The Big Chill

Has everyone gone into a permanent state of hibernation? Baby, it's cold out there! Reminds me a bit (yes, this is where I reminisce) of the winter we had about 10 years ago. Minimal snow cover with a long stretch of unusually cold temps. I hate to say it, but I'm hoping for snow. If we're going to be miserable, it might as well be pretty out. Even more important than my ability to keep on the sunny side, it would be good for all the young and tender things I've got planted out there.

You could just buy Jan a scarf and mittens...

Here, it's a frosty Thanksgiving morning.

Mild over here at the moment, 13° yesterday and 10° today ;-)

Resin

We bailed out from the chilly Midwest to balmy Panama for the holiday weekend.
Lots of trees down here I don't recognize!! A little zonal envy going on!

Is that Viburnum opulus var. americanum, VV? It's beautiful - probably wouldn't grow too well in my zone, though.
It was cold but sunny today, so I did a little leaf-raking, cut back and mulched irises, and took lots of photos of several species of tall Junipers growing in a nearby park so you all can i.d. them for me : ) I want to plant some conifers in the spring, and I figure that anything that has survived there should be happy in my yard.

It would be nice to hibernate for the winter...or take a trip to Panama.

I went out to my garden Thanksgiving morning, dug the last of the beets and turnips. Fixed them as an afterthought for the meal, and they were the HIT! Can't imagine!
The leaves were frozen so I had to use my garden spade, and after the initial frozen layer of earth, the underneath was fluffy and so easy to dig. No effort at all.

I am so thankful for my happy little vegetable garden and already cannot wait to get out there and plant. I bought all of my seed starting stuff on sale at Gardener's Supply, and am perusing Southern Exposure Seeds for warm thoughts of gardening...

I am just overwhelmed at how many compliments those last veggies drew from everyone at Thanksgiving, even those who don't care for turnips got a taste of a REAL turnip and they have converted.

What a happy life, to be able to grow things that please the earth and those who receive them.

Lucky you to have people who appreciate the fruits of you labor!
Are you going to start seeds early or just wait until you can sow them outdoors? I have a little greenhouse and so will start some seeds a month or so ahead of time.
I miss gardening so much during the winter and am grateful for the warm spells we get so I can go out and putter around. Keeping my bird feeders full gets me outdoors a few times a day too.

I feel bad for all of you zone 5 people!
Lucky Resin for living in a relatively balmy place.



This message was edited Nov 30, 2013 10:29 AM

Grayce, were your veggies sweeter due to the frosts?

VV, based on your berry production, you must have a grove of Vibernums. Planted my first one last fall and got two small panicles this year...of course I need another one, I'll be lucky to fit two into my small space.

I have a valley of Viburnum...

Of course, more makes for merriment. Select wisely for best fruit production; which have you planted already?

If you garden in modest quarters, then solicit participation from neighbors to raise boatloads of berries...I bet every yard in your area has room for at least one Viburnum.

Hello back, YES, the beets tasted as if I'd LOADED them with sugar. I threw in some white truffle oil in my turnips when I roasted them, so think that improved the turnip flavor - my brother congratulated me on my "potatoes." HA!

My dear husband bought me a seed starting two-tier lighted indoor "cabinet" last year, what a splurge! But, I have to tell you, it surely made a huge difference in what I could grow. I experimented with long-day Red Wethersfield onions, and BOY I DID NOT GROW NEARLY ENOUGH.
And, I was given different types of Heirloom tomato seeds, so of course they did not go to waste...biggest problem was in needing more space to start veggies. I was so very happy with the results of this indoor seed starting, shocked in fact. It rewarded us so much. Even my husband grandly gave our incredible produce to his buddies, he was so proud of what came out of our humble garden! It has made me a braver gardener. We also bought a plastic cold frame that got stuffed with our seedlings, and having a "retired" husband who devotes his time to taking care of our babies, well, makes such a difference! The cold frame was an experiment as well, and a good one. We'll probably move up to a more substantial, permanent configuration.

So now I bought my seed starting stuff, and am anxiously (oh yes indeedy!) awaiting time to get my veggies started. So nice to know that I have a herd of my own NON-GMO, organically grown sweet potatoes in storage upstairs in our attic..oh, what a life!

I do so enjoy learning of everyone's passions!

No hibernation here. 52 degrees yesterday!

Oh I know these are not shrubs but I can't help myself:
p.s. yes I just went outside and took these pictures.

Oh ho Viburnum...what a brilliant suggestion (big smile)! Wow, I'm gonna be smiling about that one for a while.

What is the farthest proximity for cross pollination...(see, wheels are turning)?

I planted Viburnum nudum 'Brandywine' in pretty good shade, I love the glossy leaves. I should probably plant Winterthur but want something smaller and showier...suggestions always appreciated.

Gracye, I'm sorry I asked...yum, does that ever sound GOOD! I'm so happy for you and your new setup (husband on board) and everything, I'll be thinking of you come planting time...and everytime I eat turnips and beets. I always wanted a cold frame, its time to get serious about getting off my keister and building one. I'm hoping mine ends up looking like a greenhouse LOL.

MLM, dang you show-off...you and your zone 8 goodies. Thanks for sharing, how did you know I was gonna ask when you took the pics?

Since bugs do the job, ask them how far they'll fly for a snack.

I don't think you need to worry about near/far, in that case. Just don't kill them off with systemic insecticides.

You need only imagine appropriate pollinating partners...

Beautiful flowers, MLM - what a difference a zone makes!

VV, is that V. nudum 'Winterthur' in all of those photos? It's gorgeous. I think I'm going to have to turn more grass into another shrub bed.

Yes, it is indeed.

Not enough people understand the multiple seasons provided by this genus...

I'm guessing Resin and mlmlakestevens (hint: too long) have similar weather. Would I be right?

