just as you walked in the door to the house. It looked just fine. However Mr. Tinsel Tannenbaum, manufactured in China, emitted a smell so vile that neither Kevin nor I were able to breathe. And, that is just one tree, can you imagine what that factory must have been like? Unimaginable. So, out into the backyard wilderness of my covered porch it went. I had it all shored up with logs and when you had enough to drink, looking at it from the frost covered windows in the kitchen and dining room, it looked quite festive.

Our porch lid leaks terribly. The container filled with water, froze solid, and so there stands my homage to Christmas. I got it to wiggle yesterday, but no cigar, it's not quite ready to join the rest of the ornaments downstairs just yet.

I've been beavering away on a new shade presentation. Many people start with the idea and look for their photos for illustration. I like to get ideas from my photos and then work backwards to the shape and direction of the piece. Just thought I'd include a little oddity I found. I'd grown Aquilegia skinneri and Aquilegia canadensis very close to each other - I thought I'd lost both. Not sure if I've got the offspring of one or the other, or perhaps something all together different that just has the same colouring. I like the colour and especially the fact that it blooms from May until the end of July, which for us and any sort of columbine is very unusual. So, a break from winter, and hope for spring - here is my pretty Aquiligea whateveritisii from Summer 2007. (Apologies - Blogger is twisting landscape to portrait again.)

If I can just make it through February.....

As my buddies spend days packing to go to warmer spots, I slunk around the house and garden looking for a sign that winter might soon be ending. Bundled up and went outside to see if there were some quince branches that could be brought inside to be forced. Sadly I think the squirrels have eaten most of the buds. Have a look at this photo versus the one below from last year in early February. Found just a couple of buds - quite sad.

Although, on the bright side I've noticed I've learned quite a bit as far as operating this camera - this year's photo much clearer. While I was out poking about saw a few odd and promising sights.

This cold bit of green looking gunk was on a pole bean I'd missed pulling off the fence.

It's always a bit of a struggle for us to get the 2nd year wood hydrangeas to bloom. So far these buds felt nice and firm - fingers crossed for the next 6 weeks or so that we don't have any really foolish weather or they will just be toast, and this bush will just be another variegated plant with pretty leaves and no flowers.

I've really been enjoying all those lovely primula shots from warmer climes & am pleased to present my own Primula 'Francesca' that seems to be emerging from the ice in good shape. It has a nice green and yellow flower and blooms for at least 2 months.

A few Japanese Maple leaves that refuse to let go.

And stand back, could those be buds on my Helleborus 'Ivory Prince'!?! They are indeed.

Not my rose hips, but a girl's got to include a bit of colour in a blog post. These found on my morning walk that same day.

Feel that this photo really represents the colour of the last week.

16 Mile Creek was frozen again. If you weighed slightly less than a bag of flour and wore size 15 skates, I bet it would be safe enough to skate on.

And then, it snowed - not the 15 cm as forecasted, just 5. I have my teeth together and slight snarl on my face when I write, "Isn't it pretty?".

It's enough to make me feel prickly and beige.

So it's goodbye to all those little treasures that were uncovered last week until the next thaw. May it be soon and long lasting.

A Lot Less Snow & A Little More Seed Starting

This weekend, I took my computer off my desk and zippered it into its case. No checking Email, no writing, no blogging. Very, very relaxing. The living room up until last evening was almost completely covered in newspapers and books.

The sun has been shining - the weather seasonal. Cold perhaps, but not snowy. And lots of the existing snow has melted - pure bliss. It was nice to tip-toe around the garden checking out some of my old plant friends that have resurfaced.

Spent more time walking - doesn't the lake look gorgeous?
Back at home, look at those two amazing brown patches - the one to the left and the little one to the right! And, that sidewalk - not a bit of snow in sight.I'm about a kilometer from the lake. Just shows the difference one kilometer makes, and the slight difference in the plants folks can grow who are on Lake Ontario.Here is my Mahonia repens. I've had it for over 10 years and it's only bloomed twice. The snow cover was a blessing last year. The blooms were gorgeous - sort of wish I could pick and choose which plants I'd like to have snow-covered. Now, this is a Mahonia I found on a walk -different variety - some sort of Mahonia aquifolium - Oregon Grape. These cool looking leaves are suffering from winter wind damage. They'll be this very nice red colour and turn a sad brown shortly. So that the plant doesn't look too disgusting in the spring, all of this will have to be cut off. A good sharp clipper & gloves sort of job.

Inside, I've got a few seeds started (with a tonne waiting for the appropriate moment). I'm doing Browallia Marine Bells. I'm hoping for better luck this year. I've had problems for the last two. It's such a good annual for the shade when it works. The colour is so pretty and it seems to have fallen off as something that was easy to find in the trade, perhaps because it doesn't show all that well on the bench in spring, or maybe they've been having crop failure too?

