What do you see on your garden walks? 2013

[Hoy]

Well whatever it is
It looks funny
I know Symplocarpus "produces " heat in the flower

Roland

Yes, some plants do, I know, but I think they produce heat to mimic rotten meat and attract insects. But I checked yesterday and the thawed circles are much bigger around snowdrops than around anything elseincluding crocuses except Cardamines However I didn't meassure the temp.

Michael, what a nice and tidy plant!

[Gene Mirro]

Cyclamen coum red form, one of my favorites.

[McDonough]

Nice Cyclamen, but it's not red, looks like a good deep pink.

[Hoy]

I did discuss colours with Lori once so I won't say anything whether it is red or pink but it is a fine plant! Does it flower now?

[Gene Mirro]

Yes, it is flowering now.  All of the hardy Cyclamens stay green through the Winter here.

[Hoy]

They stay green here too and often flower at this time of the year but now it is too cold and 1 inch snow cover. This winter has been much colder than normal

[Spiegel]

15" of snow here so nothing to see but deer tracks through the garden (sigh...).  It could be worse - they could be elk or moose tracks.  Lucky people to have things actually in bloom!

[Hoy]

2ft snow here at our mountain cabin. Nothing but snowclad birches, pines, spruces and junipers. A lot of hare tracks. Hope they leave before spring. Last spring they devoured all the Pulsatilla vernalis buds.

[cohan]

15" of snow here so nothing to see but deer tracks through the garden (sigh...).  It could be worse - they could be elk or moose tracks.  Lucky people to have things actually in bloom!

We have a recent set of moose tracks- not sure what they did this time though - I thought they'd already got all the tender woody branches when they came at the beginning of winter (fall)
I'm more worried about what the voles might be doing under the snow- they will have had such a long season by spring that it could be bad.. I had wanted to try some repellents this year, but the first snow caught me offguard- I knew it was going to snow, but didn't expect it to stay! Hopefully they stick to the 'grass' mostly....

[Michael J Campbell]

Helleborus Harvington yellow

[Janet Novak]

Since we're on a roll with yellow flowers with lots of anthers, I give you Adonis amurensis. Just opened up today.

[Hoy]

Beautiful, Janet!
Adonis is one of my favorite genera but I have never had any luck with them

Michael, that's a good one! I'm looking forward to see my yellows

[Hoy]

It isn't much green to see here, and certainly not any flowers, but snow.
We are spending some days skiing at our mountain cabin which sits in the subalpine birch forest at about 1000m in S Norway. Some spruces and pines also grow here.

We have only seen two flocks of ptarmigans, they used to be very common. We have not seen any live animals but lots of tracks of elks, foxes, hares, martens and relatives and small rodents. The latter prefere to move under the snow cower. We are almost alone here and do not meet any other people during our daily cross country ski tours.
A little snow has fallen every day and we have barely seen the sun. It is about -12 - -16C (10-3F) during daytime but absolutely no wind!

      

      

[RickR]

The dim winter light really shows in your pics Trond.  Of the winter snow covered areas in the U.S., Minnesota is one of the sunniest areas in winter.  There are lots of woody evergreens that can easily survive cold temperatures that we get here, but winter burn severely because of the relatively strong winter sun.  

These pics taken this morning in my backyard.
-- Amelanchier sp.
-- Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Squarrosa Lutea' with my "box" of potted materials covered for the winter.
-- Salix schraderiana, Picea asperata
     

-- Chamaecyparis thyoides
-- Betula nigra
-- Chamaecyparis thyoides 'Heatherbun'.  Chamaecyparis are incredibly flexible.  Heatherbun is is normally upright, and it will regain this stature when the snow melts off.  The dwarf plant is normally as high as it is wide in the photo.
   

-- our wild Juniperus virginiana, a volunteer under the tulip tree
-- Pinus strobus 'Wintergold', Betula nigra
-- Pinus strobus 'Wintergold'
   

[Hoy]

Rick, as you say, no chance for sun burning here, neither plants nor people - yet!

A real winter day in your backyard! Where are your skis?
The yellow leaves of 'Wintergold' looks nice in the snow. Some of the spruces here do get yellow in winter, especially the last year's growth.
You have to pay attention Rick or else your trees end up like this: (Betula pubescens var czerepanovii)



A few more pictures from yesterday. Today we are going home. My wife and daughter in action in the dim winter light!