Snow Sharks

I figure that if Danielle can have field fish, I can have snow sharks.

You can't really tell in this photo but the tip of that fin is a foot over my head. It's certainly been a record season for snowfall here in Nova Scotia.

Swept Over

Hurricane Arthur swept through Nova Scotia on July 5th taking with it several dahlia stalks and clematis flowers from my garden. The delphinium patch was just starting to bloom. Now they lie at a 45 degree angle and our neighbour has a better view than we do.

delphinium and spirea

(Delphinium blooming in my garden originally from seed from Danielle in Regina.)

Weather Rolls In!

We have had a lot of stormy days. Two days without power, although never for the whole day, just a couple hours here and a couple hours there. Enough that staying online to work has been a challenge and watching TV or movies online has been impossible. I tried to complain about that but wasn't really successful.

Truth is, my garden can use the rain and I am feeling a little ahead of the game in terms of weeding. Lawns are all mowed and another day of rain means I can get some work done. Of course, at some point, in order to finish the work, I will need to get back online. Weather is such a double-edged sword!

Dahlia in October

dahlia 'Preference'

There isn't a whole lot blooming now in my garden but all of the dahlia are still going strong. In the afternoon sun, the bumble bees are sluggish and swarming over them. Every morning I look out to see if they've gotten frosted off yet. A couple of years ago, they lasted till Remembrance Day but I suspect it will be sooner this year.

May Day in Nova Scotia

Things aren't as bleak here as they are in Saskatchewan right now. I'm running around in shorts and Danielle is shovelling - definitely one of the big differences between our two gardens!

I have a few early spring blooms to share with you.

Spring Shift

My husband Kelly has a rock puzzle to put together again this year as soon as the weather warms up. This will be his 3rd time rebuilding the dry stacked wall along our driveway. Spring in Nova Scotia means a cycle of freeze and thaw. Our roads are not the only thing impacted!

Winter Weather in Nova Scotia

They say that if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes. Well, these pictures were taken a few days apart but still a dramatic difference.

February 1, 2013

February 10, 2013

Surprise!

Just when I start singing the praises of spring, we get hit with winter! It has been snowing for two days now. Not much snow and not that cold but it is cold enough to form icicles and not enough snow to cover the plants. I am getting a little worried about the tarda but so far they seem to be holding their own. We have better weather forecast soon so I am just going to hope they are right... and keep my eye on the green bits outside.

Oh, the weather!

 

There are days when I wonder how I became a gardener in Zone 3. How can I love something so much that is so dependent on the weather when I live where it is winter forever, it seems? I have been busy reading about how to diversify my greens in the kitchen garden, advancements in urban gardening and now, most importantly, how to protect my early flowers from frost. I have been doing all of this reading in preparation for the coming garden season and in anticipation of spring. Little did I know that winter is just arriving! We have had the most wonderful, mild winter in Saskatchewan this year. Last week the snow finally arrived and has not stopped since. The temperature is beautiful though so we have been in a cycle of melt, freeze, melt, freeze, melt, freeze.... which is great for ice photos of the trees but not so great for the spring flowers. I think they are likely getting confused. I hope I don't lose too many of them. The freeze/thaw cycle here can wipe out whole gardens if the temperature drops at just the right time. I am ready though. All of my sheets are steps away from the garden if I need them after the first buds pop out. This is a year when the Boy Scout motto is well advised - be prepared!

Green and Pink in January

It was so nice and mild a couple of days ago so I grabbed my camera and went for a stroll around the garden. One of the things that I really appreciate about my rock garden is that there are many things that stay green all year round, even when covered by snow. These photos were taken on January 3rd.

This season has been so mixed up with mild weather most of the fall. My Dutch iris keep growing and they're about 5 months too early. My Hall's honeysuckle is full of buds. And the buds on my spring blooming heathers are starting to pop about 6 weeks early.

Winter Weather

Wile E.

Our snow dogs are not the only ones waiting for snow. My garden is waiting as well. Lack of snow cover on my garden means that when the temperature drops, the plants are unprotected. Snow cover acts as insulation for the perennial roots trying to survive cold, long winters in zone 3. I am not on their side though. Our weather has been wonderful with many days above zero and even the cold days are close to -20. No snow makes keeping the road open much less work. I would rather replace the plants that don't make it than have more snow and colder temperatures.

November Blooms

Mid-November and we still have lots of blooms (or re-blooms) in the garden:  this masterwort, honeysuckle, daisies, snap dragons, roses, dahlias, gaura, bugleweed, heather, daylilies, lobelia, lamium...

Soon to be Mulch

We make a lot of use out of all the leaves.  We shred lots and use as mulch in the garden.  Piles of them get composted every year and eventually find their way into the garden.  After 3 days of constant rain, we're going to have to wait for them to dry out.  The other nice thing is that, with so many trees around, the garden gets an extra layer of mulch for the winter without any extra effort.



Long Gardening Season

This fall is a strange one in our garden.  We have yet to have our first frost so, on November 1st, we still have dahlias and glads blooming.  Since the spring gardening season started about 3 weeks earlier than usual this year, this is definitely the longest gardening season we've experienced.  The sumac above is a bright flash at the back of the garden.  Kelly's Huron Sunrise grass is a similar colour.  This year I didn't cut back any of my Oriental lily stalks and I love all the extra gold in the garden.

Tulip Deadline Zone 3

It is time to finish planting and moving tulips in zone 3. According to Environment Canada, we have three more days of good weather and then a few of bad. Once the bad hits in Saskatchewan, all bets are off and there are no guarantees. Last Fall, I added so many new tulips that this Fall, I am finding myself content with moving what I have here already and saving some of the old that are struggling in very tight spaces. The fact that Linda and I were discussing tulips the other day, which made me pull out my trusty notebook, to realize that so many of my new ones did not perform well this year, has made me a little tulip weary. I was planning on just moving my 'Angelique', 'Bastogne' and crowded 'White Dream'. I think now that I will move all of the tulips that did not perform well this year and see if I can get them to give me a better display next year. I am hopeful that even with the increase in number, I can finish in one day so that is now my agenda for tomorrow. I am starting my race against time... and snow!

Storm Update

Follow up to my Waiting for the Storm post:

Waiting for the Storm

We are expecting Hurricane Earl to hit Nova Scotia tomorrow morning so I headed out to stake my glads this morning.  Perhaps it's optimistic to think that stakes will actually make a difference!  I've also been out taking pictures because I'm sure the scene will look quite different by Sunday.  It's a little sad to think that I may not even see many of my glads and dahlias that are yet to bloom.  Having seen the effect of Hurricane Juan, I'm trying to be realistic.

There are a few things you can do to help prepare your garden for a storm:

• wrap up and put all your hoses inside
• move anything loose inside, such as ornaments, empty pots, watering cans, buckets, tools, garbage cans, green bins, patio furniture, BBQ
• take down and store portable gazebos, tents, awnings
• move potted plants to a sheltered area or inside
• stake anything tall

Things blowing around can do a lot of damage in your garden!