Category: Garden

What gardener doesn’t live for the morning when that first seedling pops through the moist soil?  And what gardener hasn’t been disappointed by a seed that never sprouted?  ~Deborah L. Martin

 

Make no mistake  the crocus above is not from this year.  In fact it bloomed last year on February 22nd.  With the last 6 weeks of winter being so warm, many blooms came early  in 2012 followed by frigid April where many flowers met their doom.  So what will spring bring us this year?  What is blooming now?  I was curious in late February of this year what the answers to these questions might be.  After all we had 15 feet of snow and very cold temps in the winter of 2013 here at my house.  And who knows if we are done.

I am a very curious person by nature.  Being curious in and of itself is no big deal, but if you are inquisitive as well, then you are in for some adventures.  It may be why I take on too much because my insatiable curiosity cannot be quelled. But to be curious means one must be courageous and ask lots of questions.  How else will you come to know something, continue on your inquiries and share what you learn?  And I love to learn from others which is a large part of why I blog.

Soon it will be Garden Bloggers Bloom Day (GBBD) hosted by Carol@May Dreams Gardens. And we will all be asking, what’s blooming where you are?  I have to say I was excited at the thought that something might actually be blooming.  But I thought I would first make a comparison to last year.

 

 These blooms opened in late February of 2012….

 

 

By early March of 2012 these blooms appeared….

 

 

Then by mid March of 2012, in time for GBBD, we had these blooms….

 

 

So what is blooming now???

Surprise!!  Spring has sprung and winter’s grip is loosening as the snow recedes more each day, heck each hour.  These blooms are exactly what I saw a few weeks earlier last year, but who cares…..crocus and snowdrops are up in a day…wooohoooo!!!  These blooms were sneaking up earlier in the day just barely showing.  By later afternoon they were in bloom with more buds popping up.  Can you see it…me dancing in the melting snow doing the spring fever dance….this is bliss!!!  The garden will be kicking into high gear soon….no stopping spring now.

 

As winter comes to a close, it is time to reflect on my Garden Lessons Learned as I link in with Beth@PlantPostings and her wonderful meme.

 

First I find I must constantly challenge myself if I am ever to learn and improve.  Winter is a great time for reflection, learning and planning.

Secondly and most importantly, I found that I prefer a normal winter if my garden is to perform at its peak.  Here in my zone 5b we find cold frigid temps with lots of snow.  At least 10 feet a winter.  This year, we had 15 feet of snow and 3 inches of rain during a thaw.  Plenty of water to help my garden grow.  But snow is important for the garden too…without enough snow (like last year) my garden suffered.

• Snow is insulation for soil and plants to prevent heaving of the soil, and prevent plants from starting to grow too early. (another reason I lost so many plants last year).
• The best thing about snow that I read recently (sorry I forgot where) was that snow is a great source of nitrogen.  It is often referred to as a “poor man’s fertilizer”.  Snow lays down a layer of nitrogen, and is eventually absorbed by soil and plants.  Lots of snow means lots of natural fertilizer giving the garden plants a great boost.  Works that way with rain too which is why my veg garden grows much better when it has rain water.

So let’s hear it for winter and all its benefits.  I’ll let you know how the garden does compared to last year…but I have to believe it will be in much better shape and off to a good start after all the snow it has melting on it right now.

 

 

 

“When you’re curious, you find lots of interesting things to do.” -Walt Disney