What do you see on your garden walks? 2013

Cohan, at the moment I am actually envying your snow cover! The dry freezing we have now is bad for the plants. The forecast says more of the same the next 10 days :-\ Although it is sunny with no clouds at all, the sun is so low in the sky that it doesn't provide any warmth.

A January thaw has removed restrictions on rock garden doting, at least temporarily; I notice this morning three Mediterranean species: Bupluerum spinosum looking nice and green. The seeds it set, upon dissection, would appear potentially viable. I rubbed a few into the surrounding grit: The blue broom -E. pungens had sloughed (stepped on by dog, cat, chicken, or donkey?) a couple of green spines which appear to have callused -perhaps. I stuck those in the wet mud near the plant: Convolvulus cneorum from last years seed-ex is spotless and quite vigorous right at the south foot of my porch foundation. The one on the crevice garden doesn't look too bad either. all of these were under good snow during below zero (F) spat. all of the Agaves are "go" it seems. I looked for new seedlings of Draba etc. and did not see any. There's still a little snow where I expect it to be; and hope it remains. This weather is not untypical of my region and is not good for a lot of alpines as severe cold can re-enter the region upon bare, recently soggy ground. Yesterday temperature was same at noon in Saranac Lake, NY as in Los Angeles, CA! Freaky for both regions.

Here in Philadelphia, winter still hasn't really begun. Corydalis ochroleuca has put out a few new flowers. My fall-blooming camellia (the Ackerman hybrid 'Winter's Snowman') had all its flowers killed by frost last night, but it hasn't given up hope of opening more buds. Meanwhile, spring flowers are coming into bloom. Besides Galanthus elwesii and a couple crocuses, I have Helleborus thibetanus in bloom.

Can't say we are so lucky here as having flowers in the garden although some hellebores and snowdrops are persistent in bud.  It is still clear and cold but it seems to end in the weekend when we are expecting rain.

Southeast Pennsylvania winters are pretty mild, but this is definitely milder than normal. The temperature has not yet gotten down to 20 F (-7 C). Consequently, some of the summer and fall flowers are still hanging on. Corydalis ochroleuca, which is consistently the champion in my garden for duration of bloom, has been in bloom for 311 days and counting....

It's nice to have flowers into January, but I do hope we get a real winter eventually!

Tim, it certainly would be interesting to know about the range of variation in H. thibetanus. This is actually the very first time my plant has bloomed, so for all I know the strongly pink veins could be an environmental effect of blooming in atypical weather. Though a google image search does show that other flowers with more-or-less white background and pink veins.

My plant is plain white. Picture from last spring.

Michael, beauties each and every one! 

The difference in climates is amplified this time of year, when seeing plants in bloom during the dead of winter, when everything is quite frozen and dormant here, thankfully with a layer of snow still present. But its a pleasure seeing such magnificent Hellebore blooms, even when it seems off season to us in New England.

Michael, I have to echo Mark: They are beautiful! You seem to have escaped the winter cold so far?
Although some of my plants showed colour at Yuletide the last 3 cold weeks brought a stop to that. And now we have gotten 10cm of snow but today it is raining :-\

The snowdrops have stood like this for about a month now but the snow has disappeared and come back several times. The last inch of snow came yesterday.

I can think of two explanations for the snow melted around the snowdrops. First, the plants will be actively metabolizing, which generates heat. Second, plants -- and anything else that isn't white -- will absorb more sunlight than the snow, causing them to be warmer. 

I think Janet's last explanation is the right one. They do indeed absorb heat also when it is cloudy. Even dead twigs get a similar area of no snow around them and they certainly have no metabolism ;)

Michael, I just visited your Lewisia and alpines site.  What a feast for a new englander midst snow and cold!  Your pictures are superb and I loved the Daphnes you showed.  I noticed almost everything seemed to be in pots.  Do you grow these (Lewisias, daphnes) outside as well?  What is your usual minimum temperature?

bulborum wrote:

Well whatever it is
It looks funny
I know Symplocarpus "produces " heat in the flower

Roland

Yes, some plants do, I know, but I think they produce heat to mimic rotten meat and attract insects. But I checked yesterday and the thawed circles are much bigger around snowdrops than around anything elseincluding crocuses except Cardamines ;) However I didn't meassure the temp.

Michael, what a nice and tidy plant!

Nice Cyclamen, but it's not red, looks like a good deep pink.

I did discuss colours with Lori once so I won't say anything whether it is red or pink but it is a fine plant! Does it flower now?

They stay green here too and often flower at this time of the year but now it is too cold and 1 inch snow cover. This winter has been much colder than normal :-\

15" of snow here so nothing to see but deer tracks through the garden (sigh...).  It could be worse - they could be elk or moose tracks.  Lucky people to have things actually in bloom!

2ft snow here at our mountain cabin. Nothing but snowclad birches, pines, spruces and junipers. A lot of hare tracks. Hope they leave before spring. Last spring they devoured all the Pulsatilla vernalis buds.

Since we're on a roll with yellow flowers with lots of anthers, I give you Adonis amurensis. Just opened up today.

Beautiful, Janet!
Adonis is one of my favorite genera but I have never had any luck with them :(

Michael, that's a good one! I'm looking forward to see my yellows ;)

It isn't much green to see here, and certainly not any flowers, but snow.
We are spending some days skiing at our mountain cabin which sits in the subalpine birch forest at about 1000m in S Norway. Some spruces and pines also grow here.

We have only seen two flocks of ptarmigans, they used to be very common. We have not seen any live animals but lots of tracks of elks, foxes, hares, martens and relatives and small rodents. The latter prefere to move under the snow cower. We are almost alone here and do not meet any other people during our daily cross country ski tours.
A little snow has fallen every day and we have barely seen the sun. It is about -12 - -16C (10-3F) during daytime but absolutely no wind!

The dim winter light really shows in your pics Trond.  Of the winter snow covered areas in the U.S., Minnesota is one of the sunniest areas in winter.  There are lots of woody evergreens that can easily survive cold temperatures that we get here, but winter burn severely because of the relatively strong winter sun.  

These pics taken this morning in my backyard.
-- Amelanchier sp.
-- Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Squarrosa Lutea' with my "box" of potted materials covered for the winter.
-- Salix schraderiana, Picea asperata
     

-- Chamaecyparis thyoides
-- Betula nigra
-- Chamaecyparis thyoides 'Heatherbun'.  Chamaecyparis are incredibly flexible.  Heatherbun is is normally upright, and it will regain this stature when the snow melts off.  The dwarf plant is normally as high as it is wide in the photo.
   

-- our wild Juniperus virginiana, a volunteer under the tulip tree
-- Pinus strobus 'Wintergold', Betula nigra
-- Pinus strobus 'Wintergold'
   

Rick, as you say, no chance for sun burning here, neither plants nor people - yet!

A real winter day in your backyard! Where are your skis?
The yellow leaves of 'Wintergold' looks nice in the snow. Some of the spruces here do get yellow in winter, especially the last year's growth.
You have to pay attention Rick or else your trees end up like this: (Betula pubescens var czerepanovii)

A few more pictures from yesterday. Today we are going home. My wife and daughter in action in the dim winter light!

Cohan, seems to be a nice walk through the woods! And the sun is high in the sky ;) and shining too :o
Should be manageable to haul firewood in that depth of snow ;D

Michael wrote:

Helleborus black Hyb

Very beautiful Michael! Is it your baby? What's the name? 'Black Velvet'?

Cohan, I have a spare toboggan (we call it akebrett) which my daughters used when they played in the snow ;)