Seasons of frost and general glumness

17 Jul '09 7:39 am

Everyone is so kind with comments when I put on some summer photos,but here is reality in mid-winter.
It can get me down a lot as I see so much tidying to be done.
so it is great to see Northern hemisphere garden friends and the promise of new life yet to come.

17 Jul '09 9:48 am

Hey Dixie - nice too hear from you! Yep, I know what you mean about the depth-of-winter blues. We've had a hideous winter of frosts and torrential rain. My garden looks considerably less well cared for than yours! I see your veges didn't like the frosts too much either Sad

Still, spring is not too far away. The house is filled with early jonquils giving off their gorgeous scent. Could be worse I guess. Snow would not be welcome at all!

Have a look at my garden diary thread for pics of our place this winter... a fairly similar scene to yours!

17 Jul '09 1:20 pm

There have been lots of items from people whom I think are not sincere-disappointing as I have lost track of individual genuine threads -I will look for yours Kerole.It will make me feel so much better if there is another garden looking wintery too. Wink

I have just noticed how nice my violas in pots are.I have become a fan of Sedum(s?)and have picked bits off and put them in pots with flowers and they look quite pretty.
So the world does not look so gloomy from where I sit.

17 Jul '09 7:46 pm

I really enjoy a winter scene. With all the foliage down you can get a good look around at things you don't see when the place is all greened out. I get a much better sense of the surrounding landscape, garden boarders and shapes of the gardens. You have a wonderful location. Beautiful vistas on all sides.

Your days must be getting longer because ours are getting shorter. I fear our winter is on it's way. We had a terrible summer so far. It's been colder than it ever has been and has been breaking all the records back as far as they started keeping them. Last night it was only 4C and the high today was 19C. Supposed to warm up over the next few days.

Get yer paints out, Dixie. this is the perfect time to paint up a storm of new stuff for your garden, or repaint stuff. Paint paint paint! That should cheer you up and remind you spring isn't far away.

Christopher

19 Jul '09 11:17 am

I needed a good stern talking to GG !-i am hardly ever down,as I feel so blessed in all ways.
I actually did a lot of fresh paint work before winter set in and will start on the back patio area in Spring,as the white paint has gone greenish and dirtyish.
As well as the deck-under and top,i re-painted the two Cape cod chairs-two undercoats and two top coats,so they are looking spruce.I painted them blue again,because our Moosey team all have blue chairs for outside.
i will get a photo and put it on here.
cheers and thanks

19 Jul '09 11:33 am

Here are my newly painted outdoor chairs.
In winter I put all the bits and pieces in the shelter of the back part of the house-it has wide eaves so shelters the plants and furniture.Under the kitchen window you can see the pots planted with pansies and violas which will be moved out when the weather gets warmer.
On the left is a daphne shrub which has just started flowering.
Hey-it looks fine today doesn't it !

19 Jul '09 8:00 pm

I'd call them Adirondack Chairs. I made one for a model I built a few years ago. I plan to build myself one soon as I get the chance so I can have a comfy chair on the front deck.

I like the color. When I said paint, I meant paint stuff like fairies and mushrooms and stuff like that for the garden. I meant you should paint folk art on your wheelbarrow or what-have-you. I didn't mean to get out the step ladder and paint the ceiling or some such tedious job. I think you should do some fun stuff. Think "Fun! Paint! Yeah!" and go for something fun to do. Let loose with your creative self. I dare you.

Christopher

20 Jul '09 8:30 am

Well I can tell you Dixie, your place looks much less messy than mine! That blue pot cluster is lovely. Those lime sedums - pretty sure they're Sedum mexicana 'Gold Mound' - are one of my favourites. Your chairs look very spruce indeed! You are right to tuck them away for the winter... our furniture lives out year 'round and it turns pretty green at this time of the year!

It is so wet here I haven't been able to mow the lawns in ages. The garden beds look bereft and untidy, and one garden has a fine covering of grass across its whole surface. The roses still await a pruning. Miserable really.

Anyway, take heart Dixie. Your garden awaits spring, and while you're enjoying spring's bounty, I'll be weeding and cleaning and digging!! Very Happy

... And GG, aren't you a clever sod! That is very very cute.

20 Jul '09 9:19 am

I've just gotten back from a road trip so I missed out until now. I went with my 'baby' brother, his much younger wife and two kids 6 months and 3 and a half years. It was a blast and at the same time I got a renewed appreciation for the demands on them. We rented a bigger car so we could travel together and shared a room at a motel. Just so you know it really is summer somewhere we spent one whole day playing at the beach where the temperature of the ocean water was 64 F, 17.8 C. My niece loved it and the little swimming pool at the motel, as she continually told us. We were all moving slower the next day but well worth it. We also visited the Los Angeles Zoo and the Huntington garden again, this time without a camera. Lia couldn't come because she is off to Austria for a couple weeks.

Looking at your first photos on this post I actually find myself looking forward to such days here. No hurry mind you but winter is such a peaceful time in the garden. Here the garden smells different when it is moist which only happens in the winter. It will be good to take the dogs on long walks in a light rain again.

Jack's enthusiasm for front gardens has lit a fire under me to post some of the ones we saw in Portland here soon. Hoping your spirits brighten whether or not the days do.

20 Jul '09 1:12 pm

thank you so much everyone for your updates on what is happening in the rest of the world-how can I stay gloomy for long!
I think I will be a red neck when I grow up-that appeals to me no wurries !

Seasons of frost and general glumness

Seasons of frost and general glumness

thanks Kerole

Stark Splendor

thank you GG

Cape cod chairs

Nice chairs.

Blue pots and lime sedums - yum!

How nice to hear from you and see how your garden grows.

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