Sunday, March 22, 2015

Ready for Spring, But First a Few Lessons From Winter


Hooray! It's Spring!  My favorite season of the year.  The snow has melted, and a little garden clean-up has revealed some emerging bulbs and even some crocus blooming this week.  But those of us who have lived in the Midwest all our lives, like me, know that Mother Nature might still have some unwelcome surprises in store for us.  Before I get too excited and while I wait for the perennials to start showing some new growth, it's a good time to reflect on the past season and participate in Beth at Plant Postings' seasonal meme, Lessons Learned in the Garden.



I have to admit gardening was pushed to the back of my mind for the last few months, so I'm not sure how much I actually "learned" this past winter.  Still there were a few little lessons worth remembering next year:
  • I can grow orchids!  Well, actually time will tell if they survive through another season.
  • Don't bring succulents indoors to over-winter, only to forget about them and leave them in the garage.  (Enough said.)
  • You can kill air plants.  I guess I should have read the instructions on these little freebies I got last summer at the Portland Fling.  Apparently, they need air and some weekly water.
  • Plan ahead for forcing bulbs.  Waiting till mid-January to plant them means they probably won't bloom till the outdoor bulbs are blooming anyway.
Every winter is different.  This year we didn't have nearly as much snow as some years, and as a result, I've noticed some heaving of a few plants as I have been cleaning up the garden.  Most of the garden was covered with a thick layer of leaves as mulch over the winter, but most of the leaves on my shade garden expansion apparently blew off.  I won't know for a few weeks if I lost some plants there, but it's a good reminder to make sure I mulch this area better before next winter.


There is something so beautiful and pristine about the garden covered in a fresh blanket of snow.

This may surprise some of you, but I actually kind of like winter.  You probably wouldn't have heard me say that last year, but this winter wasn't nearly as bad as 2013-14.  Sure, we had some very cold days, but the really cold stretches didn't last too long.  And we certainly didn't have as much snow as last year, meaning I could get out most days I had to without facing treacherous roads. The most snow we had all season was on March 1, late enough in the season that I didn't really get tired of it. 

Tulip Display at this year's Chicago Flower and Garden Show.
 Of course, I had to order more tulips for this fall after seeing these:)

Winter gives me more time to relax and complete some indoor projects.  I mean, who wants to clean out the basement on a sunny June day??  It's also a good time to look through garden books and magazines and plan that elusive perfect garden for the coming season.  A great escape as winter draws to a close is the Chicago Flower and Garden Show held last week at Navy Pier.  My friend Beckie and I have attended for several years now and find it a perfect way to get our spring "fix" and find new ideas for our own gardens. (More on this in a later post.)


But the best part about winter is simply this:  it makes me appreciate Spring so much more!


I don't think I could live in a climate without the four seasons.  Unless you have suffered through endless days of cold and a garden either muddy brown or buried under snow, I'm not sure you could appreciate a scene like this.  As the snow melts, it's so exciting to find little surprises like this.  And I'm not just talking about the emerging daffodils--Sophie is so excited, too, to find some of her favorite toys that have been buried under the snow all winter:)



The winter has held other secrets, too.



After a dull landscape all winter, tiny blooms are so much more appreciated.  An update on my snowdrops, by the way--they have multiplied a little, after all.


Tiny crocuses that would get lost in the riot of colors in late spring and summer are objects of wonder and happiness as they herald the end of winter.


It doesn't take much to make me happy--and a sight like this is one of them.


Yes, the best part of winter is that it is followed by Spring!


I'm linking this post to Beth's Lessons Learned and also to  Donna's Seasonal Celebrations at Gardens Eye View.  I hope that Spring has arrived in your garden, too!

44 comments:

  1. I agree with you about winter Becky. I seem to need this time to relax, do some other projects and dream about the coming gardening season. I just love air plants. I have several. Carrie got me started on them. I think they look like plants from outer space with them not needing to be potted. FUN... I am glad you found you could grow orchids. They can become addicting tho just like air plants. :)

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    1. Now I don't feel so bad when I call you Tena or Tena, Lisa:) I will have to see your air plants someday; I think they're cool, but I just don't know what to do with them.

