Snow...again....

Since we've had yet more snow today, I thought it appropriate to peek at a few snowdrops which I captured yesterday (thankfully....as today they are buried under about a foot of snow).


This is one called Limetree...you can see how tiny it is by the leaf beside it. It looks like it will be a while before I get that drift I want...


This is S. Arnott. Obviously, once these open, maybe we'll be able to peer inside and see what they have. I'm thinking that best yet will be when I have enough to actually pick blooms and bring them inside. The possibilities! I have two itty bitty offerings of S. Arnott with a third on order. I really really want a drift of this one.


This is the common Galanthus elwesii. Despite what appears here, I actually do have a little patch of this one. The rest are just coming up.

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Here's a photo taken today of one of my dogs, Kobe...with just a light dusting of snow...Kobe had surgery on Monday. If you look closely, you can see his stitches on his face. He's amazing as he has been a model patient and is doing well. Monday was obviously a very hard day for him, but what spirit he has! Unfortunately, the growth he had removed did come back from the pathologist as cancer. We are optimistic that his doctor got all of it...the pathologist did say it had clean margins. He's ten and my 'young' dog. My other dog, Riley, is 12. They are seniors as they are very large dogs. Mornings and evenings, they take quite the assortment of medicine but it is all worth it. They are wonderful dogs.


Here they both are...coming in out of the snow...Kobe first and then Riley...



Hope you're warm and safe wherever you are. We're staying put...tomorrow we'll shovel the driveway. Kobe loves the snow; Riley tolerates it. Off to do some PM Yoga.....

Tree Ornaments Part 2

You may remember last year when I posted about my...uhmm....tree ornaments....? I thought I'd update you....


Yes, indeed, one year later, it is still here...admittedly, more ragged and less of it, but nonetheless, still clinging. The good news is that this will definitely be its last winter here as I am going to have the tree taken out (not because of the bag!)...as well as two or three others. Here's hoping there will not be a Part 3 of Tree Ornaments...

While walking around looking for things photo worthy, I remembered that the Pink Dawn Viburnum tends to bloom about now...and sure enough, it has buds all over...and would you believe...this?


I must say, this caused me to take a second look. It's a ribbon, a cloth one, with a bow and everything. All I could think of was that it must have blown out of someone's Christmas trash...but does this mean I haven't been over here to look since then?? I guess so...I mean, we had the big snow and it tends to be wet and then icy over here....

It was...almost...attractive. I mean, it's certainly better than the grocery-store-plastic-bag type of ornament, but, really...shouldn't the privilege of this...decorating...be left to me?? I guess I expect too much. Luckily, I can easily reach this one and remove it.

Call me a purist, but I like my trees the way nature intended them.

Snowdrops

(taken 12410)

As I sit here making out my order to The Temple Nursery, I happened upon this article about snowdrops being late to bloom in the U.K. Being curious, I went outside to check on mine and discovered, happily, signs of all emerging. While I have a modest collection...all of the 'collectible' ones have come from Temple....I do find, especially this time of year, that seeing them is a happy event. I do think they signal the beginning of a new year in flowers (okay, some early crocus, too...and let's not forget the hellebores).

Checking back, last year I did find a snowdrop in bud on January 10th...so perhaps they are a bit behind here. However, it was by February 3rd that they seemed to get going...and I would guess I'll see snowdrops in bloom by then this year as well. It all works out.

Maybe tomorrow (depending on the weather...rain expected) I'll get out with the macro and see if I can find a few blooms worthy of a photo. There are several hellebores in bloom but they're a bit weather weary at the moment. Being hellebores, they'll perk up....really tough flowers.

(tomorrow being today...)




Just the early Hellebores are out so far...

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Of interest...

Seeds

Usually by now, green sprouts are popping up and I am eagerly and excitedly watching them. Usually. This year, I'm a bit behind...


The daylily seeds still sit in their baggies awaiting my attention. I suspect this is partly because I had so many seedlings last year that I still haven't found places for them...It may be that a natural selection of sorts is occurring with me and the seeds/seedlings.

You hear in daylily circles that one must have goals for hybridizing, one must choose a direction or two to focus on, etc. I certainly heard all those things. However, I somehow thought it wouldn't apply to me...even though I have far less land to plant in than most of those giving the advice. Hmph.

However, with boxes of seedlings sitting out front (hopefully to freeze the rust out of them...and not freeze the seedlings...a delicate balance), boxes of seedlings still in the garage (and still harboring rust), and seedlings...unbelievably...still under lights inside from last year (I do have plans for them)....I sense a certain lack of enthusiasm for starting new seeds.

That is, until I actually start looking at the seeds and get excited about the possibilities. Which brings me full circle. There are so many seeds in those baggies...I even sorted them into sub-sections...like spiders/ufos and full forms....each of those contain enough seeds to overwhelm me...let alone both. Ha. What to focus on? How to choose? I want it all....and the land and helpers to take care of it all. Double ha.

At the current time, I have two shelves available for seedlings (not my usual three). A finite space. Decisions, decisions. Which reminds me, I think the promix in the garage is down to the bottom of the bag. Okay, I can put the decision(s) off for a bit...because of the need for promix and the further need to empty the back of the truck of the bags of planting mix, etc. that are still in there...before I can get the promix...

Update: Did I tell you (I think not) that the motor home sized pile of mulch is gone?? Yes, I actually did move/use part of it...but the rest was just sitting there in a mini-mountain. Along comes a driveway re-surfacer who shrewdly agrees to remove said mulch to resurface the driveway. Hooray! Well, mini-hooray as now I am having difficulty tracking down said driveway re-surfacer to come and fix the crack that has popped out in his work.....