Garden lessons learned: winter 2014

The snow/ice is so crunchy, I can walk on top of it without snowshoes.

It's time once again to share garden lessons learned in the season just ending--winter for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, and summer for gardeners in the Southern Hemisphere.

Lots of snow to melt before "spring."

We'll have to wait a while before the winter weather ends here in the Northern U.S., though, and I have to admit: I haven't learned much in the garden during the past three months.

Notice I said "IN the garden."

Icy patches on the patio and the driveway are making even short walks treacherous.

Oh, I've learned plenty "about gardening" and "about plants." But it has been too cold and too treacherous to spend much time actually in the garden. There's even a Wikipedia entry now for the "Early 2014 North American Cold Wave."

So, what have I learned? Here are a few items:

The start of some new garden plans.

Excel is a great tool for plotting a garden plan. I've always hand-drawn sloppy plans in the past--plans that only I could understand. So it's fun to try this new (for me) way of doing it.

Success with reblooming a Cyclamen plant!

I'm not an expert on florists' Cyclamen plants, but now I know what works for me to keep them alive through the summer and bloom again the next spring. (Maybe I'll write a post about it.)

The snow has accumulated, melted, refrozen, and accumulated again.
Meanwhile, I forgot to pull out the yardstick at the beginning of the winter.

Next winter, I'll have to remember to pull the yardstick out of the snow before several layers of ice form around it. Oops.

Four little goldfish are still alive and kicking in this heated pond.
I'd show you, but it's too cold to lift up the lid!

Goldfish in a heated pond can survive even the coldest winters--as long as the heater keeps working. So far, so good--two winters now!

Wow, look at all that great "poor man's (woman's) fertilizer"!

I'm learning to accept the mess of dirty snow--realizing it's full of nutrients for the plants underneath it.

Lots of evidence of wildlife here (birds, squirrels, rabbits, etc.).
Will we see some new perennials poking through the Hostas?

There may be a lesson in the snow under the bird feeders. I placed Echinacea and Rudbeckia seed heads here for the birds. I wonder if I'll have any new perennials here later this spring?

What about you? What garden lessons have you learned during the past three months?

To join the Lessons Learned meme, share a new or a previous post you've written regarding your own lessons during the past season. No Linkys necessary: Simply add your link to your comment. And please also join Donna at Gardens Eye View for her Seasonal Celebrations meme. Posts that cover both memes offer a chance to reflect on the past season and look ahead to the next at the same time. Both memes will be active until the equinox, when we'll post the wrap-ups.

I was surprised to see berries still on the Viburnum bush.
Maybe they're too frozen solid even for the birds to enjoy?!