Even though there has been  no time for flower arranging ,  I felt like an attempt  should be made so I would not miss a week. We are currently doing some house re-decorating, painting and spring cleaning in preparation for two things. One is  the arrival of new furniture for the much neglected living room that sits across from my office . It is small, more like a sitting room, and has become a catch -all for cast offs from other rooms and office overflow.It is now cleaned, painted and ready for it’s new look. The second thing I am preparing for  is the arrival of spring and my great disappearing act into the garden. Any house cleaning, repairs, and purging, which feels oh-so-good at the end of a long winter spent cooped up inside, must be done before the garden beckons. I have been organizing and filling great trash bags as well as my trunk with stuff  for the recycle  center, and boy does it feel good.

Anyway, in the great sitting room  re-do, I spent some time changing the mantel display . I bought a cute little vintage looking egg print at a consignment shop, then came home and printed two larger vintage bird  egg prints more from a website called The Graphics Fairy and framed them in a couple of green frames I had in the cellar ( sometimes my pack-rat behavior  pays off).Then I added in clusters of vases in blue, mercury and cream and finally  this morning gave it a sprig of bright pink flowers from a scented geranium.  The finished room will be cream, beige, sage green and a very muted blue and I am planning on using tiny pops of bright pink and purple here and there so this is a little preview . Sometimes that  one little stem of flowers is all you need 🙂

For the third time in as many weeks , I will be presenting my lecture, “Get Ready! The Spring Garden ‘. Before  today it felt like it was going to snow until the end of time and just looking at the photos of my spring  gardens made me feel grumpy. But this morning I awoke  to birdsong followed quickly by the sun which will help warm us up into the 40’s. There may even be some snow melt  this afternoon! That is a cause for celebration if ever there was one.  .

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…..taken from a chorus in  ‘Atalanta in Calydon’ by Swineburn

It is week 8 of of the Slow Flower Challenge 2015, in which I am attempting  to make a fresh flower arrangement using only flowers grown here ( inside and out) or sourced locally every week for a year . If you have been following along you can see that even in the depths of winter under feet of snow and record cold I have been able to ( so far) keep up.

This weeks arrangement is prompting a HUGE smile and sense of accomplishment from me every time I walk by it because it is the first time I have successfully forced tulip bulbs. Tulips are tricky little buggers to get the timing right. They need a longer cooling period than some of the other bulbs and I have found are more prone to freezing and turning to mush as well. This year I potted up these orange tulips and then promptly lost the label, which I am very sorry about because they did so well and now I do not know what they are. Sigh. The stayed out on the deck until the week after Christmas when they were brought indoors to the cool mud room first then a sunny kitchen window a few weeks later. They started to bloom last week.

As always ,though , when I arrange it is  the container that is considered first. years ago, I saw an arrangement in a shelter magazine  and ripped the page  to save for inspiration . In it, white tulips and snapdragons are paired with pussy willows in a lovely silver pitcher and placed on a silver tray. To the side is a  small glass vase filled with  gray foliage and in front of the pitcher sits a silver bowl filled with green moss.  In my interpretation, I have used pewter ( I have a large collection of pewter that has adorned my dining room forever and ever) Because the pitcher I chose to use was on the shorter side,  I used a little birds nest instead of the glass vase. Lacking any green moss ( currently buried under feet of snow and ice) I used dried moss and place a succulent in the center of the pewter porringer  I used in place of the silver bowl.

Anyway, in this arrangement are the tulips, flowers from two  of the geraniums I overwinter indoors , a white cyclamen, pink PJM azaleas, Forced branches of red maple and redbud trees, and foliage from an arrowhead  houseplant,a spider plant,  and a hellebore and lavender that are both growing indoors.

I hope you feel a little inspired  and keep following along to see what the rest of the year brings!

I am giving my talk, ‘Get Ready! The Spring Garden” Tuesday in Franklin , MA. It may or may not be canceled due to weather. Surprisingly , it may snow here.

Usually in said talk, I briefly discuss to-do lists by month. March ‘s chore list seems a little comical given the 8 feet of snow that are still on the ground, accompanied by below freezing temperatures and bitter wind chill. We are still shoveling driveways and raking the roof .

