An ice storm moved through this area yesterday.
Amazing how the ice coats every leaf and twig and bud in its own cold cocoon.
The grasses were flattened for the day.
And we lost a few limbs here and there.
Some of the ice formations were really beautiful.
Hopefully this is our last cold spell, and temperatures start to warm up.
Next week it’s April!
Last fall I couldn’t bear (as usual) to throw all my container plants into the compost.
So I moved quite a few into the house for the winter.
I wanted to avoid insect trouble this year, so I bought a big new bag of potting soil,
and replanted every plant that was going to come into the house.
The begonias have done really well.
Such a variety of colours and textures.
And no bugs.
I will have enough Tradescantias Zebrina to divide and put in several containers.
Even the ivy didn’t get any spider mites. Yet.
I’ve had years where the plants do great until March, and then they seem to give up.
So I’m hoping this year, they hang on.
It will be nice to have such big, established begonias for the containers.
Here’s what they looked like last summer.
I have this plant in the house.
Sansevieria trifasciata, also known as Snake plant, or Mother-in-law’s tongue.
(Now that I am a mother-in-law, I don’t find that very complimentary.)
While watering the other day, I was surprised by the blooms!
I’ve never seen that before in this plant.
I’m wondering what the blooms will look like. What colour? Exotic or ugly? Fragrant?
I’ll keep you posted.
The first 2016 walk around the garden.
The snowdrops are the first to bloom.
Crocuses are also out.
The cowslips and primroses are greening up already.
Daffodils are just peeking out.
Some rodent damage in the lawn.
And something has almost destroyed this dianthus.
Clematis buds…
forsythia buds…
and the magnolia is full of promise.
The shade master seed pods need to be cleaned up.
And the willow branches. Raking will be job #1.
A new gardening season begins!
On a trip out of town this week, I grabbed the camera “just in case.”
It was in the camera bag, in the back seat, and even as we drove along, I wondered if I should be more prepared.
I have driven miles, with the camera ready on the seat beside me.
And never had occasion to stop.
But on this drive, we spotted this.
He stayed put long enough for us to back the car up, get the case out of the back seat, get the camera out,
change to a telephoto lens, roll down the window, get him in focus, and get the shots.
One shot was clear enough. He is so grouchy looking, don’t you think?
But amazing to see.
Lesson learned: Always take the camera with you!
We got some snow last night. About a foot in the driveway this morning.
Here are some before and after shots.
Just enough to cover the twigs.
It was sunny and bright this morning.
Still not a lot of snow compared to other winters.
I love the paths of these little snowballs rolling down the snowbank.
Might take some time for that pile of snow to melt yet!
It is March 1st.
March is coming in like a lion. Snowy, windy.
It has been a mild winter. No snow until January.
We would get some accumulation, but then another mild spell to melt it again.
You can see the snow is not very deep in the yard.
No trips to the compost pile in knee deep drifts this winter.
That does mean some of my plants may not have got the snow cover they needed.
But I’ll have to wait a while to see if they survived.
For now, it is March. Spring is in sight.