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Put ornament in the winter garden

3/2/2019

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Every winter I'm fascinated by the way snowfall transforms the garden. Trees acquire new definition, as do now-leafless vines, and shrubs take on softened shapes.  Snow has a way of sculpting the garden, giving it an entirely different visual presence.  

Most articles about 'The Winter Garden' focus on the structure and interest that untrimmed perennials and grasses lend to the landscape.  Some writers suggest pruning shrubs or small trees in a specific way to capture snow and add winter interest.

But I agree with Marlene Mullet, an Ohio reader who commented in Fine Gardening, "Ar
bors, birdhouses, rocks, and other garden decor along with untrimmed vines and shrubs also look lovely with snow cover.  Every year I try to come up with more ways to keep my winter gardens from looking dull and drab.  It's another way to enjoy the garden all year!" 

Marlene's rustic winter arbour is an example of how simple structures and ornaments can create winter interest – if we plan ahead.
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Photo: Marlene Mullet
Ceramic containers and fragile ornaments have to be put away in the fall, of course, but other pieces can stay in place.  Post-mounted bird houses, lend charm to the winter garden as miniature rooftops gather snow.
Snowy birdhouse

Photo: Lynda Bobinski
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​Even small metal ornaments – like this cheery little frog prince – can offer a happy surprise when they peek through the snow. 
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​

birdhouse in winter
metal frog sculpture
I hung an old lantern in late fall and watched it transform with the arrival of a wet snowfall.  Another suggestion:  grapevine weathers well and when woven into a wreath, it lends texture to a fence or trellis.  A wreath can last several seasons.
barn lantern in snow
grapevine wreath in winter
And here's one of my favourite images.  A heavy birdbath stays in place year 'round in a friend's yard, proving that snow brings true poetry to the winter landscape.
Urn with snow

'Holding up Winter'
Pihoto: Geoff Hudson
The structures we place in the garden are a wintertime diversion.  When temperatures plummet and we must stay indoors, these 'snow catchers' give us something to admire from inside.  And wouldn't you love to have one of these giant pine cones created by Beamsville, ON metal artist Floyd Elzinga?  Out-sized and simply marvelous.
Pine cone sculpture

Photo: Floyd Elzinga
 As writer Jodi DeLong observes in Saltscapes Magazine, "Winter is more than a season of hibernation in our gardens; it offers insights and visual delights... It’s a softer, more subtle sort of garden, especially when snow wafts gently down or sunlight adds watercolour shadows to the mix. We just relax, enjoy what’s already planted, and think about what we might want to do next spring.​"
In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.
 ― William Blake

Special thanks to L Bobinski and G Hudson for their photos. Unattributed photos in this post are by  therebloomsagarden.com.  
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How do you put  ornament into your winter garden?  Share in a comment.

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Winter poems to bid the year goodbye

23/12/2017

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The winter solstice has passed with its darkest night.  Holiday gatherings bring the light of celebration, love and friendship. And another year draws to a close.  To everyone who stops by this site, I am sending out a happy if reflective winter greeting.  May the garden you imagine grow with abundance in the coming year.
~ Holly at There Blooms a Garden
​
"Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come."
–​ Chinese proverb
snow on spruce boughs

Photo by Bang at Morguefile.com
"I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December
A magical thing
And sweet to remember.
'We are nearer to Spring
Than we were in September,'
I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December."
–​ Oliver Herford, I Heard a Bird Sing
Birds in the park

'Birds in the park'
Photo by Acrylic Artist at Morguefile.com
"Somewhere across the winter world tonight
You will be hearing chimes that fill the air;
Christmas extends its all-enfolding light
Across the distance ... ​something we can share.
You will be singing, just the same as I,
These familiar songs we know so well,
And you will see these same stars in your sky
And wish upon that brightest one that fell.
​I shall remember you and trim my tree,
One shining star upon the topmost bough;
I will hang wreaths of faith that all may see. 
Tonight I glimpse beyond the here and now.
And all the time that we must be apart
I keep a candle in my heart."