Let’s see what we can/can not do.

1.Prune late season blooming shrubs….um, can’t find them. I know they are out there but exactly where is a big white mystery.

2.Prune  trees other than birch, maple and walnut. Well, although I can actually see these, getting to them requires heroic effort and given the ever present wind I will take a pass on pruning- induced frostbite thank you very much.

3. Re-pot houseplants……except the pots and soil are in the potting shed  which  no man or beast has seen the door to in months.

4. Cut Ornamental grasses left standing for  the winter back     see # 1

5. Top dress  and or reseed lawn  which disappeared in December and may  not be seen until May or after

7. Start early veggies that will be transplanted outdoors and sow seeds of direct sowers like peas when ground is workable.   Let’s just sub  “in May ” for ” when ground is workable” ,shall we?

8. Clean birdhouses of last year’s nest…see #2

I could go on and on, but you get the picture. So here is my  updated To-Do list for  those of us in the  New Great White North

1. Go to library . Check out many picture filled books of gardens and greenery to stave off insanity from cabin fever ( STAY AWAY from seed catalogs and nursery websites, you know you don’t have any more room in the garden and buying 6 new and unusual conifer bushes will not make the garden magically re-appear from under the snow larger than it was in Dec)

2. Make coffee or hot cocoa

3. Sit and watch snow melt

4. Go to Boston Flower Show ( March 12-15) and  roll in some dirt on one of the exhibits  even though it will get you escorted to the door and possibly arrested

5.RUN to hardware store now for shop vac/sump pump  before the rush

6.Begin pumping snowmelt from cellar

7.Make stiff drink

8.Sit and watch mud dry

9. On Memorial Day   you may commence original March To-do list

As the temperature dips to 8 below outside I am taking some time to appreciate the promise of things to come all around inside  the house. Stay warm out there my friends!

Pink azaleas in bud

tiny leaves on an akebia vine being forced

dark and dramatic buds on a crab apple branch

fothergilla flower opening  up

quince cuttings trying to root

red bud

Tinkerbelle lilac bud

Tulips growing in the kitchen

Cyclamen buds unfurling

sweet pea seedling

Can I just tell you  that today was not my day,,,,here is the long version of  how it all went down.

Yesterday I had to be in Boston very early for some appointments with my daughter Faith. The commute is never an easy one , but for this one we got the added bonus of a snowstorm. Hurray! Yippee! Go ME! Anyway, we left super early and drove with 900,00 if our besties along the Pike for over 2.5 hours and arrived thankfully on time,

She had a few tests and lab work then a doctors appointment , then we drove on back home ( only 1.5 hours this time ) and I hustled to get my flower arrangement packed and ready for Flora in Winter Part II at Tower Hill Botanic Garden  before driving back to Boston for a meeting at Dana Faber . The arrangement has to be dropped off  by 11 this morning and then I have to get ready to go BACK to Boston, this time for fun ,tonight.

All was good , or so I thought.

First off Wil, who does the dishes here when he is home, ( a rule I enforce even if it means there are always dishes in the sink) informed me that the dishwasher was not working. Of course the sink is full, as is the  still dirty dishwasher but there is no time for either of us to deal with this now. Moving on.

I went in to check on the flowers  and discovered one of the little containers had been leaking and now the flowers in it were dead . It of course was the moss covered one so I had to uncover it, then frantically search for a replacement vase AND more flowers, which a voice I am trying to ignore in  my head keeps telling me “there aren’t any”

My stress level was already high when I walked out in the kitchen and decided to take one second to wash the dishes in the sink before using it to deal with the flowers, and promptly shattered a glass whose shards covered not only the kitchen floor but flew into the mudroom , hallway, and dining room too. Great. Just perfect.

I had no choice but to stop and sweep, vac , the wash the floors because dogs don’t wear shoes . It is hovering around 20 below zero so I can’t swish them outside and they are not well behaved and do not frankly care if I tell them to get out of the kitchen even if it means bloody paws. So, sweep, vac, wash etc..then back to flowers.

