Bloom Day Blizzard

Today February 15, is a total blizzard here in Nova Scotia, Canada.  Not that I'd have anything blooming outside anyway, but there is some colour inside the house. 

A few weeks ago, a dinner guest kindly brought a pot of tulips to the house, just starting to bloom.  They have lasted a long time, and though they are well past their prime, here is an expose on their February flowering.  Aside from a worn Poinsettia, this is all I got.

 

I have not been blogging much, or reading blogs this winter, but this blizzardy Garden Bloggers Bloom Day is the perfect occasion for a fresh start.  Enjoy all the blogs, thanks to the listing at May Dreams Gardens. Today is definitely a day to dream about May, here in eastern Canada.

Challenges of Early Spring

Well, one of our challenges at home is the lovely, local deer.  We like them a lot.  Sometimes as many as eight at a time wander through.  It's just that they happen to like our bird seed, and our tulips.  

And a little globe cedar, Thuja occidentalis.  No wonder that thing never seems to make much progress!   

They notice my rake and shovel, but decide to do some trimming instead.  They have not got to the tulip greens yet.  Here is the carnage from last spring.

Also, it's also too early to move some things from the windowsill out to the deck or garden.  Like these elderberry cuttings, Sambucus nigra "Black Lace."  So, the spider mites are having a field day. 

 

If I could just have an occasional rainy day, the mite infestation would be washed away.  The little banana tree (Ensete?) also needs this kind of weather, as does the parlour maple, Abutilon sp.  Instead, they get an occasional shower in our bathroom to ward off the hungry, little, web-spinners. 

Perhaps my biggest springtime challenge is the need for patience.  Soon enough, everything will be growing quickly, the houseplants will be outside, and I won't be able to keep up!