Today in Our Garden #winterstormStella damaging ice #frozencherryblossoms #GardenCuizine @BurlcoTimes

Today in Our Garden
Ice Storm Stella

I'd much rather be enjoying the Philadelphia Flower Show right now instead of watching ice topple branches from our pines and shrubs. We prepared for winter storm Stella, a predicted mid-Atlantic nor'easter, but instead of getting 8 to 12-inches of snow, we got much worse - damaging ice. 

Stella's ice has coated everything. Cherry blossoms and pussy willow blooms are completely encapsulated in ice. 

We even had the local Fire Department stop by earlier to remove huge, fallen white pine branches that had landed onto the road. The wrath of this storm may still not be over. Flurries are still falling, ice is not melting and I can hear the wind howling as I'm typing.

The white pines dropped more branches than I can ever remember. The sound of cracking and breaking branches could be heard in our yard and echoing throughout the neighborhood. 

When I strolled around the yard with my camera to survey the damages, I noticed one pine had completely uprooted and tipped over, laying alongside the veggie garden.

lots of pine cones on this uprooted pine tree

there is not supposed to be a tree along side this garden fence!

It is hard to believe that Spring is less than one week away from this cold, wind and ice.
Related Links
Winter Storm Update 
Helping Trees and Shrubs Recover from Snow and Ice 
Photos and blog post Copyright (C)Wind. All rights reserved.

Today in our Garden #GardenCuizine #NNM @PhilaFlowerShow

Today in Our Garden

Snow Melt today
Nothing like Boston's tally of snowfall (second snowiest since 1891 with 104.1 inches so far), but South Jersey's largest snowfall of this season was Thursday. We had 7 inches. Harry cleared out our driveway yesterday. Some snow melted today.

Birds
Wintering birds have been all over the seeds we've been putting out. The second heated water bowl has been a popular feature for wildlife. 

Philadelphia Flower Show
It's still not too late to attend the Philadelphia Flower Show for a taste of Spring. Did you go? Watch for my Philadelphia Flower Show post; plus, another Dave's Garden Chocolate Garden article featuring decadent plants from the show. 

Our Garden
The vegetable and herb garden is still completely covered under snow at this point... the focus now is indoors and getting ready to start growing veggie seeds under grow lights.

Seed Starting during National Nutrition Month® (NNM)
March marks NNM and the time to start growing seedlings like tomatoes and other garden annuals. We start ours on St. Patty's Day so they don't get too leggy and overgrown. Vegetables with longer germination times can get started even earlier, such as peppers. I hope to plant both sweet and hot pepper seeds under grow lights indoors next week.

Happy National Nutrition Month - have fun Garden Planning!
Related Links
NNM Bloggers
Starting Seeds Indoors
Photos and blog post Copyright ©Wind. All rights reserved.

Today in Our Garden ... smells of Spring #GardenCuizine

Today in Our Garden
South Jersey
USDA Zone 7a (formerly zone 6b)
March 15, 2013

Finally, feels like Spring today. Lots of birds flying around looking for nesting materials and warm enough you don't really need to wear a coat outside. You can smell the hyacinths along the garden paths. New growth can be seen everywhere.

I haven't planted the usual amount of seeds that I normally do. But, those that I did get in the dirt are starting to sprout life. The first sprouts are a favorite pink salvia.

In the garden: garlic is sprouting, horseradish is coming up too. No sign of any Jersey asparagus yet. Arugula is hearty and budding already. Weeds are everywhere and blooming; they actually look pretty nice... What's growing in your garden?

Blessings for a Happy Passover and Happy Easter!

Photo collage Copyright (C)2013 Wind. All rights reserved.

An Hour in the Garden puts life's Problems in Perspective... #GardenCuizine #gardenchat

Today in Our Garden

South Jersey
USDA Zone 7a (formerly zone 6b)
March 15, 2013

Finally, spring is in the air. Cool weather greens like arugula are being harvested for salads. Crocus and black pussywillows (Salix gracilistyla 'Melanostachys') are blooming. Garlic, iris flags, rumex (Rumex sangunieus), sweet cicely (Myrrhis odorata), daylilies, horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) and sedum are sprouting. As mom says, "It won't be long before a ta-da day..."

Plant a seed and watch it grow. Spring is just days away.
Happy Gardening! 
Spring begins with the vernal equinox at 7:02 A.M. (EDT) on March 20, 2013 in the Northern Hemisphere. 
Blog post and photo collage Copyright (C)2013 Wind. All rights reserved.