snow garden

    Still winter in the Garden 2014

  The cold of the past few days weather reminded us what winter is like! How many of you dear readers remember when this kind of weather meant ice skating on the local lake all day and sometimes again after dinner? I do!  I also just mentioned to my husband Ted that we skied and took long hikes in freezing weather and never thought anything of it.  Snow day meant bundle up and take a LONG walk. Seems now the walk out to the shop is a long walk when it is like this out.  At least once the snow storm passed it was sunny and bright, but cold!  

Mid afternoon we walked back to feed the chickens and look at  the garden. The old cardboard we mulched between the rows is all but rotted away. Ted wants to add some rotted wood chips to our garden's sandy soil, so he will just spread it on top when he can get some from the piles down at our tree farm. Leaves, grass and any other composted materials are also added whenever we have them. We stopped deep tilling a few years back because this seemed to only bring the sand up and push our valuable compost down.  Our garden always needs lots of lime added to this acid mix as it rots down into sandy soil here which is naturally acidic. 

As we walked the sun sank lower in the western sky, it was soon behind the woods on the other side of the creek (head water of Maurice river).   The noisy geese and ducks  came over to eat the corn we had thrown along the banks.  The sunset was pretty and rosey, with hues of fluffy confection.  Soon only a raspberry hue outlined the deep black silhouettes of the swamp maples, cedars and pitch pines.  The creek was aglow like a mirror reflecting all the shades of the sunset as well as the snow..    

As I have been saying the last few weeks each day has just a little bit more sunlight, which encourages houseplants into new growth.  Most of outdoor garden is in dormancy.  It is a good thing, because this is exactly what needs to happen for plants to emerge healthy in the  spring.  The ability of hardy plants to survive cold is linked to dormancy.  We can compare this period of rest to our own sleep. During dormancy plants are alive, even active to a certain degree.

Dormancy is different for each plant. Spring bulbs become dormant in summer when their foliage dies back naturally after making next year's food supply.  Most plants become dormant after the frost They rest until  late winter when the increasing hours of sunlight stimulate growth of their roots and then stems.

Dormancy is quite complex and has many stages. Books are written about it, but what we need to remember is that plants need winter for this reason. Lilacs, forsythia and other spring blooming trees and shrubs don't survive in warm places like Florida since they cannot 'go dormant'.

Plants that are native to northern gardens dress for the cold. They have special tissue that protects them from the severe temperatures. Buds have scales acting as a blanket and bulbs and seeds are also covered. Coverings on seeds have hormones that inhibit germination until the time is right for each type of seed. These coverings also maintain a moisture balance in bulbs during drought and also times of too much moisture. 

Plants actually do better when winters are "normal" and temperatures are not too warm. It is the gradual drop in temperatures, along with shorter hours of daylight that allows dormancy to occur.  Sudden drops in temperatures after long warm spells can "nip " the buds.  I was worried about this happening this year when it was so mild a few weeks back. I kept watching the forsythia and there were some blooms. When there is a sudden cold sometimes branches experience 'winter kill'.  I hope non-were harmed this past week when we had a plunge in temperatures. 

Some locals grow hardy palms and other 'hardy tropicals' that make it through our winters, but can need protection. There are books written on  how and why plants survive at certain temperatures.  Many variables, such as the condition of the plant going into the winter, water or lack or water, food supply prior to the freeze and the general health of the plant effect its survival. 

Even though we wait for spring, now is still the time of winter, when snow falls and winds howl. Yet there is much activity going on in the garden. Roots are often stirring, bulbs are swollen and sending out roots and shoots. Perennials are undergoing many vital chemical changes needed for a new cycle of growth, and hardy seeds are often also swelling, getting ready to send forth sprouts. (I often throw more annual poppies, larkspur, calendula and parsley on top of soil  this time of the year) Nutrients from fallen leaves and dead stems are working their way down into soil as they decay and early spring rains come.  

Enjoy the winter landscape and spend some time outdoors. We have had a period of rather cold weather, but this is seasonal for now. Notice the color of barks, early buds, evergreens and the silhouettes of naked trees against sherbet colored winter sunset. Pick some pussy willow, forsythia of other spring flowering branches to force and enjoy a seasonal preview of what is to come in spring. 

Mark your calendar, An all time favorite event is the Winter Plant Walk and  Talk, 'Looking for Spring'. Dress for outdoor walking, take photos and learn what to plant now and what is in bloom. See and smell wintersweet, mahonia, witch hazel and hellebores... colorful twigs, berries and evergreens will also be pointed out on tour. Delicious home made soup at end of day for all who sign up. 856-694-4272  RSVP a must please.  lorrainekiefer@gmail.com