As the Garden Grows

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Spring has Sprung

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Ok I know that Spring doesn’t officially arrive until Friday, but it sure seems like Spring outside! Even some of my plants think so!

Over the weekend and earlier today I took a walk around my tiny front yard and the backyard garden and much to my surprise I found several plants either greening up or developing leaf buds.

Several roses in both the front and backyard have some leaf buds on them and the lower branches on some are starting to green up too.

My Hydrangea in the backyard still seems lifeless (I didn’t dig down through all the leaves surrounding it so it might be showing signs of life at ground level), but the Blue one that I planted in my front garden bed last year already has several leaf buds on it. One of my hellebore’s (perhaps the only one I have left) has green leaves that appear to be full of life now too.

I don’t have any Crocus’ yet, but I believe I saw some of their grass like leaves coming up in the lawn so it won’t be long before they make an appearance, likewise my snowdrops. Other plants like my German Iris appear to have some green leaves as well … and two Dianthus that I had in a hanging basket that I forgot to take down last fall are coming back to life as well – talk about harsh conditions hanging in a basket in -20 Celsius weather and still being alive!

I’m pretty sure I’ll have a few flowers (crocus and snowdrop) my next week!

It’s been a nice March so far, but my gut tells me that even though there are clear signs of spring all around that we’ll probably get at least one more snow storm before the end of the month. Let’s hope it’s a small one. Either way it will melt fast! Anyway, that’s why I didn’t give in to start doing a bit of yard work earlier today when the urge hit me … might as well leave some of the dead leaves on the ground as extra protection against the cool night air and possible snow before the end of the month.

Are the plants in your garden or yard starting to show signs of life now too?






Another gorgeous day

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I just love it when we have beautiful days in the dead of winter. It warmed up to 18 C or 64 F today … that’s almost unheard of here in Toronto!

I had to resist a strong urge to go out and putter in my garden! There’s still a little bit of snow out there – or at least there was some in the shady areas in the afternoon … it’s possible that it melted away by now.

So I was looking out at my garden from the kitchen window .. the leaves on the ground and in the garden beds, the roses that I didn’t prune in the fall, plants that needed to be pulled out after they died down last fall … and that’s when the urge to get out there and tidy up the garden hit me.

Of course it’s the beginning of March. I’m sure we’ll have one or two snow storms and some desperately cold weather before Spring really arrives … so no, I didn’t go out into the garden no matter how much I wanted to. It would have been a wasted effort and if I’d started pruning it might even have hurt the plants one the cold weather returns.

Instead my dog got an extra long walk in the afternoon and a long walk in the evening. She also was given a walk, as usual, in the morning by my husband. So we all got some good exercise and we’re able to enjoy the amazingly warm March weather.

Did it warm up in your area too? If it did, did you get outside to enjoy it too?

An icy flower for an icy day

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The weather outside is miserable right now.

It’s cold and instead of snow there are ice pellets coming down! I think everything will have a coat of ice on it when I get up in the morning. Brrrr.

As I thought about what kind of post I’d do for Green Thumb Sunday the weather outside (the weather that I got to experience first hand while taking our dog out for her last outing of the night) I remembered how pretty my flowers look just after a rain. Then I remembered this lovely picture of an Iceberg rose … now doesn’t the name of the rose kind of fit the weather we’re having too? LOL

Iceberg Rose

So I present to you and Iceberg rose on an ice pellet day. Hey, it works for me …

I’ll add this cool purple Alium as well. It’s supposed to be a spring bloomer, but mine tend to bloom in late June or early July. The iceberg roses will bloom long before the Alium next year.

Alium

Are any of you lucky enough to be enjoying flowers due to living in a warmer climate than I? If so, I envy you. I already miss my garden.

Actually .. I do have a few flowers blooming indoors. My Thanksgiving cactus has almost finished it’s blooms and my Christmas Cactus has a few early blooms. Plus … I have a small hibiscus in my kitchen and it’s producing lovely coral flowers for us. So I guess I’m not as deprived as I thought I was.

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