March 1, 2008

March comes in like a lion

Another snow storm is coming at us!! 8″ predicted here. I’ll get a photo soon. (just what we need – another snow photo….) While bemoaning the weather, I looked up what was going on in my garden last year on March 1. Pretty much the same. Snow. Cold. But the good news is that by the end of March, I had lots of sprouts and there were crocus and hellebore in the yard. I’ll keep that in mind during tomorrow’s snow fall.

February 29, 2008

one week update

This is the one week update for my winter sown bottles. No sprouts yet. No, I didn’t expect there would be any yet. Just thought I’d check. I was impressed with all the condensation droplets inside the bottles. Since the temperature is in the teens now (11 F last night!), it seems to be staying MUCH warmer inside the bottles. Grow seeds, grow!! winterplanting

February 27, 2008

gardening books

Earlier this winter I had a surprise email from a publisher. It turns out I sold my first photograph. (Yeahh!!!!) The publisher found the photo at my Flickr site. I’m not even sure what photo it is but it shows plants mulched with salt marsh hay. The photo is now in a paperback book titled “Complete Guide to Perennials (Miracle Gro)”. Since I’d like to see my picture, I’m ordering a copy. I’d also like to order another gardening book. What’s the best gardening book? (Ordering gardening books seems like…

February 24, 2008

snow amounts

With another 10 inches of new snow on the ground, I’m hearing all sorts of snowfall stats on TV. We have had 50 inches of snow so far this year. Last year we had a grand total of 17 inches all winter. The average winter snowfall here in the Boston area is 43 inches. So, we’re having a wild winter. And March is yet to come and often very snowy.

February 24, 2008

signs of spring

I like to watch for signs of spring. Even though we are buried again under 10 inches of snow, there are some signs around. The water fowl are starting to pair off, the squirrels are chasing each other with great excitement, and the hellebore buds are swelling (I peeked last week before the snow). sure signs of spring

February 23, 2008

winter seed bottles covered with snow!!!

Nine inches of snow are now on top of my seed bottles. Where is spring???? winterplantingS&P

February 23, 2008

to add-ads or not to add-ads …

that is the question… Ten of the 31 blogs on my favorite blog list (31%) have ads on their site. My first day of ads got me only $xxx with 707 page views. And then there are the sites with the cool “ad-free-zone” buttons. Such decisions…

February 22, 2008

winter planting

Finally – I got to this project I’ve been looking forward to. A dozen milk bottles, a dozen packets of seeds, and a bag of dirt. It felt good to get my hands dirty again. Even if it was in the kitchen sink. I found this method of planting at wintersown.org, My Skinny Garden, and A Gardening Year and am giving it a try for the first time this year. I have read that it works great for perennial flowers like black-eyed susans, coneflowers and hollyhocks. I wondered if it…

February 22, 2008

Google ads

Yippee! I made xxx! I added Google ads to my sidebar and in 4 hours I earned $xxx US. That’ll add up to big bucks in a year: $xxx! Wow….

February 21, 2008

sunlight and shadows

In late February, the sunlight is becoming beautiful. Even early in the morning it is bright and happy. I tried to find the best way to photograph it. Is it shadows or shine or refracted colors that capture it best? Whatever, its starting to feel nice.

weeks and counting until my last spring frost