Some Survivors

The polar vortex did not stay very long, thank goodness. It got down to ten below zero here, but within a week it was in the 50's. Sixty degree rise in one week! The day before the cold arrived found blizzard conditions nearby in Indiana and Michigan. Honestly, I was hoping the snow would come here too, to protect my garden from the upcoming frigid temps. But no such luck. And I doubted that the snow dust on the ground would provide one bit of protection. I went out today to check on things. Imagine my surprise to find Miss Ladybug moving around. She's a tough one!

Now I know that many of the plants won't come up till spring, or even begin to show life for months. But many of the cold lovers obviously shrugged off the recent cold snap. Looks like I'll have plenty of foxgloves to enjoy.

I'm pretty sure these are my Starry Night violas. I think they laughed at the cold.

Heucheras are another plant that shrugs off the cold. For the most part, these remain green and vital all winter. They will occasionally droop when snow flattens them, but they just pop right back up afterwards. The first one is the original plain green, often called coral bells. It never flinches. The second is a new-to-me variety called Circus, and even though it's a bit squashed, I see new growth in the middle. I just planted it last summer, so I don't yet know its habits.

 I was surprised to see the cold weather hellebores didn't hold up as well as I had hoped. You can see in the lower left that the foliage browned a bit, but I always trim off the old leaves anyway at the end of winter. Even though there is a lot of winter brown foliage in this corner, for the most part, it's a good example of how to plan for winter interest. There are various colors and textures here, including the pine roping I used to cover my empty window boxes. I'll leave them in place till it's time to plant pansies, which should be in late March.

Funny how the arborviteas and ajuga lining the front walk look little different than they did in the fall. Again, the ajuga is flattened a bit, but still interesting to look at even in winter. The fall coloring holds till spring when everything greens.

Since the weather has softened slightly, many of the spring bulbs have decided to peek out. Slow down little guys, spring is a long way off!

I always know I'll see little rosettes at the base of the Sedum Autumn Joy. It's one of my favorite signs of the upcoming spring. To me, these little "cabbages" symbolize a gardeners hope for spring.

Moonshadow euonymus is another plant that looks good year round. It can grow a little crazy if you don't rein it in now and then, but it's easily done with a few snips. Obviously, it didn't mind the cold a bit.

Ornamental grasses are one of my favorite ways to leave something to look at in winter. Technically, the foliage is already "dead" so I knew the cold wouldn't affect them a bit. The Karly Rose pennisetum is pretty beat up from the winter winds, but I still like how it looks. The miscanthus looks lovely, even in the winds. I had flowers in my patio urns during the summer, but I thought I'd sub in these small grasses for winter. I've lost the name tag for them, but they have held up quite well.

But the main attraction for me in winter is the sedum Angelina that I have scattered about everywhere. If you live in a cold, but low snow cover area like I do, it's just the thing for winter interest. It looks nice and green in summer, and might even bloom a little. But the best part is the glow it provides once it gets cold. Even after the polar vortex, it still shines all around my patio.

Glad to see some survivors out there, but we'll see what happens when spring arrives. I hope the rest of my plants do as well as these.

Summer Winding Down

Kids are heading back to school, and summer is coming to a close. In actuality, it will still feel like summer for weeks. Even when it begins to feel like fall, my garden will still look good for a few months yet. I often think how fun it would be to garden year round, but honestly, I enjoy the rest period during winter. And I do like the way everything sort of peaks at the end of summer.

We finally found a few hours to finish our herb garden project. It was pretty easy, the hardest part was planning out how we wanted to make it. The actual construction only took a few hours. Another difficult part was finding fresh herbs to plant at the end of the summer.  Before, I had some herbs scattered about the garden. Now I have easy access right outside the back door.

It hasn't been my best butterfly and moth year. I haven't seen a single monarch or buckeye yet, and very few swallowtails. My sedum Autumn Joy is about to bloom, and that's guaranteed to bring more butterflies. But what is interesting is the more uncommon species that have stopped by. I had to do some digging to find out this is a six spotted forester moth,

this is a false crocus geometer moth,

and this is a dogbane tiger moth.

 There were even some "fake" butterflies that turned out to be a Tiger Bee fly.

Silver spotted skippers, 

common skippers that I can never keep straight, 

and cabbage moth/butterflies are common visitors. Since I don't grow any cabbage crops, they don't bother me a bit.

 And the few swallowtails that do stop by are more than welcome here as summer winds down.

Busy September

The month of September is busy in my garden, and I don't even have to be there. You see, it isn't me that's busy. It's all the little visitors that come here in late summer. The butterflies, moths, skippers, bees, wasps, and flies all seem to arrive at once. It feels so good to see them here, because then I know that my garden is a safe zone for wildlife.

There are still some flowers to enjoy here and there. I did lose a few to the drought, but I know that those that remain are a hardy lot. These diehards will be the basis of my new garden technique. I will no longer assume that rain will fall in summer. Instead, I'll expect it to only be hot and dry, and plant accordingly. I'm trying to convince hubby to take the same approach with the lawn, but I'm not sure he's on board.

 I hear this refrain from many other garden bloggers this year. No more prima donnas will be allowed in the garden. Well, except for my roses. I don't consider them prima donnas anyway, like so many others do.

Any new members of my garden will have to be ever so dependable, like Sedum Autumn Joy. This one will never let you down. It doesn't need water, it doesn't need care, and it attracts every pollinator in town. Sometimes you can't even count how many insects are on it at once.

I do love to see praying mantis in my garden. After all, they are considered a beneficial insect, eating up some of the bad bugs. But I'm not sure I like where this guy has set up camp on the aforementioned sedum. I think he means to make a meal of the various pollinators that come by.

But it's nature's way, and I won't disturb him. He and his nearby pregnant wife are welcome in my garden, anytime!

 All the busy bees and bugs are so very welcome here, in September or any time! 

Garden Therapy

The garden is the place to go when you need a little boost.

 There's just no way to feel blue when you see the beauty out there.

 When you hear the whir of hummingbird wings, you have to smile.

As the fragrance of licorice hits you, you can't help but relax.

 Touch the soft, soft petals of the rose, and your heartbeat slows down.

 Before you know it, you find your spirit soothed.

It's therapy for the soul.