Searching for New Growth

We had unseasonably warm weather earlier this week, with a high of 52F/11C on Tuesday. Our forecast next Monday calls for a high of 5F/-15C. I was concerned about the emerging plants...and it turned out my concerns were justified.

Helleborus orientalis

1. I know many of you have Hellebores blooming in winter, but the growth shown here is way too early for my climate. Hellebores generally don't bloom here until March or April. I added more leaf litter and mulch to protect them. Snow will add a blanket, too.

Phedimus kamtschaticus

2. These Sedum seedlings likely will be just fine; they often form early in the season. But they'll be tested. They're in a barrel, which provides warmth, but they receive little to no snow cover.

Allium 'Ambassador'

3. The Alliums are sprouting around the garden, and some are breaking through the ground. They'll be fine with additional soil, mulch, leaf litter, and snow.

Chrysanthemum x. morifolium hybrid

4. The Mums are on their own...we'll see what happens. I enjoyed the variegated foliage, so I added them to my "six."

Hydrangea arborescens subsp. radiata

5. Before the snow, dried Hydrangea seedheads offered a rusty glow.

Hylotelephium 'Autumn Joy' and Conoclinium coelestinum

6. The remains of 'Autumn Joy' Sedum and Blue Mistflower hugged each other in the warm sun.

That's it for my "Six on Saturday" entries for this week. Thanks to Jim at Garden Ruminations for hosting!

~ ~ ~

I didn't include this next photo in my "six," figuring most people are tired of snow...

...but here it is. I guess it provides needed projection for plants during the cold days ahead. Stay warm!

Six on Saturday: Looking Ahead

"Six on Saturday," hosted by Jim at Garden Ruminations, is a great meme! One of its most helpful features is that we must narrow our observations down to six! This week I'm cheating and looking ahead.

The list of anticipated 2026 garden highlights is endless. So, here are my six: one for winter, two each for spring and sumer, and one for autumn.

1. Winter: seed-starting. It's cold outside! It's fun to be outdoors in this Midwestern U.S. climate...but only if you're moving and you're wearing warm gloves. I don't enjoy winter photography. With that said, I do enjoy starting seeds and caring for overwintered plants in the sunroom (more on that in a later post).



2. Spring: flowering bulbs and Hellebores. When these beauties make their appearances after a cold, dark winter...wowza! Pure joy!



3. Spring: native ephemerals. My philosophy in this garden is to nurture a variety of plants near the house, but to dedicate areas further out on the property to native plants. These include ephemerals like Spring Beauties (Claytonia virginica) shown here, along with many more.



4. Summer: Fresh-cut flowers. What a joy it is to arrange flowers using cuttings from one's own garden. The options are plentiful, particularly during the summer.



5. Summer: hummingbirds. These little buddies are magical visitors. They often return to the same location year after year: Banding research has shown they even show up on the same day, or near it, from year to year! I consider the hummers that return to be "old friends."

6. Autumn: Colorful leaves. It's a wistful season, with gardening ending and winter ahead. But it's also a gloriously colorful time. Nothing beats the beauty of autumn leaves—Oaks and many others.

That's my "six" for this week! For more garden observations from around the world, head on over to Garden Ruminations!

Miscellaneous Pleasant Memories of 2025

Do you designate a folder or a notebook (online or physical) to save pleasant experiences you don't want to forget?

As a blogger, I often set aside photos that capture "magical" moments I'd like to remember. They're hard to put into words or fit into a blog post. I'm sharing a few here that remind me of special days and unique experiences during the past year.

I've placed them roughly in the order they occurred. The first six, including the top photo of the bumble bee exploring White Wild Indigo (Baptisia alba), greeted me on one of those partly cloudy, perfect days in mid-June. The final three are early October memories, when the garden, nature, and local harvests were full, colorful, and plentiful.

There are many more memories, of course, but these were specifically placed in my "Miscellaneous 2025" folder.

A stem of Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea), about to pop and declare the joy of summer.

Blue Flag Iris, at peace within its marshy home. I believe this is Southern Blue Flag (I. virginica), because it displays more yellow on its sepals than Northern Blue Flag (I. versicolor). Both are native here.

A redwing blackbird nestled among the grasses and forbs of its favorite prairie.



Oxeye Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides), ready to burst in the warm sunlight.



The solid, yet graceful and fascinating structure of Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis).



Bird's Foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), declaring the growing season extending a bit longer into autumn. Introduced here, this plant can be invasive in some settings. But it certainly is bright and cheery on a warm autumn day.

Locally grown apples (Malus varieties), crowned by a delicious apple cider donut.

