Friday, January 11, 2013

Waiting for Spring

I feel I did a pretty good job accepting the coming of winter, but my longing for spring has taken over the last few days.  Winter has been pretty mild, but we have had some cold days.  The Dec. snow is almost all melted.  Today's high was unseasonal, in the 50s, so Heidi and I went out and took some photos.  The cold is expected to come back tomorrow.


Over the last few years, I've decided that I like plants in the winter, even if they are dormant.  Can you see the hellebore that is not?


Here's a closer view.  I'm pleased that the snow did not damage the flower buds that were already forming.



I hope we get some more snow before spring gets here.  Even with the little bit of rain we had yesterday, the soil still needs more moisture after the dry summer we had.


I am excited about seeing whether my newly planted seeds come up in this and other areas this spring.


The switchgrass bunches were pretty bent over with the snow, but are recovering nicely.


I didn't take as many photos along the east side of the house as I had planned, so I am showing the wide views.


I did get a couple close shots of the hellebore that is near the barbed wire that is on the left side of the area above.  It is amazing to me that a clump of ice is near the plant, but it is still holding on to its blooms.



It looks like some new ones are also forming.


I plan on making some changes in this area, taking the quaking grass out, and moving some plants from down the way, to tie the areas together more.


Heading back to the vegetable garden, there is still a bit of snow for Heidi to run through.


 I didn't get the soaker hoses removed from the vegetable garden.  I wonder if they will be OK.  Can you see the kale down the way?


Today, we made kale chips in a domestics special education class I am a para educator in.  I didn't think any of my kale would have survived the cold temps and snow, and some didn't, but the newer growth looked good enough to pick, so I did.  I got them washed and in the refrigerator.  Hopefully, I will get some chips made tomorrow.  Most of the students thought they were pretty good, as did the teacher and I.


I had hoped to get some blogs visited this evening, but it's getting late.  Hopefully, I'll find time this weekend.  I hope all is well with you.  I know spring is in the air for some of you, and I am looking forward to experiencing it with you, as I wait for ours.  Have a great weekend!

20 comments:

  1. Your gardens sure look different during the winter. I hope you get more moisture for them in some snow. How did you make your kale chips?

    FlowerLady

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  2. Yes, spring is in the air and I can't wait! Heidi looks like she enjoys keeping you company in the garden just like my dogs. I have a couple of Helleborus, but mine don't have any blooms yet. Maybe I need to take a closer look at them!

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  3. Wow, you gave your blog a fresh look, didn't you. I like it. It's really hard to keep your head into winter when those seed catalogs start coming, isn't it. I have all my seeds already and won't need to order any more. Now, I may want to order some more and probably will order some more but I don't really need to send out an order. It's kind of the gardener way, don't you think.

    The temperatures yesterday for the eastern Nebraska border were above fifty but last night about 11pm the northern chilly wind blew in and the temperatures dropped. This morning the wind was gone and the temp was hovering around 19 degrees. I'm looking out the window at bright sunshine spilling through the South living room windows. Sixty six days remain before Spring arrives. However, the seed starting station will be in full use much before that time. Maybe some time in February.

    Have a great garden planning day.

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  4. I am dreaming of Spring already too Sue. It is good to see some water getting into the soil after such a dry summer we had last year. You Hellebore look to be almost ready to open. I have a couple buds also but they will probably be hidden under more snow soon. It is fun to see what will be coming up next spring from seeds scattered by the birds and winds. Have a wonderful weekend.

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  5. I'm getting itchy for spring as well. Today was warm so I went out and gave haircuts to the clematis and honeysuckle. Oh, and I also left my soaker houses out in the flower beds. We'll just have to see if they are still good in spring.

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  6. I am impressed that Heidi never runs away....I hope our new puppy get to that point!

    I like to looks of winter plants too. I have bulbs coming up....not a good thing this early.

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    1. LOL, Glenda,
      Heidi runs off when she gets a chance. We have to latch the back fence or else she opens the gate and is gone. She also frequently runs off when Larry is out with her, but not as much when I am out. I do hook her up to the fence with a rope when I'm gardening, and the grass is not wet.

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  7. We've had more than our share of moisture for the past week. I wish I could send some of it your way. My garden is about to float away! I love seeing new green things start peeping out after winter too - always so exciting.

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  9. Hi Sue,
    I, too, am itching for Spring! Even though the weather is mild right now, (I think we have the weather you had yesterday) it will be a while before the New England soil is ready to work. The end of March the weather is still unpredictable but is a good time to start cleaning up.
    There definitely is beauty in winter gardens......the different shades of browns and greys as well as the shapes of dried grasses and pods......
    I'm not sure if I can express how I feel about Hellbores.......they seem unearthly to me! Weird, huh?
    God Bless! Sally

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  10. The hellebores are just beginning here in the Northeast; I have the Royal heritage strain and one very deep purple one. They are fun to watch when everything else is so dormant! Heidi is a charmer; we've had two yellow labs over the years and they are so generous with their love - miss my labs!

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  11. Hellebores are tough enough to take the winter, that's why we love them so! I keep hearing about kale chips, but haven't had an opportunity to try them.

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    1. The kale chips didn't stay crisp,so I looked up some information online and found out that's normal. I read about recrisping them. I did a small batch in the microwave for a few minutes, and they stayed crisp overnight, and I was able to enjoy them for lunch today. I put the others in closed containers in the refrigerator. Today, since I had the oven on, I put some in there in a glass pan, and they got nice and crispy again.

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  12. Kale chips! Sounds tasty! I had a crazy weekend, too--we took my daughter back to college yesterday, which ate up about eight hours, all told. Looks like Heidi is a great garden companion! My Hellebores look like yours...well, at least they did in December before we got the two feed of snow. Hopefully they'll be OK--they're amazing plants, aren't they?! Stay warm!

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  13. I want to make kale chips~they sound delicious. I was hoping that winter snows would help the Central states after the summer you all had. Maybe it will still happen. Love the hellebore buds~they can live through almost anything. gail

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  14. You have a lot of winter interest despite cold and snow, Sue. The time will pass. Winter is returning to us, a hard freeze perhaps middle of next week. Mama always said, "February is a Short Month," as if 2-3 days fewer made it much easier to bear.

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  15. Hi Sue. I like how Heidi gets a little dressed up when she knows she'll be making an appearance in a blog post. ha-ha She's so cute. Another year of no Hellebores in my garden so I'll have to enjoy yours through photos. I did a short blog post today. Determined to get back into it.

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  16. I second the need for more snow. Amazing what is growing out there in the winter. Hopefully, I find time to poke around my garden soon.

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  17. I love hellebores, they manage to bloom when everthing else is still daydreaming. Great red fire hydrant, they should be red. Ours are all yellow and half the time you can't find them.

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  18. Hi Sue, Your temperatures are much more friendly than ours. It's been in the 20s and 30s with pervasive FOG for the past two weeks. I'm ready for rain. :) However, I see that it's cold in your neck of the woods now. 11 degrees... Brrr! It's so sweet that the Hellebores are popping up. I'll have to go check mine. Take care.

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