The madness of spring is so enticing. I love it when things are opening up and emerging from the ground. I also love the middle of summer when fruit is bursting forth, but I even love the garden in the winter when everything is resting. Ross Gay
Well, everything is supposed to be resting… This has been an unusual winter in the Pacific Northwest. We’ve had our short days, saying goodbye to sunlight by 4:20 in the afternoon, but that’s really the only thing that’s felt like normal this season. There’s been plenty of wind but here in Edmonds we haven’t even had a hard frost yet. Knock, knock, I just tapped my wood desk hoping we don’t see winter weather descend on us tomorrow but honestly this has been a long, gray, dry fall-like end to the year. We’ve seen rain, wind and clouds but very little fog and the temperature hasn’t dipped below freezing.
As a result my annual solstice garden clean up consisted of deadheading summer blooming pots that refuse to quit and dragging the big branches that have blown down in the windstorms into piles in our backyard for cutting up before stuffing them in the yard waste bins for green recycling. Not exactly what I’d expected.
Usually by this time our summer annuals have given up in the cold and my outdoor pots are filled with evergreen branches and white lights illuminating the long nights and filling space until spring. This year I didn’t want to throw away perfectly good plants that were still blooming so as a result we still have pots full of geraniums, fuchsias and even some pretty yellow begonias shining brightly by my back door. Surprise!
Now I’m wondering if they’ll last until February when primroses and pansies arrive in their spring blooming abundance. If so do I dig them out to replace with fresh plants or stay with these hardy few for another summer of flowers…
Northwest Frame of Mind 
Crazy I know. Here in the Gorge we are seeing buds on some trees. I also have some purple daisy like flowers still producing. Wet and windy at times but today is sunny and cold. 31 degrees.
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Wouldn’t it figure, I wrote this last night and auto posted this morning only to wake up to a frost on the ground. 😊 The plants seem unfazed though. 🤷♀️ I think I’ll keep them. 😊 Happy New Year!
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Here in Auburn, we’ve had frost several times, so everything that should be dead is dead. They did hang on longer than usual, though. Now, I’m waiting impatiently for spring, longer days, and the NW Flower and Garden Show. Happy New Year, Lisa!
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Happy New Year D’Arcy! The Flower and Garden Show will be here before we know it. 🤗💐
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Weather has been so unexpected in many places…
Happy New Year to you and your family, Lisa!
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Yes it has… Happy New Year, Amy!
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It’s fascinating to see the little bits of spring still in your garden, Lisa. We’ve had unusual cold and almost freezing night temperatures, and we are “supposed” to have some more rain this week. All of this is oddly out of place. When we have these shifts don’t you wonder if they’re harbingers of things to come? Will there be new patterns we don’t yet understand? I presume so, and it does make me wonder about our gardens. Typically by now I’m already planting a few cold weather vegetables, but it’s been so cold that I don’t want to work outside AND I’m afraid they’ll freeze! Enjoy the warmer weather and I hope that it sticks around for a good, long time! Wishing you and your family a happy and peace-filled 2019, Lisa!
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I do wonder if these changes mean bigger shifts are to come, Debra. Climate change is real. Sorry to hear you’ve got our typical cold and wet winter! We’ve had another week of wind, a little rain and mild temps. No frost in sight… I hope you and your family have a wonderful 2019 and that your garden shrugs off this strange winter and continues to thrive!
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I never liked a resting garden, so I started specializing in cacti & succulents many decades ago. There always is something blooming, and the various types and colors of cacti spines provide a year-round beauty and uniqueness. That’s not to say that I don’t have ferns, begonias, geraniums, fuchsias, etc.
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Your garden choices sound beautiful. Year round blooming and interest is a goal for me too but in this climate ferns, evergreens, salal and mahonia are my season-less choices.
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