We just got the weather statistics in for the month of January. The mean temperature was about 4 degrees Celcius milder than the average for January. The lowest temperature during the month was –22 degrees C., but most days have seen temps between -5 and -15 C. And this has been the case for the winter months so far. If this continues for February (fingers are crossed), it will have been a very good winter indeed. Our shrubs and perennial will think they’re in zone 4. That should give us a great overwintering survival rate.
Now, that’s something to look forward to!
Dear Hank, I am filled with admiration at the way you continue to be so optimistic about, what for many of us would be, the long, exceedingly cold days of winter. Your picture of the Universal pansies is charming.
ReplyDeleteWe've had little to complain about here in Nova Scotia, either -- with the possible exception of the cold snap we're currently experiencing. But, it is February, after all. :) I'll be waiting for signs of spring in your area!
ReplyDeleteI promise I will not complain we had a cold winter so far... Here in Belgium, January was a bit colder than usual (main temperature of 0.1°C), and the main max. and main min. temp. were both considered 'very abnormal' (i.e. will occur once in every 10 years).
ReplyDeleteWe even had a few weeks of snow in a fow, which is very unusual (but I liked it, I liked that so much... however since today, all the snow has gone...
Hi Hank~~ My fingers are crossed too. The weather prognosticators in my neck of the woods are also claiming January as a milder than normal month.
ReplyDeleteBTW, thank you for the heads up on my Picasa link. I'm thinking I need to treat myself to a tour of your gardens. If the rest of the photos are anything like the banner....oh, la, la!!
Well, you've certainly packed an amazing garden into your plot. The rocks lining your raised beds are very cool and the smooth pathways must make getting around effortless. Definitely a charming garden!
ReplyDeleteYour winter experience is so much tougher than mine, Hank, it reminds me to hush up with my complaining and whining. I do hope your perennials have a great survival rate! Zone 4 sounds like code for "incredibly difficult conditions" to my ear. Once upon a time I gardened in Zone 5, and it was like having to learn the rules all over again...
ReplyDeleteIt seemed mild here, for quite some time...but we've been having a cold snap lately and I will be happy when it moves on! Is your garden as beautiful as it is in your header photo? That is a gorgeous scene. I would love to have that growing around my patio...but I have a deck, higher off the ground, and it's very shady in the back, so we have a lot of shade loving plants there. I've always loved the cottage garden style.
ReplyDeleteHank: I just saw the weather channel for here in Edmonton, Alberta, and we are heading up to an average of -6 celsius (with some days +1!) for the next couple of weeks. Very promising, indeed! If we didn't have that snap before Christmas of being the coldest place on earth, it would have been a great winter for the plants, with lots of snow cover. I am hoping my tender rose, first I have ever tried to overwinter, makes it. Let's keep our fingers crossed!
ReplyDeleteLovely pansies!
It sure felt like we were having a milder winter here in New England too. It is good to hear the facts! I hope February will follow in the same degree. Lovely pansies Hank! Beautiful light... sweet faces. ;>)
ReplyDeleteThanks for all your comments.
ReplyDelete@Jan, we think the rest of the garden is, indeed, as nice as the header photo. But that's obviously a biased point of view. Check out the slide show for a garden tour.
@ Meredith, I think no matter where you are, you try to 'push' the growning zone - never totally content with limiting what you grow to plants you know will do will in your zone. It's an interesting challenge that we welcome here because if we just stayed with zone 2 perennials we wouldn't have many. As it is, we've successfully overwintered zone 3 and some zone 4 perennials for quite a few years. And we're growing a zone 3/4 European Linden (4 winters now) Teza put me on to Thimble Farms where they are offering a zone 3 hellebore - now, that's exciting!
@ the garden ms. s, we couldn't help but gloat when Edmonton had that dubious distinction before Christmas. But, I'm sure a quick snap like that won't have much of an effect, when the rest of the winter has been so relatively mild.
@ carol, and the others who commented on the pansy photo. Yes, aside from the Chalon pansies, this is my favorite. They're lovely, and so photogenic.