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.

A Spring Chill

I guess I shouldn't complain. After all, there was snow today in the northeast! But I am not loving the spring chill. Brrrrr! We are almost to our frost free date, so I just wish the warmth would come back. So far, it hasn't stopped any blooms from arriving. The chocolate chip ajuga I featured in my last post has reached it's peak bloom. Right now it's like a purple welcome mat being rolled out from my front door.

 I use a lot of purple in the spring, especially out front. My Polish Spirit clematis is already blooming near the purple welcome mat.

Also peaking nearby is my double purple columbine. I love this one!

More purple tones are found on the creeping phlox. Some may say that these are over used. But they are so reliable, and bloom for such a long period of time. What's not to love?

I found more purple in the back, alliums starting to bloom....

chive flowers, and

iris! I wish I could put the scent into this photo. These iris are so beautiful that they don't even need to be fragrant. But they are. Ahhhh.

All is not purple in my garden. The red columbines love to seed themselves freely about. I don't mind, I just wish the purple ones would do the same.

Finally, my doublefile viburnum is in bloom. After three years, I had almost given up.

Miss Ladybug likes the viburnum too!

I've been watching the roses to see which bloom would show up first. As always, Funny Face will be the first arrival, if it ever warms up.

Now I'm not a big hosta fan, but there is one exception. I love this June hosta, and have given it a place of honor by the front door.

So chilly or not, my garden insists on blooming like it's warm out!