A Promise of Spring

Fourth Snowfall

 After we had some melting, we had two more snowfalls.  But now it is meteorological spring, and weather forecasts promise days in the 70's starting in two days. It has been so gray here for so long, I can't wait for some warmth and sun.

Promise of Spring

Daffodils are finally peeking through the ground after the fifth snowfall.  This area doesn't get a lot of sun. This pile of ice-covered snow that is still lingering in March (!) is from the snow storm that occurred January 24th that crippled the east coast.

Daffodils Emerging

 We had one warm day with sun last weekend, so I tried to uncover all the bulbs in the yard that were trying to grow through the fall plants that I left as groundcover for the winter.

Hellebore plant

I finally got out in the backyard when all the snow was gone last weekend to look under the large trees, and it looks like all the hellebore plants were just starting to bloom.  I'll have to clear away all the dead leaves so that their beauty can be seen.  They can last till June.

Finally Some Melting

Winter Kill

 After 11 days of below freezing temps with zero or below windchills, we have had 6 days of barely above freezing temps. The last two days have been sunny and warm in the 40's.  Melting has started! This photo of my Yuletide camellias shows the damage that the weather has done. This spot gets sun all afternoon, so the ground is visible here, unlike most of the rest of the yard and neighborhood.  We could finally get our back door open yesterday after the ice and snow piled up against it melted.

Amaryllis

I have several flowers indoors to keep me happy. One of my sons gave me this amaryllis for Christmas. This is the second time it has bloomed with four flowers. It looks like more green stems may produce more blooms.

Amaryllis

This amaryllis was given to me for Christmas by another son. It just bloomed this week. It has four blooms with seven more coming. The plant is two feet tall with lots of leaves, so I put it in a chair by a kitchen window so it could get some light. You can see the snow in our back yard behind it.

Amaryllis

This is an amaryllis from last year that I kept. It is still alive, but I doubt it will bloom again.

Valentine flowers

This is a mixed bouquet of flowers my husband gave me for Valentines day.  It hints of coming spring and brightens up the kitchen.

Valentine flowers

I bought this pot of flowers the week before Valentines day at the grocery store and put it on the kitchen table. Happy Valentines Day to all.

Third Snowfall

Snowstorm named Fern

As almost half of the country was experiencing this major snowstorm, we got our share.  This photo was taken as the snow was falling. We were supposed to get 6 to 8 inches. What we got was about 5 inches and then over 8 hours of sleet!  We ended up with about 4 inches of sleet on top of the snow. So we had about 9 inches total precipitation.  We only had a brief period of freezing rain after that.

The Day After the Storm

We were thankful that we did not get very much freezing rain that so much of the country did. So there were no power outages in our immediate area.  But with the bitter cold temperatures that will continue for 11 days, not much melting will take place. The four inches of sleet we had has hardened into solid ice, and my husband had to take an axe to clear some of it. Schools have been closed for three days now, but we finally got three days of newspapers delivered today after our neighborhood finally got plowed and sanded.

Amaryllis

A bright spot in the house is a pot of amaryllis one of my sons gave me for a Christmas gift.  It has three buds so far, and I am looking forward to the flowers.  To escape the weather with single digits  and below zero windchills every morning, we are taking a long-planned vacation this coming weekend to Florida. Hopefully we will get out of here, as we are facing another winter storm this weekend!

Christmas Lights

 The only other bright spot around amidst the dark winter days are the Christmas lights on the deck that we have not taken down yet.  We can see them out of our kitchen and family room windows, and they do bring some cheer as we wait for more light-filled days and the promise of spring. Around mid February we will take them down.

Happy Holidays

 

Christmas eve has finally arrived. The tree is trimmed, the gifts are wrapped.  After a second light snowfall and bitter temps in the teens, we are have been experiencing a warm up for the last two days with temps in the 40's.

 

Poinsettia

Since there is nothing in bloom outside, except my pansies and cabbages on my deck, I do have a large store bought poinsettia inside.

Poinsettia

 

There is a small poinsettia from the grocery on my kitchen table with tumbling Santa figurines around it.

Peanuts Snow Globe

We have a couple of holiday snow globes around the house. A favorite is the Snoopy and Woodstock snow globe. It lights up, has snow swirling  around inside, and plays several holiday tunes.

Snowman snow globe

 Another favorite snow globe also light up, has snow swirling around snowmen, cardinals and a rabbit.

Glass Snowman

This glass snowman sitting in a pile of shredded paper snow is one of our oldest ornaments (at least 25 years old).  It graces a table by the front door.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOODNIGHT!  HAVE A GREAT NEW YEAR!

A Cold Start To December

First Snowfall

 Many of the northern and northeast states had their first snowfall the first week of December.  We barely got brushed by the storm here in northern Virginia.  This photo was taken December 4th.  We usually don't get snow here until near the end of December.

Pansies

We have had below normal temps since the first of December.  This photo is one of the pots of pansies on my deck.  The snow did not bother the pansies, but the bitter cold, sometimes in the teens at night, makes them somewhat droopy.

Ornamental Cabbage

I have pots of ornamental cabbages and kale on the deck that will last until near the end of February.  I like to have something blooming year round on my deck because I can see the pots from my kitchen and family room.

Yuletide Camellias

The only thing blooming in the yard are the Yuletide camellias. But they have taken a hit from the cold and are looking bedraggled. There are some buds that haven't opened.  We are supposed to get a couple of warm days in the 50's at the end of this week, so maybe they will open.  In the meantime we are getting snow again tonight, but only a couple of inches. 

A Spectacular Fall

 We are having a beautiful fall season here in northern Virginia.  We have had cool, crisp mornings. Since we have had very little rain for the last three months, we are in a drought, but that has given us wonderfully dry, sunny days.  I was afraid that the drought would cause all the autumn leaves to turn brown before starting to fall, but we have had brilliant color on most of the trees.

Yuletide Camellias

There are three Yuletide camellia bushes in the yard and they just started blooming this week.  They are about three weeks early.

Clematis Samaritan Jo

I don't know what this clematis is doing. It died off in the early fall as it has done for the last three years.  But all of a sudden it is growing green leaves again.

Ornamental Peppers

Not much blooming in the yard anymore, but the plants in my deck pots are still doing fine.

Dwarf Zinnias

These dwarf zinnias are slowly fading.  We have only been down to 34 degrees here at night, but we may get a killing frost this upcoming week.  Then I'll replace these pots with pansies.

Fall is Here

Goldenrod Fireworks

 

The weather has been so dry here, that we are in a drought again.  We had so little rain in August that many of the leaves on the trees turned brown and fell. Ditto for September. Same thing is happening in October. But we have had many sunny days which I am enjoying.  A lot of the gardens have dried up, and there is so little blooming.  The goldenrod above bloomed right on time.

Abelia Rose Creek

 There are three Abelia bushed in the back yard that bloomed the same time as the goldenrod.

Japanese Anemone

This is the last blossom left on the three Japanese anemone plants. 

Russian Sage

 The several Russian sage bushes have mostly stopped blooming.

Marigolds

The one bright spot in the yard are these marigolds that my husband planted from an old seed packet that he found in the garage. It is getting gold here in the mornings. We have had a couple of days in the low 30's. We turned the heat on.  Most of the days will be in the low 60's now, although we had a couple of days where the temps never got out of the 50's.