– Mary E. Linton, Candlelit Heart
candle burning

Photo by David P Whelan at Morguefile.com
​"May you have the gladness of Christmas which is hope; 
The spirit of Christmas which is peace; 
The heart of Christmas which is love."

– Ada V. Hendricks ​

Do you have a wintery poem to share?  Please post in a comment.

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Checking on our honey bees

12/3/2014

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Each of us has something that marks the coming of spring.  This year, that something happened yesterday.  It was a sunny day and the temperature actually felt mild.  We went out – feeling a kind of crossed-fingers excitement – to open the beehives.

I'll admit that as the deep cold settled across Northwestern Ontario (and many other parts of Canada)
in this winter, I was worried.  How, I wondered, could our honey bees possibly survive? But survive they did; four out of five hives made it through which is a positive return.  I say, brave little insects! 

This is a photo-post to show you what we found in our small bee yard.
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Snowshoes & a shovel were part of our beekeeping gear.
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A frame with clustered bee from the hive that did not survive.

It's surprisingly warm inside a beehive. While the hive is insulated with a Styrofoam sleeve and snow, it's not air-tight.  Bees need air flow during their season of rest.  Inside the hive, they cluster together in a slow-moving swarm to conserve energy and share body heat.
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Removing heavy snow from the insulated hives.
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Healthy, disease-free bees are actively moving in their hive.
Late winter is the time when honey bees are most vulnerable.  Their honey stores are depleted, but the warm days of foraging for pollen and nectar are still a long way off.  They need food to make it through to the true arrival of spring.  Beekeepers start now to feed their bees sugar syrup – and often commercially prepared pollen – as a substitute for foraged food.
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Pouring syrup into smaller jar to place in the hive.
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Syrup in place. Bees eat it through the screened opening in the top board.
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Everything in place inside until next feeding.
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Draining a little syrup to gain surface tension. This prevents leaking and drowned bees!
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Clean, dry burlap insulates the top of the hive.
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The all-important hIve cover goes back on top.
We'll be back out often to check the hives and replenish the syrup stores.  A jar may last a few days, maybe much less.  It all depends.

I was fascinated to see the bees flying, even walking on the snow in front of the hives.  This is proof that they have broken swarm and are beginning their cleansing flights.  They fly after their long confinement and well, defecate.  It's nature, after all.
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Apis mellifera - European honey bee

Just so you know ...
The genus Apis is Latin for "bee" and mellifera comes from Latin melli- "honey" and ferre "to bear"
— hence the scientific name means "honey-bearing bee".  – Wikipedia
All photos therebloomsagarden.com

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Sow seeds of joy, but sow them in winter

30/1/2014

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I am about to do something radical. I'm going to plant seeds now – in the middle of winter – and place them in the snow to germinate. It's called winter sowing and, after listening to local gardener Lois Kennelly explain the basics, I'm convinced it's worth a try.
PicturePhoto: Sierra Foothills Garden
The goal, Lois explains, is to create mini greenhouses from plastic containers saved from fruits and salad greens. The containers are filled with moistened potting soil mixed with perlite or with a commercial seeding mix. (Do not use a purchased soil mix that contains fertilizer or a water retention product.) Seeds are sown into each container and covered with soil to the required depth.

Labeling the seed type is important; duct tape marked with a permanent marker works well. With covers securely in place, the containers are
placed in the snow under Mother Nature's care.

PicturePhoto: Garden Web
The winter sowing method is simple and low cost.  It requires no grow lights or expenditure on extra hydro.  It is ideal for those of us with little indoor space to spare for seed starts.  And it's a positive way to leverage our long northern winters!

Why does winter sowing work? 
Many seeds only become viable after exposure to chilling temperatures. The winter months naturally provide this vernalization, this necessary cold-temperature treatment that promotes flowering.

Winter sowing is an
ideal germination method for perennial and hardy annual seeds.  It is especially effective for herbs such as parsley and oregano, cold germinating vegetables like spinach, chard and kale, alpine species and biennials like hollyhocks which need two seasons to produce flowers.