Two of the leaves are quite limp and the water loving fern is crispy beyond help. I put the leaves in a warm water bath a go to see what I can find to fill in. Nothing. Zilch.  I now have to fit in a trip to the store.

Last night, in a move I can only describe as brilliant, I had sent Bill down to the basement when we got home to cut a little birch stand for me in case I needed it, well guess what?  The replacement vase is taller than the one that broke throwing the balance all off so I grabbed the stand to lift the second piece and crossed my fingers. I quickly packed the stuff back into the box  and ran to the store  hoping they would have cyclamen, which they did. I dash to the express lane where the lady in front of me  who clearly has more than 12 items is also in possession of large  produce bag filled with a mixed variety of apples   so each apple has to be taken out individually and weighed  ,then ever so gently put back in one at a time.  ARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH. Some people deserve a quick karate chop to the throat, but I just clenched my jaw and tried to remain calm as the minutes ticked by  and I found myself daydreaming that snow caved in her roof. There, now that feels better.

After checkout , bags in hand  I head to Tower Hill  .It is 10:45.

I go there just in time to set up, and honestly my woes are nothing compared to what is going on there. To start with they are dealing with all the snow ( canceled events, constant shoveling and de-icing of entry ways,lack of space to pile any more etc) , then they had a pipe burst and flood the library, then just for fun someone flushed a roll of paper towels down a toilet and now Service Master trucks are everywhere  and the sound of industrial  vacuums fills the air.   I quietly placed my stuff, tiptoeing around staff that are certainly dealing with more than their fair share of  sh*t and went on my merry way hoping a.) they don’t have to move my piece given how shakily I had to put it together, and b.) nothing dies (please please please  flower gods)!

Anyway here are some photos taken with my phone as the camera never made it into the car in all the craziness. Now I am off to pack and let me tell you how much I am awaiting that first drink!

So……..we got a little  snow. Just where is that “sarcasm” font I so desperately need? Last week here in New England we had a good old fashioned blizzard. High winds causing white outs and massive drifts of snow, tidal flooding on the coast , and  inland( where I live) a total o f 34 inches of snow. That would be  a lot…… gobs,loads, heaps, mounds, or as my kids would say a crap-ton of snow.

Right on it’s heels was another storm that all day the weather people were describing as ” bad, but not anything like last week”.

Ahem, and excuse me, but high winds , drifting snow and a total of 20 inches is also a crap ton, especially when added on to the other 34. That is 54 inches of snow in 9 days. The roads are terrible. At each intersection the snow mounds block drivers from seeing if it is safe to go, so you have to just gun it  , spin into traffic and hope for the best. It took me 2.5 hours today to run an errand that should have taken maybe an hour.

As a general rule , I like snow. I like winter and I don’t mind shoveling at all. It has been bitter cold but we have still been out walking and up until last week I was getting some pruning done in the garden and cutting lots of branches for forcing. Today that all came to an end.

I am in the process of designing another arrangement for Tower Hill ‘s Flora in Winter Part 2, and I had the sudden inspiration to add a nest to the top of a forced branch of quince and knew just where in the yard I could find one. Problem was 50+ inches of drifted  snow.  I had to clamber over the fence gate  and can I just say I was glad no one was around with a  camera? The snow is fluffy and deep and one step over the gate caused my left leg to sink while my right leg was in no way ready to join it. It was a  smidge on the uncomfortable side until I launched myself over and into the drift behind the gate. There was a flock of robins enjoying the berries in the holly bushes back there and I wonder what they were thinking as they watched me flounder around like an idiot. It took me quite some time to make a path and get to the nest, and it occurred to me on the way that I may be done pruning and cutting for a while.

Luckily before the storm I had the wherewithal to go out and cut some more azaleas ( pink this time)  , some cherry and apple branches, and some akebia vines to add to the stock of stuff  already inside.

So what am I making this week? As always , container first. I hollowed out a section of a birch log and after inserting a small glass vase in it added some moss, and lichen. In front of it will sit a squat little vase I found at a local consignment place that has three tiny openings , which is also now covered in moss and lichen. Into the containers will go quince branches, cyclamen flowers from an indoor  plant, lily of the valley  that was forced in my window, begonia leaves, something vine-y ( my choices are dark green ivy, just leafing- out honeysuckle or the akebia or a combination thereof), forced muscari ( grape hyacinths)  and the birds nest. More pics to follow in a few days.

