The Winter Garden

The winter corner of my p-patch plot is coming along nicely. The hellebore are beginning to hit their stride, with just the 'Ivory Prince' yet to fully bloom. There is also a smattering of cyclamen coum nestled in the shade of the taller hellebore. The hundreds of tulips scattered around the plot have all broken through the soil, but will probably begin blooming in another month (in staggered succession).

On another note, one of my dicentra 'Burning Hearts' survived another Winter and shows signs of new growth. I've harvested the broccoli as much as possible, and disposed of the remainder, along with the spinach. I plan to plant new spinach from seed in a couple of days, as well as plant Alderman peas.

Note: pics were updated on 03/07/13

 

Seattle Arboretum - Winter Garden

I joined a tour the other day at the Seattle Arboretum. The property's winter garden is in bloom and in its prime.

January Update

Well, it's the middle of Winter and it definitely feels like it. Temperatures have dropped to freezing many nights. But, plants outdoors seem eager for Spring. Many of my perennials (tulips) have poked up, and the hellebore all show signs of new growth. I have removed burlap covers from areas that have developing plants. Now I'm just waiting for Spring to spring...

Baby It's Cold Outside...

As Christmas approaches I decided to check out how the p-patch garden was doing. The spinach and broccoli are still growing but very slowly. If they survive until Spring I may get a chance to harvest one or both of them. As for the main plot...most everything is covered with leaves and burlap. I trimmed the fuchsia back last month. Surprisingly, the hellebores are all showing new growth (see pics below) and are just waiting until the end of January or early February to really take off. I'll probably remove all the old greenery at that time as it's still in pretty good shape (aka minimal black mold spots). Also, the cyclamen coum shows development too, as can be seen in the pic below. I have high hopes for the perennials this coming Spring which will include: four hellebore, a handful of cyclamen coum, a foxtail lily, countless scilla, and a couple hundred lilies.

Holiday Festivities at Swanson's Nursery

Swanson's Nursery kicked off the holiday season with a holiday open house last night. There were reineer, shopping discounts, free booze, and hourly drawings. I didn't find anything to spend my money on but did snap a bunch of pics.

Putting the Garden to Bed

I found a supply of burlap at Cafe Vita on Capitol Hill at their roaster. The main plot is officially put to bed. Interestingly, my cyclamen coum has sprouted underneath one of the hellebore plants. It won't bloom until next February though. Also, I'll have to prune the fuchsia after the first frost of winter. Otherwise, besides picking some spinach and broccoli, there won't be much to do until next January.

Winterizing the Garden

Since temperatures have become decidedly cooler, and the rain has returned for the duration, it's time to prep the beds for winter. I pruned the fuchsia and removed the larger call lily from the main plot. Also, I processed decomposing leaves through the chipper/shredder and produced a lightweight, fine compost that I distributing across the plot. What I really need to find now is burlap so that topsoil doesn't blow/wash away over the next few months.

As for the second plot...I have broccoli and spinach growing. I've transplanted the spinach evenly across the space to maximize the yield. It should be ready to pick within a few more weeks, depending on the weather.