Winter Weather

It's been quite a winter so far this year. We had three snow storms even before the new year. The snow that fell on the Saturday before Christmas has not yet completely melted. Usually, snow melts off within a few days.

My dog has really enjoyed the snow. It seems to send his energy level sky-high. It was such fun watching him bounce through the snowdrifts, and shove his face in up to his ears.

Spring Frost Damage

Mid-April we had several days of very cold weather, with temperatures at night below 20 degrees. Many of the plants in my garden had already leafed out, and others were blooming. I tried to cover plants that I thought might be most fragile.

After four days, as the weather began to warm back up, I uncovered everything, and began to survey the damage. The hostas looked the worst, with leaves that looked like they'd been boiled. My fruit trees had all bloomed already. More damage showed up after a few days, with leaves turning brown, and flower stalks crumpling. My garden looked like a disaster zone, and I wondered how much I'd have to replace.

Spring Arrives

I'm back home after a week out of state. When I left, only snowdrops, the first daffodils, hyacinths, pansies and a few violets were blooming. Now there are flowers everywhere in my yard--more daffodils, hyacinths, violets, grape hyacinths, lungwort, Siberian squill and all the fruit trees. This is the first year the Bradford pear has actually flowered, without being stopped by a late frost. The peach tree is most spectacular, with its pink flowers.

First Posting

This is my first posting on my first blog, so this will all be quite experimental.

I've wanted to begin a blog for some time, to share my experiences as a relatively new gardener who is trying to design and set up a garden that minimizes exposure to allergens. I hope to learn from the experiences of other gardeners in dealing with their allergies as well.