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.

November in the Garden

Years ago, I thought that the garden season ended with the first frost. I'm so glad that I was wrong.

Now I know better, because a garden can actually be interesting year round. Every November, I am surprised to find flowers still in bloom, even after they have been kissed by a few frosts.

Tonight we are expecting a killing freeze, so that will be the end of the these last flowers. It's always a sad day for gardeners. It will take more effort to find the "interesting" that I mentioned earlier.

Soon the fall colors will fade, and much of the landscape will turn to shades of browns and grays. It's a tough time for color lovers like me.

The winter interest I mentioned will be the dried grasses and flower stalks left behind. That's why it's important to use evergreens in the landscape.

I have to say that some of my ground cover plants are nearly evergreen, like this Chocolate Chip Ajuga and the nearby Dead Nettle, or lamium. Honestly, the lamium often sneaks out a flower here and there even in January. That's why I let it go a little crazy out front. It's worth it.

The last tree to lose its leaves around here is the ornamental pear planted by the city in the easements throughout our town. I look forward to this sight every year. I've always called it my clown tree, because it has so many colors at once. But someone else called them The Skittles Trees, and I like that even better.

November in the garden, who knew?

The Quiet Garden

Before I became a gardener, I thought there was only one season for it, summer. As time went  by, I learned that there can be interest in the garden year round. It was an important lesson to learn. You see, I never would have thought that November could hold anything to see in the garden.

It may not be as bright and colorful as the month of May, but it has a quieter beauty.

You have to depend on shapes, forms, and textures to keep the garden interesting when summer fades away.

 The colors are mostly subtle.

 Only a few flowers remain, and you have to look hard to see them.

But the pansies and violets are still scoffing at the cold. You have to admire that in a flower, especially in November.

Maybe only gardeners can appreciate November. It's easy to love the summer garden, anyone can do it. But it takes effort to see the beauty in quiet spots like this.

If the summer garden is loud, then the November garden is quiet. And that's so much better than no garden at all.