Also am trying Red Rooster Carex. Just noticed on the Stokes seed package that I should avoid extremes in both temperature and moisture for this one. Welcome to Southern Ontario Mr. Rooster! Don't know if you don't try?

T&M's Echinacea 'Pink Parasol' that is supposed to bloom this year if I start it now. The seed package is wonderful, so perhaps will just stick that in if it doesn't work out.

And the last one from yesterday was Corydalis ochotensis var. raddeana. I can't for the life of me remember what it is supposed to look like, but it's from Gardens North outside of Ottawa, and I'm sure the description was tremendous. I don't expect to see anything in this pot until this summer, and nothing as far as flowers for a year or two - so it will be a lovely surprise as I expect the tag will probably be completely illegible by that point.

Am meeting two of my favourite garden buddies for lunch today - Gill & Stephanie. Hiding my car keys so I'll walk - about 2-1/2 k each way, so not too far and it will take me past 16 Mile Creek - with any luck I'll have some good ice shots tomorrow.

Open House at the Royal Botanical Gardens

Visited a couple of nurseries yesterday hoping to find something a little unusual that I could take cuttings of for my summer baskets. Nothing I fancied, so continued on to the Royal Botanical Gardens - they have a "Glass Under Glass" exhibit at the moment. It turns out they also have an exhibit of insects and spiders - mainly tailored to children, but certainly fun to check out the action. Can you spot the motorized tarantula?

This is one of the newest areas at the main RBG building. Lots of windows. So much brighter than other spaces within the older building.

Fortunately most of these dear little creatures came from other places - very few were North American.

Forgot what these two were supposed to be, but they were about the size of a compact car & spent their time clicking and sparring.

Visitors from the Southern United States - obviously hoping to escape and return to their nice warm home. Seem to have been well fed; they were about the size of a pen.

After I'd had my fill of bug watching, I was off to the greenhouse. These are jade plant flowers - this old grandfather of a plant - easily 5 feet x 4 feet and beautifully pruned was completely covered in blossoms.

I know dipladenia are common and I'm not even a pink sort of girl - but I just had to share this snap.

As far as botanical gardens go, the RBG's greenhouse is Lilliputian.

Small, but just full of blossoms at the moment. The scent of jasmine was everywhere - sadly my jasmine photos weren't up to the quality of their perfume. But here is something that was white and pretty:

Definitely no scent, but certainly fun.

I enjoyed this glass exhibit better than the sculptural exhibit - not sure why, maybe I just like glass better.

There were a collection of these little panels - 6" square. I think I could find a good spot in my garden for at least one of them.

I really liked these two swoopie pieces of glass. Even in person, they looked as if they were floating.

Just wouldn't be an sculptural garden exhibit without a fish...or maybe that's just a Canadian thing.

Starved for colour - just had to include this iron and blue glass thingie. Reminded me of my mum's old aluminium coasters.

A blooming Eucalyptus.

Wouldn't that be a fancy plant? However, it it indeed two - variegated leaves do not belong to the bougainvillea.

More glass upstairs with the Bird of Paradise (I'm guessing here).

If I had all the room in the world, I'd find a home for one of these lovely plants. (This one is the size of a good walk-in closet.) Maybe if I got rid of some of my furniture? I don't think my guests would mind standing, providing I made sure they had a drink, or two.

All in all, it was a good mini-escape from the dreary - but foolishly warm weather (+10C, 50F). If this keeps up, I'll have to go back to my photographs to look at snow.

The Kind of Weekend that Gives Me Hope

Great start to the weekend - Friday the Stokes Seed order arrived: Marine Bells Browallia, Cleome White Sparkler, Carex Red Rooster, Rudbeckia Tiger Eye Gold, Zinnia Magellan Coral - and some herbs: Dill Diana, Oregano Greek or Winter Type, Coriander Delfino, Basil Di Genova plus the 2 oz of Amaranthus Early Splendor that I'll be packaging up to send out to 800 or so of Kevin's clients.

It really was a red letter weekend -not only did I get one of my seed orders, but the weather started to warm up - a brilliant 8C! A stunning change from the minus 22C of last week. I know deep down inside, that I shouldn't be getting my hopes up just yet, but I'll take any kind of hope after all the snow we've had, even false hope, if it looks this good.

On Sunday it was 2C (35F). See what happens to snow packed pathways when the weather warms up - they turn into wonderful skating rinks.

I was able to sit on the rocks for a while - they felt warm (ok, not Florida warm, but not ice-cube cold either). Even the geese were pretending it was spring.

It was a shame there weren't more people out.

Isn't this a great colour?

It all looks so peaceful - what you don't see, is all the church goers scrambling for parking.

Can you believe it - that's grass on the right side of the path!

And, grass on my own front lawn around the Eastern White Pine - is that not fabulous! I tell you, I'm half thinking it's time to get that mower tuned. There's more warm weather this week - a 10C forecast for later in the week. Who knows, the next photos you see might be of me in the water with the geese?