They were waiting, under the snow. In a flower bed tucked into the right angle where the brick wall of the attached garage meets the enclosed back porch. A favored spot in terms of sun, where the snow melts early. I was wondering if the melting snow would reveal the green shoots of the Snowdrops …
gardeninacity
Notes from a wildlife-friendly cottage garden
Over the last 2 days the Chicago area has gotten about 18″ of snow. And that was on top of a bunch of other snow, so that we’ve got a total of 44″ for the season, a 40-year record. And it’s been cold as well as snowy. Daytime highs in the single digits, overnight lows …
It’s foolish to take the weather personally, but I can’t help it. It’s especially foolish given what is going on elsewhere in the country. Even so, I check the weather app on my phone several times a day. We haven’t had a good rain for over a month. A rainless 10-day forecast provokes exasperated sighs. …
A dramatic high point of the traditional Passover Seder is the recitation of the 10 plagues visited upon Egypt. On this last night of Passover, it occurs to me that there were at least 3 plagues visited upon our garden this week. And while they all were a lot milder than the ones cited in …
Winter Kill
This might seem a little late for a post on plants lost to our last winter (an extraordinarily severe one). But sometimes you need more time to be really sure of your losses.
Slow Spring Movement
You’ve heard of the slow food movement, right? We seem to be living through a slow spring movement. Don’t be anxious for all those spring flowers, the weather is telling us. Be in the moment – savor the season day by day. Most years, the slow spring movement lasts only as long as there isn’t …
We Are Not Yet Frozen
Thanks to everyone who expressed concern for our well-being during Chicago’s recent spell of severe weather. We are fine. In fact, Judy had to spend this past week in Los Angeles for her job. She’ll be getting home late tonight.
I Sense A Disturbance In The Vortex
Was it really barely a week ago that I wrote a post entitled “Let Winter Be Winter”? Yes, it was – only a few days ago I was complaining about our eerily mild temperatures. And the weather gods could not resist the opportunity to make me the straight man in a little joke. The weather …
Let Winter Be Winter
There’s a compact Korean Spice Viburnum (Viburnum carlesii) just outside our front door. I give it a close inspection, if I’m not in a hurry, almost every time I enter or exit the house.
First Snow
Yesterday morning we awoke to see the season’s first real blanket of snow. It wasn’t the blizzard that had been predicted, but still a solid 5 inches or so.