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  2. What a beautiful orchid! I would miss the winter, too, if I lived year-round in a warm climate. Plus, a long winter is a good excuse to get away for a tropical vacation (or at least some time away from the cold). It IS great to experience four seasons, though. Great lessons! Thanks, again for joining in the meme, Rose. Happy spring!

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    1. You're right, Beth--winter is the perfect excuse for a getaway to someplace warm! Unfortunately, when we went to Texas in January, we took the cold with us:) Thanks for hosting this--I always enjoy it!

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  3. Oh I love this perspective of appreciating spring through winter Rose.....winter was so harsh for me and still is so once spring comes, I know I will appreciate it...thanks for joining in Rose and my round up will be posted tomorrow with your wonderful post.

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    1. Spring is my favorite season of the year, so it's not hard to find reasons to celebrate it, Donna. We're for colder temps this week, so winter may not be done with us yet. Hope spring is on its way to you!

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  4. Spring is my favorite time of the year too ! I love tulips ! Rose, I know that your garden will be wonderful !
    Have a nice week :)

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    1. I'm a tulip-lover, too, Ela. I am looking forward to seeing all of them bloom in my garden in a month or so.

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  5. how right you are!! I lived on the west coast for most of my life and while the warmer climate is nice the seasons blend together. I do love that on the east coast when it's spring there's so much anticipation. Seeing those green shoots popping up out of the snow is nothing short of amazing.

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    1. You understand how I feel, Marguerite--I just don't think we would get quite so excited about green shoots and the tiny blooms of bulbs like crocus and snowdrops if we hadn't just endured winter. Hope spring is headed your way, too!

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  6. It is good to clear leaves and find shoots emerging from the soil........little secrets hidden away.
    I love purple crocus......such a colourful addition to the spring garden.

    I looked after a collection of orchids for someone many years ago. I was asked to do it for a week and ending up tending them for three months. Strangely it put me off growing them......beautiful though they are ...........

    Happy Spring Rose

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    1. Cheryl, I'm not much for houseplants anymore, partly because I tend to forget about them, so we'll see how well the orchids do for me. They're much appreciated during the winter, but the rest of the year, I'd rather see blooms outdoors. I can't describe how exciting it is for me to see the first green growth of spring!

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  7. I enjoyed reading about your lessons learned, and seeing your photos, but I don't share your views on winter. I wish I did, and maybe I would if it was a few weeks shorter. I just do not like winter, but, like you, am enjoying the new blooms and seeing what all is coming up each day. I had to laugh about the air plant.

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    1. Sue, I understand--last year you certainly wouldn't have heard me say I like winter! This year I think there were enough things going on here that it seemed to fly by, which helped. I can't believe I killed an air plant:)

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  8. Rose, your cover photo is simply stunning! I loved this post. I chuckled when I read about Sophie discovering her long lost toy right next to your wonderful discovery that those bulbs are going to produce some plants and some blooms. That is a classic photo if I ever saw one.

    I just bought my first orchid. We'll see how I do.

    I should post something about questions I have about indoor plants. I've never loved them. I like gardening outside, but that is nearly impossible here because of the deer. So, I'm trying to grow some things inside. I'm not good at this!

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    1. Sally, I'm not a houseplant person either. I seem to leave whatever green thumb I have outside:) So sorry about your deer--I know it must be frustrating to have them feed everything in your garden. I'm hoping they and the rabbits leave my tulips alone this year.

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  9. Air plants, who knew? Ha. Anyway, winter does make one appreciate the seasons to come. I like that winter makes them possible too. I so love your tulips and crocus. They really say spring.

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    1. I really should have read the directions that came with these plants when I came home:) I guess I took their name at face value that all they needed was air!

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  10. Your lessons gave me a chuckle. Don't we all make these kind of mistakes.You look to be just ahead of us. The snow is almost gone, but it is still cold. Hopefully there will be some crocus and snowdrops soon.

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    1. Jennifer, I'm always learning from my mistakes. We've had a cold week again this week, and the crocus have closed up their blooms till it gets warmer.

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  11. Autumn is my favorite season but I love spring too. By the end of winter and summer, I'm glad to see the last of them. Our winter this year was not quite as snowy altho the snow lasted and lasted, but it was cold! Good riddance to last winter, I say.

