Winter Fruit in the Snow

A pastoral scene near one of our favorite dog parks, including an ice fisherman

in the distance on a frozen tributary to the Yahara River.

Suddenly...it's winter!

We've already broken two "winter" weather records near Madison, Wis. On November 29, we received nearly 12 inches of snow in 24 hours--the snowiest November day and the heaviest single November snowstorm on record!

And now it's very cold: On December 4, the high temperature was 16F/-9C and the low was around 0F/-18C. While these temperatures often occur in January or February here, they're far below normal for December.

Right after the big snow, I thought I'd go out and photograph some winter fruits--they're so interesting and colorful framed in white. But the bitter cold and heavy snow limited my choices in our garden. So I'm including a few fruits from plants in the sunroom, and another observed during a recent dog walk:



Frosted drupes on Cranberrybush Viburnum (V. trilobum);



A snowy cap for Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina);



Wind-scattered Crabapples (Malus spp.) for bird snacks;



Poisonous, drying Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum wallisii) berries, ready to be clipped;



Ripening Fuchsia 'Marinka' berries, almost ready to harvest;



And bright, cheerful American Bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) along the trail.



I couldn't resist sharing this special message created by a fellow dog lover at the park. ❤️

I'm linking in with Jim's "Six on Saturday" meme over at Garden Ruminations.

June Bloom Day: Colorful, Strange, and Plentiful

On this June Bloom Day, I use the words colorful, strange, and plentiful to describe the garden for these reasons:

Colorful: While the blooms are always colorful at this time of year, for some reason they seem to "pop" more than usual on the landscape currently. I don't know why.

Strange: Where do I start? We've had weird weather in April, May, and June (so far). Near-record and record hot days followed by near-record, very cold days; some "perfect" days; and now we're in a drought (though we've had some recent light rain). The weather never seems to be "normal" for the time of year anymore.

Plentiful: So many things are blooming; I picked just a few...mainly plants at their peak, annuals, and colorful stars in the garden.



Alliums...I have many varieties in the garden. Some are faded; some haven't bloomed yet. But a few are lovely currently, including the tall, stately 'Ambassador' Alliums.



American Garlic (Allium unifolium) has had a good season, despite the temperature swings and lack of rain.





The annuals currently taking the stage are the Lantanas (L. camara). I get a kick out of their changeable colors; the Lantanas in both photos above are the same variety: Lucky 'Sunrise Rose.'



Companions with the Lantanas in color and placement are 'Snapshot Rose' Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus). These are somewhat shorter (10 inches) than many Snapdragons I've grown in the past, but the flower spikes are full and tall. 

'May Night' Salvia: While its parentage apparently is somewhat debated currently, it's been an anchor to the side sunny garden for two decades. It's a regal, reliable garden stalwart for the pleasure of humans and pollinators, alike.



On a whim, I purchased this 'Starsister Scarlet and Yellow' Dahlia. It's a compact, shrubby plant, and I currently have it placed in the side sunny garden. I haven't decided if I'll keep it in the pot or place it in the ground. I love the bright colors!

Near the Dahlias is this pot filled with French Marigolds (Tagetes patula), Spotlight 'Lime Heart' Sweet Potato Vine (Ipomoea batatas), and 'Serena Blue' Angelonia (A. angustifolia). I think I need to deadhead the latter to encourage more blooms (and maybe give it a little more sun). But I expect it will be lovely through the growing season.

I'll plan to post about the other potted plants in the weeks ahead. All potted plants, including those shown at the beginning and end of this post, are bringing much color and joy to the garden, despite the strange growing season so far.

What's blooming in your garden? To enjoy other lovelies on this Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, visit May Dreams Gardens.

June Weather in April; April Weather in May

The Trilliums are OK: l. to r., T. erectum, T. grandiflorum, T. recurvatum.

I realize that no season, month, week, or day is really "normal." But we've had a truly unusual spring this year. Yes, most Midwest springs feature unpredictable weather--popping back and forth between cold and warm; and snowy, rainy, and mild. But I don't recall a spring with truly summer weather for several days in April, a drought mid-spring, and then an extended period of cool weather into the middle of May. Most years, we have many spring days in the 60F-70F (15C-21C) range, while this year, most days have had high temps on either side of that, with a couple of days in April approaching 90F (32C).

The outcome? Many plants had an early start, and then simply paused for weeks on end. It's been a beautiful season for spring-flowering bulbs and Trilliums, because they're lasting longer. But it's changed the flow of the garden and the comfort level of the gardener.

I've seen very few migrating birds in my garden, and no orioles, rose-breasted grosbeaks, indigo buntings, or scarlet tanagers. I don't know if I missed them or if more might pass through the area with the warmer weather ahead.



The Ostrich Ferns (Matteuccia struthiopteris) were up and uncoiled before I had a chance to harvest some for sautéing.



Meanwhile, the Redbud (Cercis canadensis) blooms are lasting longer than they usually do with "refrigeration."



I'm wondering if the early leaf-out of the Shagbark Hickories (Carya ovata) is hiding the bird feeders and oranges I put out for the migrating birds.



The Lily of the Valley flowers (Convallaria majalis) seem unfazed. (I need to remember pick some for a few vases.)



The Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) patch emerged early, and seemed to have an extended budding period.



Now, the Mayapples are blooming. :)



The Bugbane (Actaea racemosa) plants are farther along than I would expect. They generally don't bloom until midsummer, so it will be interesting to see how they progress this year.



The Crabapples (Malus spp.) had a short bloom time (drought, then heavy rain). I wonder how this will affect the local orchards.

And now we're entering the Lilac-blooming (Syringa spp.) period, one of the best times to visit Southern Wisconsin, in my opinion. The weather looks to warm and normalize a bit in the days ahead. Time to plant the annuals, edibles, and a few perennials!