NOOOooooooo!

There is almost as much snow in my yard as a week ago, before much of it melted! After a morning low of 14ðf, it never rose above freezing - despite a blue, blue sky!

The Weather Service says we might have a little rain. Oh, joy! Then weekend morning temperatures in the single . .

. digitS' !

Still feels like winter today. I was cleaning up some of the garden beds over the weekend. I can say that the cheat grass definitely thinks it's spring. Spent a couple hours pulling it out. Some of the herbs are showing signs of greening up such as parsley, oregano, tarragon and winter savory. I didn't get around to cleaning up the perennial flowers but they are probably waking up too.

My garlic is 6" high, lots of daffodils about 3" high. Its 60ú and has been for the past 2 weeks. And we're in for 5 days of rain. At 7000 feet in February.

My crocus just poked through (in Westminster) and I did a little jig of joy :)

david52, that's wonderful news. You need that moisture!
I did see some tulips leaf tips just starting to clear the mulch last weekend. I transplanted a Variegated Wayfaring Viburnum from Michigan in the fall and it's trying to leaf out. Noo little one, not yet! I am ready for spring, though. This felt like a hard winter.

I'm in a new yard, and we moved in October, so I'm not sure what's "poking up" in my yard, but I believe they're irises. However, since they never really died all the way back, I'm going with they're not really poking up. Our lawn never even went completely brown this winter--weird?
However, with the cold, I have a few things that made the move in containers that I'm not sure will have survived that usually would have--my darling miniature specimen garden of succulents looks as if there are ZERO survivors, and I was shocked when I looked at the condition of the iceplants in there... clearly NOT what I have seen in the past. I'm pretty sure the mints are done-for; now that I think about it, I think I used to overwinter those in the garage and try to remember to water them 2-3 times/winter when they looked way past any signs of remaining life; I'm convinced that I HAVE killed the mint. Hey, if that was all I lost in the move? I think I can get some more of THAT at the spring swap!
This weather, however, is another story. One day, approaching 60. Next day, can't get above freezing and my wind chimes have been ripped off their hook by the wind?
I'm about ready for May 15, except that I haven't done my veggie starts yet! (This weekend. THIS. WEEKEND.)

One day, approaching 60. Next day, can't get above freezing and my wind chimes have been ripped off their hook by the wind?

Ok, everybody sing along now:

When it's springtime in the rockies
I am coming back to you
Little sweetheart of the mountains
With your bonny eyes of blue â¦..

strum strum

..... Once again I'll say I love you
While the birds sing all the day
When it's springtime in the Rockies
In the Rockies (not so) far away .....

So! I've been watching Chicago and New York weather for the last couple months! Chicago has been in the single digits and teens 99% of the time for the last month--except for a couple days recently when it got "warm" and all the ice on the rivers started to break up, with lots of yummy flooding. NCY had been having snow, rain, fog, freezing rain, sleet, every couple days for the last month or more!

I LOVE springtime in the Rockies! Crazy, mercurial, chaotic---and always interesting! Hey! I was out in the yard gardening on Monday--and I was so warm I almost came in to put shorts on-----then it got cloudy! But I bet nobody's gardening in either CHI or NYC, and hasn't for the last four months or more, and won't be for the next few months--or more!

Up, and down, and blowin'--or not, this is HOME!

Skybird

I can feel it coming even though snow and ice predicted for Niwot area! :(
But, just found at Habitat ReSource some concrete reinforcing wire for tomato cages and chicken wire for cucumber tunnel. Now if I can just find something for my peas to climb I'll be ready!

Yes, yes, I couldn't agree more! My grass is definitely greener than New York has seen in MONTHS! But as the weather cools yet again, it sends me back inside for more plotting and planning for this year's magnificent garden... Okay, let's be honest, I haven't planned a single thing and I'm totally nervous about what will and won't grow, and where--and in the ground gardening--WHAT? I've only grown in containers in over 15 years!!!
Really, tho, I would love a weekend day when I am not working on taxes or building costumes with the kids for this year's ComicCon so that I can lay down some cardboard and start smothering the stuff in those feral garden beds. I mean, fallow. No, actually, I think I mean feral!
Carpe this Rocky Mountain Weather!

14ðf, 40mph wind gusts, subzero wind chill of course.

Colder temperatures expected. Snow tomorrow night and Monday.

Steve
Kampenfeldt: You were distinctly heard to remark, "This is a fine country to live in."
Schwab: Oh, no, sir. There's some mistake. No, what I said was, "This is a fine country to live in."
Kampenfeldt: Huh? You sure?
Schwab: Yes sir.
Kampenfeldt: I see. Well, in the future don't make remarks that can be taken two ways. (Night Train to Munich,)

We have more than 2 feet of snow and wind and temps below zero the next couple of nights. Can't even see a sign of green or spring! But I am hoping!

Margaret . . .

You had an avalanche in Missoula, yesterday.

It destroyed a house. An 8 year-old was trapped in the rubble for a couple of hours but finally rescued and taken to the hospital. February will go down in the record books for the most snowfall in some MT communities. Tomorrow morning, Cut Bank has a forecast for a record low: -31ðf . . !

Steve

Before this last bit of snow and cold snap I had spotted lots of babies growing in my beds. There is baby cilantro, parsley, bachelor buttons, snap dragons and lots of chocolate nigella- most of which is in the rock path, not the flower bed. I was thinking of digging and potting them, but now they are under snow. Next weeks weather here in Brighton is looking good though, high 50's and low 60's everyday!

Not exactly spring here today! Was 9 last nite, and got ALL THE WAY up to 25 today--even with the sun out! But it sure was spring on Thursday when I took these pics!

I have the first few yellow Crocus chrysanthus blooming in three different spots in my yard. These are C. chrysanthus 'Goldilocks', and they were planted in January 2013, so this is the first year I'm getting to see them bloom for real! There's a ring of Crocus planted around the little Dianthus in the middle, and besides the gold there's C. biflorus 'Purity', a white, and C. tommasinianus 'Ruby Giant', a dark red. I'm hopin' the other colors will start to bloom before the gold ones are done!

My hybrid Crocus, the larger flowered ones, have been growing all winter again. The first year I noticed them coming up in November I freaked out, but now I'm used to it and I know they'll wait till "the right time" to bloom! They're always later than the species Crocus, often starting around when the first ones are just about done.

Many, many of my perennials are starting to show signs of life too, and I sure hope they don't get too rambunctious! Sounds like we'll be getting a full week of warm weather coming up starting tomorrow (near 70 on Thursday???), and last year when everything woke up too early I had a lot of stuff clobbered when we got that sudden HARD freeze. Some things, lilies and other stuff, that were way too big, way too early, never did recover last summer and now I'm waiting to see if they made it at all and if they'll come up this year! Have my fingers crossed! The few tulips I have that I got from TreeBarb at a swap even froze! Tulips don't freeze! They're starting to come up again, so I know they survived, but I think I'll need to wait a while longer to see if they have enough energy to bloom this year! I have dafs a few inches high in a couple places, hyacinths 2-3" high, and other bulbs putting in their appearance too. Whoa, little guys, whoa! Keep your heads tucked in a little bit longer! I'd rather see you later than to not get to see you at all!

But this is definitely the time of year when things start to get exciting! Things are getting greener, the days are getting longer, and daylight saving time in just a week! It'll be light out till 7:00! Love it!

I don't want 'em to bloom too soon---but I can't wait to see them either!

Skybird

Where

is

the like button?

digitSteve

O ROFL,
Skybird