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.

Autumn is Upon Us

As I write this I think back to how great this year has been for Seattle gardeners. The weather has been consistently warm/hot since early July (although, we could have used some more precipitation). The rats have all but disappeared, or been consumed by a ferret in the garden. And, my crops have produced record amounts of veggies, particularly the corn.

On another note, I have planted a fall crop of spinach and broccoli and hope to harvest both before the next hard frost (most likely in late November or early December). I've also planted a bunch of new perenials including: tulips (shown below), foxtail lily, hyacinth, scilla, and camassi. I've removed the summer lily and alstroemeria, and plan to dig up the larger calla lily.

Late Summer Blooms

So, we've made it to September and the excellent (aka warm and sunny) weather continues. A newscaster mentioned that we have had 45+ days without any form of precipitation so those warm-weather plants are thriving. I've just recently begun harvesting my second variety of corn and am pleased to discover full, edible kernels for all my efforts.

Furthermore, my collection of free cyclamen hederifolium corms (which died back completely last year) have sent up several square feet of flowers (see below). The makeshift remay sun barrier I erected certainly seems to help keep early day sun from blasting the area in question. At the very least, the barrier diffuses the full force of sunlight, and let's the plants thrive.

As for my other potted cyclamen...my purpurascens is in full bloom. A couple of the other pots are hinting at recent signs of growth. I need to relabel all of the pots as everything was transplanted after the last disastrous windstorm knocked everything over (i.e., piles of shattered clay pots, soil, and corms).