Also ,for my talk on Sunday I deconstructed the arrangement from last week and will use some of the components make a cute little pail full of  chamaecyparis, euonymous, lavender, euphorbia, lindera and some fresh forsythia and azalea branches. It will be  a sweet reminder that spring is just around the corner,

Oh, did I tell you? More snow is expected on Thursday and yet another storm is making it’s way here for Sunday.

Huzzah!or should I say Uncle?

Meanwhile here are a few pictures of what is blooming inside here

quince branch

azaleas in the window

forced cherry

morning glory

Here in New England we are hitting a stretch of winter ( late Jan through mid Feb) that is cold, dark and snowy. Those of us who adore the climate here, relish the thought of a snow day , and get giddy over blizzards, are happy campers indeed, while others complain and are miserable . What used to be   “water cooler ” talk about the weather has become social media blitz so all the  whining about the cold, the shoveling and  snow totals is posted  round the clock via status updates , photos and shared videos.

Here in The Burrow, where there lives two knitters and thus  a plethora of woolly goods for warmth, two adorable corgis who rejoice when the snow is falling, and  people who generally don’t mind  the weather, you will find no complaining. Zero, Zilch. Nada.

And  here, in the comfort of this house we are enjoying seasonal delights including flowers from the garden. Winter and garden flowers may seem incongruous, but if you have been following along for any time, you know I cut stuff year round to bring inside. The months of January and February can be a bit of a challenge because deep snow will bury things and also make walking around out there difficult, but I have tall boots and  Yaktrax for traction when needed. Add to that a “can-do attitude and of course I agreed to pull together an arrangement for Flora in Winter at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston to promote my talk Feb 8th at 1   titled   “Grow It! Cut It! Arrange It!

I decided from the get go that it would be a mass arrangement. There are many cool ways to showcase what I can cut now, namely forced branches from flowering trees and shrubs, evergreens, and forced indoor bulbs, but  it made sense to me that showing a full arrangement of many things that are easily grown/found  would inspire people to try it on their own rather than a smaller and maybe more creative piece.

The theme given to the designers was “Rustic Elegance” which is thankfully  in line with my own personal taste.

Container first- I had an old wooden box that was my Grandfathers and I painted it in a  distressed- layered and crackled  finish , with  the base color being a deep purple that would echo the color of my magnolia and azaleas. The addition of fancy hardware rescued from a very old desk gussied it up a bit.

I used a whole lot of  stems to fill it starting with branches; some still bare, some with catkins or unopened buds, some evergreen  and some blooming.

In no particular order: chaemacyparis ( ‘Nana Lutea’ and ‘Sun King” ), magnolia,azalea,yellow twig dogwood,  flamingo willow, Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick , unopened pussy willows, and forsythia.

The color theme was intentionally left simple.  Yellow, purple, green and white. I added ‘Kiwi” aeoniums and Firestick cactus ( which is really a euphorbia but I didn’t name it so don’t blame me for any confusion)  , which both have a yellow hue to them, euonynous’Gold Splash’ ( a favorite filler of mine )  and white birch bark curls and poppy seed heads for texture.

The only thing in it that regrettably did not come from here are the white hyacinths as I started them too late for this show …in fairness I was only asked to do this show  a few weeks ago so there was no long term plan. I do have hyacinths and tulips and crocus bulbs all being forced for use in the next few weeks but none that were ready  now so I had to buy some. Kind of a bummer,  and I wish I had known so I could say EVERYTHING came from here,  but alas, I did not.  I don’t think it takes away from the idea that you can and should use your garden and window sills to grow stuff to arrange year round, because it is possible with proper planning.

Over the past few days we have had a genuine full on blizzard with 34 inches of snow ….yes 34! The days have been gray and dark making photography difficult at best. I snapped  a boatlaod of pictures using every camera setting I could, but as Faith reminds me all the time , it is dark in here, ( well, I say cozy)  so they  are not great.  Once I get better light I will try again, or you could go to Flora and see it for yourself!