Snowmageddon!

(a pic from my office)

ok, I guess I jumped the gun in the last posting because during this last week we got a blizzard in Seattle. So, several inches of snow accumulated within two days. I did manage to put the burlap back down over emerging bulbs (for what it's worth), but I am pretty confident that the broccoli is now beyond care.

And, as quickly as the snows came, they quickly disappeared. Temperatures raised, rains came down, and the snow melted pretty quickly. But, that's not the end of it. Seattle also got a lovely wind storm a few days ago. It managed to knock over the lightweight plastic shelving system on my deck (the one with all my potted cyclamen) and create more problems. I've now repotted my cyclamen for the fourth time since I've begun collecting them. Needless to say, the stupid plastic rack goes. I'll have to brainstorm an alternative solution, but the pots will just have to sit in the corner of the deck on the floor.

A New Year

Well, January is here, and weather reminds me of October and November. This has to be one of the mildest winters on record. December was certainly one of the most dry. There was very little rain. Also, I remember only a few nights that got down to below freezing. The fact that my broccoli is still alive attests to this.

Yesterday I got outside and got some work done in my plot. I folded up the burlap and raked up and removed the leaves I laid down a couple of months ago. They were quite dry and hadn't decomposed much. Also, I tried to clear out as much of the weeds (there are plenty) that took root since last fall.

Some of the perennial bulbs are beginning to poke up above ground, and I noticed some new growth with the hellebore and cyclamen coum. I expect to see these plants start to take off by early February (maybe sooner with such warm weather). I just hope there is no major cold snap yet to come.

Christmas at Bellevue Nursery

I visited the Bellevue Nursery yesterday and snapped a few pics. For a small nursery, they do a great job in decorating it for the holiday season.

Late Season Planting

Well, I visited Sky Nursery the other day and spent some money on their 30% off spring bulbs. I purchased 18 tulip bulbs (two varieties) and a 4-pack of hyacinth. I found a couple of spots in the main p-patch plot to bury the bulbs (along with some fertilizer (don't forget to feed those bulbs!)) and covered everything up with leaves. Unfortunately, I have no more burlap to lay down and am hoping this winter won't be too windy.

Also, I trimmed back the fuchsia to its base as it is dying off for the season. This plant is getting pretty darn big, almost six feet in diameter when in full growth and tends to over-shadow surrounding plants by mid-late summer.

The broccoli is still going in the secondary plot. I still don't know if I will be able to harvest it before we get a hard frost, but the weather has remained rather mild so far. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Putting the Garden to Bed

Winter may not be here yet, but Fall has definitely arrived. There is not so much as a lot of rain, but the overnight temperatures are hitting the mid-30's. I finished harvesting everything consumable about a month ago (finally dug up the remaining potatoes). As the above pic shows, I have added a layer of leaves and burlap over a good portion of the plot. I'm hoping it will slowly compost over the next few months.

Also, I have planted a few new plants. In the foreground is a third hellebore I picked up at Swansons in their clearance section ($9.00). I was surprised to find it since it looked quite healthy, and that section tends to get half-dead stuff. In the background, where the potatoes used to be, is now a calla lily and an alstroemeria. A fellow gardener gave me them both. I'm hopefully that they will both bloom come next Summer.

Now, as for the secondary plot...I've planted a bunch of broccoli starts that were free (over near the courtyard tables) about two months ago. The plants are coming along nicely, but I really don't think I'll be able to harvest any of them before Winter' first serious cold snap (note: in the last two years temps hit high 20's at least one evening, between the second week of Nov. and second week of Dec.). But, I'll keep my fingers crossed anyway. Also, the C. Hederifolium in the background came back like gangbusters. If you remember, a bit after I transplanted the plants they died back completely, with nothing remaining above-ground. I'm hoping that the new greenery will last through to next Spring. But, given the soggy NW weather, I'm not too hopeful. Cyclamen are native to much drier climates, and my p-patch plants tend to get a lot of water.

A Tale of Two Sales

So, I checked out two local fall plant sales last weekend. On Saturday, I headed over to Magnuson Park (well known for sponsoring those immense Seattle Public Library book sales) and sought out the Native Bulb, Seed and Plant Sale, sponsored by the Washington Native Plant Society. The sale only filled one of the smaller parts of the main hangar and was a bit underwhelming. There was a bunch of shrubs and trees, one table with a decent collection of books, and another table with seeds. Interestingly, there seemed to be just as many orange vest volunteers on-site as there were actually customers.

On Sunday, I drove over to the Center for Urban Horticulture (near the UW playfields) and checked out the Hardy Plant Society of Washington's first annual Fall Bulb Sale. They had one row of tables outside with live plants, while the entirety of the inside area comprised dozens of boxes of bulbs and seeds. I ended up snagging a particularly attractive Cyclamen Cilicium, as well as a unique looking Cilla bulb, and some tulip bulbs.

Corn!

The corn is doing very well. So far, I picked around eight ears, and have seen no signs of rodents. Also, the temperatures are now in the 80's on a consistent basis. Wind continues to pose some challenges though and blows the stalks sideways. I've provided some support in the form of several six-foot long aluminum poles.

In other news, I have cyclamen hederifolium growing in a couple of spots that are now blooming. I planted one corm in a pot that is doing quite nicely. Once I placed it in a very shaded spot (on my deck) the plant showed remarkable growth. Also, I have a couple of plants buried in my p-patch plot that are also sending up blooms. Since that paricular spot gets several hours of direct sunlight every day, I have constructed a short-term shade solution from a burlap bag and some posts. I still need to research something more permanent if my shade plants are going to thrive.