
What a difference a year makes! A year ago this weekend our little village had its annual Christmas parade, there was a foot or two of snow on the ground and we were all making holiday plans, which often included travel and revelry with friends and relatives. This year, store shelves usually filled with holiday decorations and lights are pretty bare because people started snapping things up in October, knowing there would be no traveling. Wanting to make their own homes extra festive and cheerful. This year, mother nature is in alignment with the general wonkiness of things and has seen fit to keep temperatures warmer than usual. There is no snow on the ground (although we’ve had a few snowfalls – it’s been so warm nothing has stuck around) and we actually have a few blooms. Yes, that’s right. Flowers. In December. In Canada. Here are my Six on Saturday – six things in the garden, a weekly theme started by The Propagator, including a few unexpected blossoms.
I went for a run yesterday – it was warm enough for shorts – and snapped this reflection in the mirror ball decoration adorning a small pine tree in the garden. We added a few lights.
This groundcover Veronica – Whitley’s Speedwell – generally stays green all winter, under the snow, and starts blooming in early spring. This year, it’s never really stopped blooming.
My garlic usually sprouts a bit in the fall since I like to plant it while gardening is still pleasant, temperature-wise. I added an extra layer of leaves and compost a few weeks ago just in case we get some frigid weather without an insulating layer of snow. The soil around here is so rocky I have to plant all root veggies in a raised bed of some sort.
Snowdrops (Galanthus) usually make an appearance in January or February, during one of the frequent winter thaws we have. This year they’re up a lot earlier than that, joining the Muscari latifolium. This is the first time I’ve seen this species of Muscari send up leaves before the spring (although the more common Muscari armeniacum always shows up in early fall).
Something else that should, by rights, be long dead and turning to compost by now is this bit of celery. It’s growing in the compost pile, but I dumped it there almost two months ago, then covered the pile with leaves. Weird.
Finally – dandelions. Taraxacum. They usually take their final bow in November before showing up again in the very early spring. This year, in mid December, they’re still dotting the lawn. The grass appears to be still growing. I’m still snipping parsley, thyme and oregano for the soup pot. Snow IS forecast for Christmas Eve; I’ll believe it when I see it! Stay safe everyone!
my snap dragons are still blooming – there are pansies still blooming in the planters along the Danforth her bin Toronto.
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And I saw Calendula blooming on Cambridge the other morning too!!!!
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Some signs of spring here too with new bulb shoots. And not a really hard frost so far. Very nice photos with Christmas decorations
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Thanks Fred – this very strange year continues….
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I’m spotting my first snowdrops too. There are several houses with snowdrop collections around me with some ealier ones getting started now and going over the next few months,
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Having just lamented the lack of snow and cold, you can be sure we’ll have six feet of it in January 😆😆😆
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I’ve only had one patch of snow in current garden and doesn’t stay long being by the coast. We had a very mild winter last year. Nasturtiums and marigolds flowered throughout winter. This has possibly given me false confidence about what I can get away with growing.
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That is mild – marigolds are among the first to shrivel up after a frost for me!
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The northern and southern hemispheres seem to be in sync with the dandelions this year, as they are growing and flowering like crazy here. It is interesting to read how the weather has changed across the globe. It will seem odd having a warmer Christmas in Canada, something which we are used to here.
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SO odd!!!!!
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If celery is the worst of what grows in your compost, you are fortunate. Ours gets MANY viable weed seeds that survive the composting process. There are also vegetables, which produce rather well where the compost is not disturbed.
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I’m sure there will be weeds sprouting in the compost in May! Never had celery sprout like this though…
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Goodness, I wrote an article about the strange things we find; potatoes, tomatoes, summer squash, winter squash, cucumber, . . . . etc.
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I will have to see about acquiring some of that lovely speedwell for my garden. Our weather here also seems quite warm for the time of year. There has been minimal scraping of frost off of car windows and many of the plants that died back in preparation for winter are sending out experimental new growth from the base.
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In the spring the speedwell is a gorgeous blanket of blue…it spreads quickly but is easy to pull/cut away when necessary.
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Last Christmas seems an eternity ago, we could never have imagined ……. Anyway, loving the baubles and the veronica is wonderful, I do love blue flowers! Stay safe and well Chris.
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Thank you – and you as well!
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That celery is hilarious – it looks very healthy and little wonder given it has all that compost goodness.
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It DOES look healthy!!!!
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