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    1. Spring has always been my favorite season, Marnie, probably because it meant the end of the school year was approaching:) I do love fall, too, but there is something just so exciting about seeing the new growth in the garden this time each year.

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  13. Spring is my favourite time of the year too Rose. I just wish that I could press a pause button. I could not imagine life without four distinct seasons a year either. One of my brothers lives in Singapore where the seasons do not really exist and days/nights are always twelve hours :( A beautiful photo of the orchid which I hope flourishes for you for many years to come. Sorry for deleting the last comment - I was still logged into another Google account.

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    1. Oh yes, Anna, I would love to hit the pause button on spring! Especially because it seems it is our shortest season--we seem to go straight into summer in May.

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  14. You're right, Rose. every winter is different. This one here was mild, rainy and a bit of snow. That was badly for plants when came frost and all became icy. I'm glad you have so many flowers sprouts, spring is nice time!

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    1. Our winter was cold at times but not so much snow. I'm still waiting to see what effect that might have had on the garden. A layer of snow is always great insulation for the plants, and mine didn't have that most of the winter.

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  15. We still have a good foot of icy snow frozen to the ground so it will be a while before anything blooms. Thanks for sharing your spring! Scout is sniffing around out back for hidden toys but all we've found is a red solo cup, tossed by a student. I appreciate your positive attitude to winter.

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    1. I'm not sure I could wait as long for spring as you do, Sarah! Sophie has a bad habit of taking her toys outside and then leaving them. During the summer and fall, I usually pick them up before my husband mows, although a few have met a sad end with the lawnmower:)

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  16. I am so totally with you on the four seasons thing, and glad to know I am not alone in enjoying the change of pace that winter provides! But oh, isn't the arrival of spring just so magical, energising, inspiring and, well, welcome!! I've killed air plants too, in fact my house is a plant-free zone. Sometimes one just has to acknowledge one's limitations... I'm impressed your orchids survived, I'm death to them too!!

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    1. A great way of describing the feelings of spring, Janet! I can't wait until it stays warmer and more blooms appear. I'm keeping my fingers crossed about my orchids:)

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  17. O lovely to see spring arrived in your garden Rose. And you are so right every year we learn more about the garden.
    Have a wonderful day.

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    1. Thank you, Marijke. It hasn't felt much like spring this past week--winter returned, I'm afraid. But soon, I hope there will be more blooming in the garden.

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  18. Such pretty pictures Rose and so many treasures! So glad spring has sprung for you all!

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    1. I know the cold temps hit you, too, this weekend--let's hope this is the last of winter!

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  19. Plan ahead for forcing bulbs. Yes. This explains why I never get around to forcing bulbs, despite the best of intentions. Very true about the crocus, always one of my favorite early spring bulbs.

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  21. I always ending up killing orchids. We received an air plant as a gift and put it in the kitchen window. It is doing okay but started looking a tad brown this past week. I have been giving it regular water. I would like to put it out in the rain. Very interesting plant!

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  22. The only orchid I can keep alive is a silk one. ;o) I thought the dog toy was a bizarre kind of fungus until I read the description. I always forget about forcing bulbs, too, and end up buying a few pre-forced hyacinth in Feb. Your header photo is gorgeous!

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  23. I hope spring is coming along there. Yes, there are lessons to be learned each season. There is no substitute for experience! Trust the older gardeners!

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  24. Such beautiful spring flowers. I love how the garden awakes at this time of year. We had no snow here but it's not been very sunny for what seems like a whole season!
    Yur header pic is so beautiful :)

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  25. I'm glad to see that spring has arrived even all the way up in Illinois! I see orchids in the grocery store but still haven't worked up the nerve to buy one. ;) Congratulations on your success!

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  26. That's too funny - I totally kill air plants, too! There's something about them. I do try to remember to give them some water, but apparently not often enough :) So nice to visit the flower shows around this time of year and get a small garden fix!

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  27. Your lessons learned made me laugh! Four seasons are a wonderful thing and we do have seasons in the PNW but not as severe as yours. The spring thrill is still here though! Having lived and gardened in zone three Alaska, I do remember colder winters like yours and the season was wonderful, forcing a break in gardening, and covering all of last year's mistakes in a blanket of white.

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