March GBBD and Some Lessons From Winter

It is time once again for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, and while I expect my gardening friends farther south will be showing lots of colorful spring bloomers, no such luck here.  But there is hope, as you will see later.

I think my little Christmas cactus is feeling sorry for me, because it has put out fresh blooms the past few weeks.  Perhaps it's a Christmas/St. Patrick's Day cactus instead.

As winter winds down and spring approaches--or so the calendar says--it is also time to join in Plant Postings' quarterly meme of lessons learned in the garden each season.  With the garden under a thick blanket of snow most of the past few months, I didn't think I had learned very much this winter,  but the more I thought about it, I realized there were some lessons to be found in spite of the cold weather.

I learned that I really enjoy watching the birds from my window during the winter.  There may not be colorful blooms outside, but is there anything more beautiful than a bright red cardinal on freshly fallen snow?

This winter has certainly taught me patience.  Not only am I anxious to get out and work in the garden again, but I'm anxious to know how a couple of my experiments are going to turn out.  I was worried how my new Encore Azaleas would fare through the winter, since they are marginally hardy here.  I carefully read some tips for overwintering on their website, which included the suggestion for covering them.  I drove stakes into the ground last November and stapled burlap to the stakes as a wind barrier.  I didn't cover the tops, though, which I hope wasn't a mistake.  I added some leaves around them as extra mulch, and then the snow added extra insulation.  I'll have to wait to see if they survived, but I am so glad I took these precautions--this winter would surely have killed them otherwise!

Another experiment whose results won't be known for awhile involved bulb planting.  As usual, I had some extra bulbs leftover from my fall planting, and rather than find one more bare spot to dig up some dirt, I decided to try planting them in a pot.  I had never done this before, and while it sounded simple enough, I thought I'd better check if there were any specific tips for pots.   Dee at Red Dirt Ramblings  had written about just this very topic, so I asked for her advice.  Because of the smaller area of a pot, they should be treated as two zones colder than normal.  In other words, while my garden is in zone 5/6, the bulbs in this pot would feel like they were in zone 3 or 4.  I placed the pot on the back porch, which is usually sheltered from the fierce winds, but Dee suggested adding a layer of bubblewrap for even more protection. I didn't water it, but whenever I shoveled snow off the driveway, I dumped some clean snow on top--one pile sat there for two months before melting! Surely, the worst of winter is over, so this week I'm going to move the pot onto the patio and remove the bubblewrap.  If these tulips are a success, I'm going to try Dee's idea of "lasagna planting" in a pot next year.

This winter has been a reminder of what true winter in the Midwest is like.  We've been spoiled the last two years with mild winters, so this year has been a challenge in many ways.  Plants that have been happy in the garden for a few years may have been so shocked by this year's fierce weather that they won't survive.  I'm especially concerned about a few new plants I planted last fall, including this serviceberry, a tree I have been wanting for a long time.  It's a native, though, and pretty tough, so I am pretty confident in its chances.  I mulched it well after planting, and Frank the pug has made sure it has been well-watered all winter, though that "watering" may have done more damage than winter itself:)

Despite my complaints this year, I really do enjoy winter.  It's just that when it drags on and on, I've had enough.  One of the ways to combat those winter-weary blues is to start some seeds indoors, which I started this week.  With our average last frost date over eight weeks away, I have plenty of time to fill up several more trays in the next couple of weeks.  There's nothing like playing in a little dirt and opening seed packets to chase away the blues and get excited about gardening once again.

Winter has taught me a lot about patience, but the best part of winter for me is that it makes me appreciate spring that much more.  After months of looking at white or brown, finding these green shoots poking through the soil and matted leaves yesterday makes me so excited.  Tulips? Daffodils?  It really doesn't matter, because to me they represent hope and a reassurance that, yes, spring will come after all!

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day is brought to you the 15th of each month by May Dreams Gardens' Carol, who is probably out getting ready to plant peas this weekend.

Lessons Learned in the Garden is hosted at the end of each season by Beth at Plant Postings.  Check them both out!

A Visit to the City of Roses

I've just returned from spending the past week with Youngest Daughter in Portland, Oregon.  A visit to the "City of Roses" would not be complete without stopping by the beautiful International Rose Test Garden in Washington Park.  Situated on five acres overlooking the city with Mount Hood in the background, the garden has more than 550 varieties of roses.

The Portland garden is the oldest of 24 public rose test gardens in the United States for the AARS.  Much time and thought was given to the best time to visit Daughter, including working around her busy class and work schedule.  Obviously, bloom time at the Rose Garden was considered, but not the top priority for this visit.  By late May this scene should be transformed into a glorious riot of color. 

Nevertheless, walking around the many rows of hybrid teas, floribundas, and other varieties, a few blooms were spotted, like this 'Mordin Sunrise.'

And this 'What a Peach' hybrid tea.  I'm very reluctant to try my hand at planting tea roses, which need more TLC than I have time for, but visiting a test garden like this would be a good start for choosing the best varieties to plant.  Not only would you be able to get a true idea of what the blooms would look like, you would also have an idea of which plants were the most robust.  All of the roses here looked so healthy, but, even in the bud stage, there were certain varieties that looked especially vigorous.  Of course, what grows well in Portland might not do as well in the hot, humid summers and cold winters of Illinois, but a visit to a closer test garden--such as the Chicago Botanic Garden for me--would give a good idea of what roses do well in your particular area.

Not surprisingly, this area to the side of the test garden caught my eye and had to be checked out.

The Shakespeare garden contained many other plants besides roses, but only the roses were labelled.  I didn't find a Romeo or Juliet, but Thisbe, Hero, and Prospero were among those featured here.  I would love to see 'Fair Bianca' in bloom some time.

"A rose by any other name . . ."  Will always had a way with words:)

While Portland may be called "The City of Roses," at this time of year it could also be easily called "The City of Azaleas and Rhododendrons."  The roses might not be in full bloom yet, but everywhere I went, there were the most gorgeous displays of azaleas and rhodies I've ever seen. 

Earlier in the morning I had visited the Chinese Garden downtown (more on that in a later post) and was so impressed by the size of this rhododendron tree that I had to ask a guide to make sure that it was actually a rhododendron.  I've never seen ones that actually grew to tree size before!

I soon discovered the tree at the Chinese Garden was not an anomaly because throughout the city as well as at the Rose Garden, rhododenrons and azaleas often grew to tree-size. 

We Midwesterners just aren't used to a sight like this.

Back at home, there aren't any rhododendrons like these.  Instead I have lots of mundane chores to catch up on like unpacking, laundry, and trying to see how many strange e-mails I've supposedly sent out lately.  Apparently, I have been "spoofed"--a new term I've unfortunately become familiar with recently--and someone is sending out e-mails to everyone in my address book with my name on them.  It's a different account than what is listed in my profile, but if you happen to receive an e-mail from me with a strange subject heading, do not open it!   I apologize--I am certainly not endorsing any male enhancement products:)

The garden also is in dire need of attention, and the seedlings put under the care of Mr. Procrastinator aren't looking too good at the moment.  But all that will have to wait until the rain stops, and I catch up on some sleep...

Visiting the sites in Portland, including its many beautiful gardens, was definitely a treat, but the best part of my trip was, of course, spending time with these two sweeties. Mother's Day was a special treat this year since I hadn't seen my daughter or Coconut since August; a day at the beach was enjoyable with the two of them, even if it was too cold to stick a toe in the Pacific.  I can't wait until they can come home for a long visit in July!