Winter is giving it a try this December and I’m proud of her! There have been chilly nights, brisk winds, snow and ice, and more forced time indoors than I’m used to. Could it be that we are headed for a real winter this year?
The fall blooming snowdrops have been slowed by autumn’s drought and this cold jump into winter. This is Galanthus elwesii hiemalis ssp monostictus ex Montrose and that’s not what the label says since I planted something else in this perfect spot which bloomed a few weeks earlier 🙂
Everyone seems to think it’s brilliantly cold out and will only get colder, snowblowers are revving and snowmobiles are going in for tuneups while the ice fishermen are talking bait and planning their best spots. This weekend we nearly dipped into the single digits (-12C) and it feels like it’s been a while since we saw that in December.
More fall blooming snowdrops, these in a cold pocket which wilts them down but usually they recover… unless it’s ‘Mrs Macnamara’ who does not recover yet still grows quite well in spite of the beating.
This winter seems off to an Arctic start but I’m still not biting my nails worried about the new crape myrtles and camellias which have somehow snuck into the garden. Granted, it was a shock going from the warmest November on record to a little snow and ice, but overall for our little corner of Pennsylvania we’re only averaging about 3 degrees below(!) average… for once… and I’m pretty sure 2024 is still headed towards going down as the hottest year on record globally, which might embarrass 2023 since last year we all thought that heat record was un-toppable.
‘Faringdon Double’ is carefree and reliable in this garden and here it is nosing up and aiming for a January show. What a hopeful sign to see during a a frigid spell of December weather.
Against everyone else I’m hoping that things stay somewhat cold, even if it means being inside more than I’d like, and being bored on nearly every trip outside when the soil is frozen and there’s little to do on the to-do list. The gardener’s plus to a cold winter is that everything goes dormant and stays there. The hellebores won’t be trying to bloom in January only to freeze into mush in February, which is what happens when a fake-spring rolls into Pa in the middle of our winter and forces new growth on things. I’ll take some bleakness for a couple weeks if it means buds are saved for a beautiful March.
Bleakness and a threat? The brutally sharp thorns of the hardy orange (Citrus trifoliata ‘Flying Dragon’) in all their winter starkness. It’s a plant no one will ever snuggle up to.
So it’s cold, and as a result the winter garden is getting more attention that it’s used to and is overflowing with color from coleus, geraniums, and the odd orchid. Poor things don’t know what’s in store for them the minute a thaw rolls in and the gardener is lost again outside, poking around for more snowdrop shoots and other signs of spring. Hopefully before that happens I can share a few of the indoor highlights.
Hope you have a great week!
sorta like suburbia 
The yo-yo weather has been strange, but not much surprises me these days when the highs drop 20+º from one day to the next. In the 50s today, and a low of -1º for Saturday night? Ha, I laugh at the weather, ho-ho-ho!
Hope you continue to enjoy the chillier days in your winter garden. We need more photos of it! Enjoy your Christmas break!
Haha, yeah the ups and downs have been particularly fun. We’re turning into one of those ‘don’t like the weather, hold on it’ll change’ places! Well maybe not that bad, but we do seem to be flopping from fall to winter back to fall on a fairly regular basis.
As long as too many things don’t start growing, I don’t mind. It seems the snowdrops and stuff handle frigid blasts much better when the soil isn’t already frozen solid, and as of yet the cold hasn’t gotten that deep. I’m actually planning on planting all the rest of the tulips by Thursday since the ground has thawed once again, but I can’t forget the garlic lol!
Happy holidays! I know I’m ready 🙂
We would never welcome such cold here in Ireland. Anything, the slightest dip, below freezing point would be viewed with great alarm. Snow, an inch or more, would bring the country to a standstill. This would be accepted as a reasonable reason for trains and buses not running, for closing schools, for cancelling events, for staying at home and only venturing outdoors for the obligatory photographs.
Sounds like Texas when they get a little snow or ice. Cold comes blasting through and most people survive, but snow? Travel grinds to a halt and people are helpless!
This cold so far has been generally harmless. It’s not too many years back where people were losing water service because the lines were freezing two or three feet down. That’s a cold which really settles in.
Freezing underground water pipes has happened only once here, back in 2010 when we had an exceptionally cold spell with temperatures down to -7C locally and lower elsewhere inland.
Oh yes, I’d like to see some of your indoor plants Frank. So my winter freeze predictions were right, for you at least! Our temperatures have not been much below zero yet though. But still most things are dormant, with just a few Primulas braving the cold. I am currently in the UK where it is even milder and so green!
Oh yes! We went right from uncomfortably warm to full winter coats and hats within a few weeks, and I’m of the opinion a person needs a few weeks to ease into a new season. Three weeks ago I was rushing out for the mail wearing my warmest jacket, last weekend I was shoveling snow in short sleeves 😉
A great read, Frank, and I appreciated your lighthearted seriousness! The snowdrops are amazing. Maybe your indoor garden still has Cyclamen? I keep wanting to establish some outdoors (all in good time).
In my opinion, with everything else going on in our lives, the garden should always be kept lighthearted. If the cold gets too harsh, oh well! Now Christmas cookies and gifting are far more serious. That’s what keeps me up at night!
I still do have a few indoor cyclamen. The florist ones have all moved on, but a few hardy ones have weathered my neglect and are starting to push up buds in the garage under lights. If I remember or if you remind me I’ll save some seed for you since that’s the easiest way to get a start. Throw them around in the summer and if they grow they grow 😉
Thanks Frank. I’d love to try the outdoor cyclamen. Merry Christmas!
I hope it stays cold, and you get a proper spring! I like the spikey look of the hardy orange.
So far so good on the cold, but I see warmer temps in the forecast so we will see. Oh my gosh is the orange spiky. If the kids were smaller I’d actually worry about them brushing against it!