How a Gardener Survives Winter

It's been a tough winter throughout much of the country. We've had record cold, and record snowfalls. It's enough to make a gardener crazy! I find winters difficult to tolerate anyway, but the extra, extra cold temperatures have made it all the worse.

Normally I can tolerate winter with some coping techniques I've perfected. First, I find that I do better if I go right out into the snowy weather and take pictures. Not this year, the arctic cold keeps me inside.

 I also make sure to visit Franklin Park Conservatory to see the greenery. Haven't done that yet, still too frigid and the roads are too icy. Sigh...

Another thing to make winter more tolerable is to visit the floral departments at big box stores. They have blooming plants of all kind, and bringing one home is a sure fire spirit lifter. I did purchase one tiny grocery store primrose plant, but I need more to overcome this spell of bad weather.

One of my favorite sanity savers is to go through the seed catalogs that bombard our mailboxes this time of year. This is my chance to plan my garden for the year. Not sure why I haven't started this project yet. Maybe I need to have complete cabin fever before I do.

But my favorite way to make the winter go by more quickly is to simply go through my picture files from last summer.

Just by looking at them, I know that winter will eventually end. It will be warm again, someday.

I find myself smiling the whole time I'm looking at them.

Now I know that summer comes every year. Winter always ends, followed by spring, then summer. This we all know is true. It's just a little hard to believe with a winter like this.

Looks like I'd better use all my best tricks to survive this kind of winter with my sanity intact. Guess it's time to get out those seed catalogs and start planning!

Looking At The Bright Side

Things still don't look very good out in the garden, so I decided to just enjoy the bright spots that I do find, and forget the rest. It's much less stressful that way. Like the Full Moon coreopsis, it could care less if there is a drought in the garden. It's blooming anyway!

The creeping thyme ground cover in my arbor pathway never lets me down. It has been in bloom for weeks now, and if often covered in bees and butterflies.

The bonfire euphorbia next to the thyme is also a summer time stalwart. It doesn't require anything of me, not even water, it just sits there with pretty foliage. I like that in a plant during a hot summer drought.

Sweet little Helenium Mardi Gras may not be the flashiest plant in the garden, but it does bloom, right on cue every summer. 

I might not be a big hosta fan, but there is one kind of hosta that appeals even to me, June. I have it tucked in under my globe spruce, where the foliage continues to look lovely, despite the heat and lack of rain. Trust me, those are hose water drops, not rain. 

Now while my phlox plants don't really flourish, they did all peek out and at least gave me a few blooms, like Nicky here.

I often tout the benefits on my Angelina sedum in winter, I must say that it is equally dependable in mid summer. Never needs water, stays green, spreads out nicely, and doesn't require a thing from me.

  I've over wintered this same Carlos lantana plant for several years now, and here it is in bloom once more. 
This petite echinacea called Mistral is another one that never lets me down. It doesn't bloom till mid summer, but once it does, it never stops.

I think every gardener knows they can count on black eyed susans for some mid summer color in the garden. I don't think there is any way to get this plant wrong.

My new Pow Wow Wildberry echinaceas have bloomed in the prettiest bright pink color. I hope they turn out to be as dependable as the traditional coneflowers.

 Daylilies and lilies are blooming here and there, giving me little spots of color to enjoy. 

And that big pot of black petunias has not stopped blooming or faded in any way throughout this tough summer. I like that in a flower. 

 See, I did it. I found bright spots to enjoy when I really tried. That being said, I still want it to rain!

The Heat Wave

It's awfully hot for June. It's also very, very dry. According to the paper, the drought in Columbus is mild compared to the rest of the state. That's hard to believe! We did have a storm last week, and received 3/4 inch of rain here in my town. While it was a lovely thing, it was hardly enough. The garden has mostly thrown up it's hands in surrender. The first flush of roses is over, and there are only random blossoms. Here are a few of those last blossoms, for now anyway.

Don Juan climber

 Tahitian Sunset

Zepherine Drouhin

Oranges and Lemons

In their place are daylily blooms,

 Little Grapette

Pandora's Box

various coneflowers,

 Coconut Lime

Ruby Star

Pow Wow Wildberry

and the bee balms.

 Monarda Cambridge Scarlet

Monarda Grand Parade

Now the butterfly bushes don't mind the heat and drought. Although I must admit that the bicolor blossoms always droop in the mid day sun, but they perk up later.

 Bi Color Buddliea

Unknown Buddliea

I've got a few other flower friends who don't mind the heat. The various hyssops don't even blink. This first one, I started from seed last year. A real triumph for me.

Sunset Hyssop

 Golden Jubilee

Anise hyssop

And this Gay Butterflies milkweed I started from seed last year actually has a few flowers on it! I'm always excited when I have good results from seed.
 
 Now this one is a new one on me. So far, so good. The blooms seem to last a long time, and they are unfazed by the heat and dry weather. It's called Lysmachia Beaujolais.

The creeping thyme growing as a ground cover through my arbor never complains about the heat either. And you can walk right on it!

 The hot and dry weather doesn't seem to be keeping the butterflies away. They aren't bothered one bit!

Red Admiral

Swallowtail

I guess I'd better go drag the hose around the yard like I do every day. I love summer, but some rain would sure be nice!