And finally, a bright Zinnia bloom (Z. elegans 'State Fair Mix'), started from seed in the sunroom in late March and sparkling through October.

Do you have special memories of gardens and nature from the past year? Please share them!

Six Signs of Autumn

It's nearly the autumn equinox, and signs of seasonal change are increasing. While the overall view of most of the garden here is still green, color is creeping in. For example, the Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina) foliage is beginning its dramatic display (above).



Crabapple leaves (Malus spp.) carpet the front garden.

Hosta of the Equinox (H. aequinoctiiantha) is blooming away, while most of the other Hosta species' blooms are long gone.



'Autumn Joy' Sedum (Hylotelephium spectabile) is in its resplendent, full glory.



Blue Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum), currently one of the prettiest blooms in the garden, is claiming center stage.

And it's only a matter of days until the Mums' (Chrysanthemum x morifolium) buds burst into bloom. Changes are evident all around, and while summer is my favorite season, early autumn in this part of the world is darn pleasant.

What's happening in your garden? Head on over to Garden Ruminations to learn about "Six on Saturday" highlights from around the world.

Single Blooms in a Vase on Monday

I don't have much to show for this event (ooops, I also missed todays' theme), but I wanted to honor Cathy at Rambling in the Garden on her 10th anniversary of hosting "In a Vase on Monday." Cheers!

The tiny, partially opened Zinnia (Z. elegans 'State Fair Mix'), shown above, has been sitting on my kitchen counter since the end of October. It's fading, but I'm holding on to the last bits of freshness while I can.

I also plopped a colorful, drying Hydrangea bloom (H. macrophylla) in a vase, to enjoy as it fades slowly over the next few months.

Autumn 2023 in Southern Wisconsin is taking its time to concede to winter, and I'm OK with that. However, vases in the next few weeks and months will feature non-blooming garden elements, store-purchased flowers, or combinations of both. Congratulations, Cathy, on a wonderful meme!

Wordless Wednesday: 'Ozawa' Allium Before the Frost

'Ozawa' Allium (A. thunbergii)

Looking Back and Planning Ahead

I'm dreaming about the growing season ahead; are you? Some garden friends in warmer climates are beginning to see new growth, while others in even milder locations have year-round active gardens. Here in the Upper Midwest U.S., our growing season doesn't really get going until March. While, yes of course, changes are happening under the soil and under the snow and ice all winter, the growing party doesn't really start until spring.

So...I'm reflecting on some of the highlights of last year's garden as I plan ahead. In March, it started with the budding and blooming of Snowdrops (Galanthus spp.), shown above.



Other fabulous and reliable garden friends that made their appearances in March included the ornamental Alliums. (Though most actually bloom in late spring and early summer, it's fun to see the new growth poking above the soil and preparing for the season ahead.)

Crocuses (C. vernus) greeted late March and early April with bright color and tenacity, even as winter and spring duked it out with fluctuating temperatures and variable precipitation.

Some of the Hellebores (H. orientalis) began blooming in March, but their performance really got going in April.



The rabbits didn't eat/destroy the Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) last year because I provided adequate caging.





The Baltimore orioles and ruby-throated hummingbirds were right on schedule in early May. 







Alliums (A. giganteum), Salvias (S. nemerosa), and Dwarf Korean Lilacs (Syringa meyeri) took the stage in June, their cool pink and purple blooms great for floral arrangements.

Viceroy butterflies (shown here) seemed more plentiful last summer, while their look-alikes, monarchs, were lower in numbers in my part of the country than they have been in the past.



Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) offered cheery July blooms to pollinators and humans, alike.



In August, the garden flowers I'd planted from seeds, bulbs, and corms earlier in the growing season offered vases full of color.



A family of red-tailed hawks visited our backyard. That was a thrill!



Also a thrill: every monarch I saw, because there were so few.

In September, I found a patch of Downy Gentians (Gentiana puberulenta) during a hike, definitely a beautiful discovery.

The juvenile hummingbirds, as always in late summer/early fall, kept me entertained.



The Maples (Acer spp.) colored the front yard view in October.



At the same time, the garden was still full of plentiful blooms, since we didn't have a heavy frost until late in the month.



We had plenty of Tomatoes for BLTs late into the season.



The hanging Fuchsias even bloomed into early November.

And I saw monarch butterflies later in the season than I've ever seen them before, though I'd seen very few earlier in the year.

It was a beautiful growing season, and I'm looking forward to the one ahead in the coming months. Though these are all blooms and thrills from last year, I'm linking into Gail's Wildflower Wednesday over at Clay and Limestone. Happy memories and best wishes for the growing season ahead!