We had a glimpse of Spiring for a few days, and now we have freezing rain falling from the sky. All I can think about are the numerous plants, flowers and bulbs I moved this past week. Ugh…..Someday, I might actually listen to my mother when she mentions the upcoming weather report.
Freezing rain will not kill Heirloom Bulbs. It might halt their upcoming beauty, but freezing temperatures will not kill the bulb……unless you are in Montana trying to grow a southern Bulb. Then yes, a hard freeze will, indeed, kill your flower bulb.
A few weeks ago, I met some really nice gradeners from Wisconsin who came to visit the gardens. I warned them about that it was “off-season”, since it was Winter and we had just had a hard freeze a few days prior. They were from a winter-dominant state, so anything green looked better than a few feet of snow. I gave them a garden tour that looked more like someone talking about teir “soon-to-be-beautiful” house, that had only a foundation and a few walls.
“Over here are the beautiful Summer Snowflakes around the Heirloom Lilac, but they are still dormant. And over there are the Strenbergia and Duchess de Brabant Antique Rose, which will bloom in the Fall. Here are the gorgeous Paperwhites which were supposed to bloom this week, but the freeze killed the upcoming bloom.”
Not much of a garden tour, to say the least.
My gardens, like the unbuilt house, do have a beautiful vision, but currently it resembles that of a construction zone. It takes a special person to see beyond. These folks were special.
The stories of the Oxblood Lily stole their hearts. We talked about bulbs for almost an hour. Each variety of bulbs has its’ own story to tell, but the redemptive quality in an Oxblood Lily is unlike anything else. They were determined to grow them in Wisconsin. We decided that growing oxbloods in a pot, and bringing them inside to over-winter would be worth the efforts in trying. I sent them home with a bunch of Oxbloods that grew under the old Live Oak Tree. The nice part of having gardeners visit the gardens, is that they get to choose the lilies they want. They chose Miss Margaret’s Oxblood Lilies. Somehow, the area gave them peace, which made me really happy. I imagine it made Miss Margaret very happy too.
I will not be out digging rock or moving bulbs today. I’m staying inside, practice some solo Bach and rejoicing in the beauty of a warm cup of coffee on a cold morning. I hope all of you stay warm as well.
Happy Gardening, my friends!