Gertrude's Flower Garden Weekly Diary

3/9/01 - We speak lightly of something or someone being "as changeable as the weather." You need only take a minute or two to read last year's "Weekly Diary" (3/10/00--see link below) to see how true this statement is. All of this weekend and the early part of the week this year we have been worrying about the gigantic winter snowstorm that was going to overwhelm us. Well, the great snowstorm was a fizzle, but the weather for the last few days has been anything but pleasant, and certainly precluded any outdoor work in the garden. When I read last year's March 10 "Diary," I can't believe that there could be so much seasonal varation: last year, I was liming, fertilizing, and over-seeding the lawn, and raking and otherwise clearing the flower beds. Today I couldn't wait to get indoors and out of the wind and cold when I came home from shopping, while working in the garden was the last thing I would have thought of.
The terrible weather makes the happy blooms on the impatiens in the basement seem that much more out of place. Even the Star zinnias have buds on them, and I expect to see some blooms soon. I am continuing to keep the lights as low as possible, however, and, as a result, the plants are staying short and sturdy. I notice that last year the impatiens and zinnia plants had reached the same stage, so that maybe it is only the outside weather that is out of tune. The three boxes of seeds on the warming pad that are waiting to germinate--money plants, white cleome, and seed dahlias--don't seem to be making any progress. Perhaps I planted them too deeply overreacting to the results that I got from some earlier seeds that seemed to germinate on the surface. I will try to be patient for a few more days, but if nothing happens, I will replant. Fortunately, in the case of seeds from my own garden, I always have plenty for a second planting, which is not the case with seeds that I purchase.
With the terrible spring weather that we have been having, you would think that the garden would just give up, but in the sure knowledge that spring is really coming, it continues to grow. The daffodils are up several inches, and I even saw buds on some of them. Some early crocuses are blooming on the south side of the house (when the snow melts enough to let them be seen), but the real stars of the garden right now are the snowdrops. I did show you a picture of an individual plant several weeks ago; now, however, the beds are white with them. They are so shy that they are difficult to photograph, but here is a picture of them hiding under the lilac. For such a delicate plant, they are wonderfully durable when picked: I have been putting little vials of them in the Memorial Garden where Gertrude's ashes are buried, and find that they last for weeks.

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