It would be a world full of very happy birds : )

A world full of happy birds? There's no commerce in that. ;)

I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit that on some days, I support the peanut-farming industry to the tune of $6 by feeding a 3-pound bag of unshelled peanuts to birds and squirrels. The berries on the shrubs I have now disappear very quickly, and I'm really looking forward to having my new berry-producing shrubs help keep up with the demand.

What if everyone planted shrubs that both people and creatures can eat? VV can tell us off the top of his head which Viburnums, in addition to Viburnum trilobum (American Cranberrybush Viburnum) produce berries that we can eat.

To eat them off the top of MY head, it would be one of the tree-form plants - like Viburnum lentago, Viburnum prunifolium, Viburnum rufidulum, or Viburnum sieboldii...

All Viburnum produce berries/fruits that we can eat. You just may be too particular to partake of them.

I've tried all of the 125+ taxa that I'm growing here at the Valley, and eaten from some plants that I don't have here - yet. I contend that it hasn't changed me.

Don't these just start you to salivating...

Beautiful pictures.
The original next door neighbors planted 200 feet of Forsythia- what I would give if the newer neighbors would rip it all out and plant 200 feet of any Viburnums.

It's nice to know all Viburnums are edible-
I do think Muddy that the more berries you have the closer you'll be to satisfying the bird population that your area supports otherwise with living spaces, water, etc.

And bugs...

Don't forget that to raise the next crop of birds, there has to be plentiful bugs to feed the fledglings.

Pseudo-I like to read British garden books. But they seem to have slightly warmer winters and wetter summers, and often have alkaline soils. A lot of plants do grow both places- there are palm trees growing around here, tho they get pretty ratty when the winter is cold. I would love to go see the gardens and trees there... maybe someday.

Those berries do look tasty, especially the dark blue ones. Is that a Viburnum sieboldii or Mariesii doublefile Viburnum? I have one of the latter, but the berries are gone long before they get that dark. With all the birds in my yard, I doubt they'd ever get ripe enough for me to eat. The blueberries are gone before they even begin to turn blue.
I hope they'll leave me some elderberries if I have better luck with mine that Sally did. I'll have to research what I can do to boost production.

I've heard that a nest of baby birds can eat up to 300 caterpillars a day, which I find mind-boggling. I can't imagine how the parents can find that many. It took me awhile to figure out why one of my bird books includes lists of host plants for butterflies!

Now that I've hijacked Pseudo's thread anyway, I have another Viburnum question: which ones are the earliest berry producers? I'm heavy on fall-producing shrubs right now.

Methinks a viburnum thread (or something similar on berry-producing plants) is in order...

None of those images match the species you mention. I'll retrofit the IDs - see here:

1. Viburnum cassinoides 'Challenger'
2. Viburnum dentatum VV seedling
3. Viburnum dilatatum 'Asian Beauty'
4. Viburnum prunifolium seedling
5. Viburnum x 'Conoy'

As far as earliest fruits: that would (likely) coincide with earliest flowering. Depending on your predilections, that could include Viburnum farreri, Viburnum x bodnantense, and any others of the fragrant viburnum clan that usher in spring. For natives, you will likely find satisfaction with all the Arrowwoods - they ripen in midsummer and make great fun for watching mockingbirds and others dive-bombing the plants for snacks.

Viburnum dentatum should also reward you with seedlings after a few years of bird consumption and deposition.

Regarding a berry-producing shrub thread: I"ll bite (ha ha). I'll start one.

Back to Pseudo's original premise: what goes on when the only good weather goes south?

My answer: lots! Which is why I posted the sunrise (awakening; promise of new day) and the succulence (fruit, promise of new life).

Harbored within the sleeping landscape are all sorts of these clues. This issue arose on another site (for shame...) but it is equally appropo here, with regard to raising the spirits of those stricken with winter blues/blahs/bleariness.

To wit...

Everyone can play this. Some have even written books about it. See if you don't have lots of this to contribute.

More...

ViburnumValley

you aren't far from where my DH is from, Boyle County, Danville. I moved from FL to KY to marry that boy, and now 27 + years we are in my home state.

Wish I had known about you on here when we had to moved from OH, I would have dug my viburnum's up and brought them to you. the people that purchased the house came in with a bulldozer and well you get the idea, as it is too painful to type.

I told my DH that if I could deal with the cold (health issues) I would love to move back as then I would be able to grow all the perennials that I use to grow, that is the only thing about up north that I miss, is my perennials. We maybe second, as we have some wonderful friends up there.

Jan

The promises of spring: daffodils starting to come up already (!!), and rhododendron and azalea buds.

meadowyck:

Kentucky, Ohio, and the whole region awaits your return. You make the call.

Your DH and I may be closer than you think. While I now reside in Scott County (since 1990), I grew up in Jessamine County, right on Main Street in Nicholasville. He may have driven right by my front door in his travels.

I know Boyle County and Danville fairly well, though mostly from earlier in life than now. Depending on his age, we may have crossed paths otherwise. Hmmm - twins separated at birth...

Here's a picture of where I grew up. Mom still lives there - since 1967.

VV

That is so incredible, small world for sure. Back in the late 80's I use to drive through main street Nicholasville on my way to work at UK. We have been gone for 11 years now and miss growing a veggie garden when most folks do along with the flowers...LOL Although since it is cold there with recent minor snow, I'm not missing that part...LOL Wouldn't ya know it, I left working there way before the new road, and now the new by-pass that is wonderful, except for the lights they put up. Never understood going to the trouble to build a by-pass to then stal it with lights...LOL


DH is really from a small town on Danvilles outside boundary, Mitchellsburg. He went to Boyle Co. HS.

Yes maybe twins separated at birth...

Jan