What seeds should you choose?
Trudi Davidoff, who is credited with discovering winter sowing, offers advice on how to read the clues given in seed catalogs. Terms such as "N
eeds Pre-chilling (freeze seeds, refrigerate seeds, stratify for x amount of days or weeks), Needs Stratification, Will Colonize, Self-Sows, Sow outdoors in early Autumn, Sow outdoors in early Spring while nights are still cool ..." are all clues that the seed type is appropriate for winter sowing.  You can find much more advice about seed selection at the excellent website, WinterSown.org.  Do remember to consider your hardiness zone when choosing seeds. 

PicturePhoto: Kevin Lee Jacobs, A Garden for the House
For easy-to-follow steps and illustrations, I recommend reading Kevin Lee Jacobs' Winter Sowing 101. You'll note that Kevin uses plastic milk jugs as mini greenhouses.  Many plastic containers will work, as long as the plastic is sturdy enough to support the weight of soil and plants. Lois recommends only using clear plastic containers to allow maximum light to reach the seedlings.

Winter sowing does require a little organization; not all plants need to be sown at the same time. Kevin's
updated post on A Garden for the House offers good advice on the best time to sow specific plants.

Winter sowing is definitely something new for me. 
Like any new gardening approach, it calls for a little research and a little experimentation.  The USDA describes this method as a way "to foster a naturally timed, high percentage germination of climate tolerant seedlings."  What could be better for our northern gardens?  Why not give it a try?


Lois Kennelly's Top Ten Tips for Winter Sowing
  1. Ensure container depth is  5" or more to accommodate soil, roots and seedlings.
  2. Add holes to the bottom of the container to ensure proper drainage.
  3. Planting soil should feel moist but not wet, otherwise it will freeze when placed outdoors. 
  4. Label carefully, both inside and outside.
  5. Once containers are set in the snow, rest a board on top to protect against wind and animals and cover well with snow. 
  6. Ensure that containers are always in contact with the snow.
  7. If the soil becomes too soggy, add more drainage holes to the bottom and elevate the container.
  8. Once the seeds germinate and daytime temperatures rise, open the containers, but monitor carefully for moisture and freezing temperatures. Close to protect plants at night.
  9. Use a watering can with a rosette (80 holes or more) or a hose attachment set on mist to provide water to seedlings.
  10. Monitor for slugs on the containers. Elevate on a palette or in a tray of chicken grit if slugs are evident.

Visit WinterSown.org for comprehensive lists of perennials, hardy annuals and vegetables suitable for winter sowing.
Browse or post a question on the Canadian Winter Sowing forum on GardenWeb.com.
What is your experience with winter sowing?  Please share in a comment
.

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Cultivated Words: on Winter

11/1/2014

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Picture

“Are ye the ghosts of fallen leaves,
O flakes of snow,
For which, through naked trees, the winds
A-mourning go?”
― John B. Tabb
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Photo: morgueFile
“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass
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Photo: naturalgardening.blogspot.com
I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape – the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn't show.
― Andrew Wyeth
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Photo: There Blooms a Garden
"In winter, one witnesses the part of the garden that endures year to year: the soil, the lay of the land, perennials and the forms of trees. The annual garden is ephemeral - bright, hidden behind leafy vegetation and vivid colors. The winter garden is more subtle, cloaked in low light and short days.
― John Farrell
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Photo: Johnson's Nursery
"How can those who do not garden, who have no lot in the great fraternity of those who watch the changing year as it affects the earth and its growth, how can they keep warm their hearts in winter?"
― Francis King 
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Photo: www.bedfordaudubon.org
“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter
to give it sweetness.”
― John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America

No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.
― Hal Borland

"In the depths of winter I finally learned that within me
there lay an invincible summer."
―  Albert Camus 
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Photo: There Blooms a Garden
And Winter slumbering in the open air,
Wears on his smiling face a dream of Spring!
― Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Work Without Hope 
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Photo: morgueFile
"Every gardener knows that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle ... a seed waiting to sprout, a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl.  And the anticipation nurtures our dream."
― Barbara Winkler
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Photo: Sahara Kipfer
"There are two seasonal diversions that can ease the bite of any winter.  One is the January thaw.  The other is the seed catalogues."
― Hal Borland

Do you have words on winter to share?  Post in a comment. We love to hear from visitors.

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