January 24, 2008

Winter in the garden

Temperatures gets up and down in 24 hours. Nuts waiting for squirrels are frozen - it was water for few days, now it is ice. Changes are weird and not typical for this season. I just read the forecast for next 6 months and it says there will be no winter - in March we are going to experience temp +20C - let's see.
I just realise looking at the pictures I made in the garden, that my thermometer has both scales Celsjus and Fahrenheit - how convenient and a lot easier to understand what it means that our friends in Canada are experiencing -10F. BRRRR!!!!
If anyone would like to use this picture for own convenience, please feel free to copy.
If you think I shall photograph the upper scale, please let me know in comments.



Helleborus niger - ready to jump up, just when the weather will be better...

Pretty, little shrubbery growing to the hight of 10 cm is still holding red berries - how persistent plant, isn't it?
Gaultheria procumbens - it requires acidic soil, so as it spreads, I improve the soil around it.


Life in the pond has difficult time, when it is completely frozen.
Fishes there need some air, therefore we put this white polysterene water-hole.
It worked well last 2 winters, but look what this melting and frezing of last days has done.
Even if there is sand inside and stone on it (still visible on the picture), ice pushed it out...


Crocuses are ready....


As main garden helper... Aslan has to check also every place that I check...
I wonder what he sees there?


Tree barks are fascinating to me....


Last summer, begining of August I took zilions of cuttings of lavender. After using growth hormone, I placed it in the pot and left it completely alone outside among other plants.
Look, I got 7 new plants - they seem to be fine and they are still outside.
Even if small percent of cuttings survived it is still own produced 7 plants.
That will help me to rearrange part of the garden, right?

Primula denticulata ready to flower soon....

...and tulips...


Even forgotten bulb, that dropped not noticed during autumn works, wants to grow - just without a gram of soil - shows how much nutrition is inside and only ittle water is enough...


Fragaria looks suprisingly green, if you think about fragaria. This one is evergreen and flowers almost 11 months. Now little buds are waiting to open...


Chasing spring... ultimate solution - visit at big house plant wholesaler.
This way I found instant spring.
I love this place - I feel like in paradise, especially in the winter it has a healing effect...



...pink (begonia)...

... and red WINTER TREAT ...


City gardening could be full of surprises. Just look: a flowering yucca :) at the winter window of sushi bar...

11 comments:

Barbara said...

How much I hope that your are right when saying, that March will bring us temperatures arount 20°C. We had again -6° this morning and in the afternon +7°. Strange season! But how surprising all your plants that are already looking out of the soil. I also try to make new lavender and box every year... some always come up.
Bye, bye,
Barbara

Kylee Baumle said...

I'm so jealous! You've got spring starting there! We won't see things like that for nearly two months yet. I bought some gaultheria in three pots just a couple of weeks ago and am keeping them in the basement greenhouse until I can plant them outside. They're new to the garden.

Christine said...

What a wonderful post, so full of photos of the coming of spring. Stay in touch!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful photos! It's nice that you feed the squirrels.

Thanks for stopping by my blog.

Best,
Paz

Rosengeranium said...

Beautiful photos! My strawberries on the balcony are still green - like your fragaria. Of course, the weather has been equally strange in Sweden; snow in November, spring all through December and January and (hopefully) a tad of wintern in February.

Lisa at Greenbow said...

My hellebores are still sleeping. It is too cold here for buds of any sort outside. The sun is shining and the days are getting longer. I can't hardly wait for spring when I see your pretty pictures.

Unknown said...

I'm a bit envious too, Ewa; we're dipping down into the very cold again here. Most people in Canada have acquiesced to the Metric scale for temperatures, but I still dislike metric and prefer Fahrenheit for temperature, and tolerate metric for mileage only. (I think in ounces and pounds and feet and inches...stubborn.)

Whatever the case-I love the way the blog is laid out now (how did you get it full page wide? That's impressive!) and that photograph of the bark is just splendid. It'll be fun to see your bird report, too.

Ewa said...

Barbara,
Taking cuttings from own garden is such fun, isn't it?
I also take box cuttings every year - just forgot to photograph tem - they are also waiting for spring :)

Kylee,
It looks like spring, but it can look same without changes for next 1,5 month, if temeratures will be still dropping below 0C. One year I observed them in the same state until April (except crocuses).
Feeling better, ha?

Christine,
Welcome to my blog and let's stay in touch.

Paz,
I am trying to feed sqiurrels - they are not so eager to come to my garden, because I do not have enough number of tall trees. My garden is young. It looks like the opposite neighbour garden is the limit for them. But I will wait patiently...

Rosengeranium,
Welcome to my blog. I hope you visit me again.

Lisa,
I was in the garden yesterday again and... I pulled some weeds... hmmmm... I really started to feel, that spring is coming, however I am still thinking that winter did not say the last word yet. We have a proberb: 'When February comes, fetch yourself a good shoes'.

Jodi,
I know, what long winter means - few years ago we had still 1m of snow in April :(
Thank you for nice words about my blog's 'new dress'. I got tired of that black I had - spring is coming I guess :) and I got inspired to change by you and Yoland Elizabet. Concerning layout - I have chosen from the blogger's layout selection the one that has 'stretch' in name, and that made me able to use full screen. It also adapts the view to different computer screen dimensions - which means it is not same all the time, but if the screen is smaller the content display is getting compact, when is wider it is stretching - very useful.
Tree bark picture? yes, I was also surprised by effect :) do you have such surprises too?

Greetings to all visitors :) Thank you and please drop by again.

Victoria Cummings said...

Ewa - Thanks for the photo of the thermometer - it is very helpful as I read other people's descriptions of their world - Your other photos are wonderful too, as always. I too get a little crazy going into the greenhouses and seeing all those flowering plants. I want to buy everything, but my window box is already full. I'm practicing being patient.

ilterocktive said...

That bulb looks like it is bitten from the bottom, but hey, I'm not experienced... :)

TYRA Hallsénius Lindhe said...

Wonderful picture your sharing with us, I lve the bulb it looks almost exotic.

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