So This is Spring....

A friend brought by this lovely bouquet of tulips as a get well wish.  Today is the first day of spring and sights like this are ever so welcome!!

However, this is what spring looks like here this evening:

Not quite what I expected but then again March is like winter's last hurrah as a tradition here.  We usually get at least one big dump of snow during this month. This was an accumulation of a couple inches accumulated during the day today. By mid week next it will be all gone again.  There are no signs of vegetative growth here.  No tulips, crocus nor daffodil in the vicinity.  My mom told me her tulips are coming up where she lives in Southern Alberta.  Sigh....

Snow or not, I'm just glad it is now officially spring!!!  

Stuck in the Polar Vortex

Looking out over the river valley yesterday the city certainly appears frozen. Virtually no traffic on the roads nor bridges and it's no wonder.  It was -29 but with the windchill it was -42 Celsius.

I really think the term "polar vortex" is not all that new, in fact research on the web would suggest it was known and used in meteorology for several decades.  This year, though; the media seem to have picked up on it and use the term freely to define the uncharacteristic cold snap we are experiencing this time of year. Regular highs for the end of February/beginning of March are -2 to +2 Celsius while regular lows are -8 to -13 Celsius.  (http://www.world-guides.com/north-america/canada/alberta/edmonton/edmonton_weather.html)

	Maximum	Minimum
January	-7°C / 19°F	-17°C / 1°F
February	-2°C / 28°F	-13°C / 9°F
March	2°C / 36°F	-8°C / 18°F

The lowest overall temperature ever recorded in Edmonton was −49.4 °C (−56.9 °F), on January 19 and 21,1886.

^[Wikipedia]  

^{Saskatchewan is forecasted to be much colder than  our province this week, with lows averaging -60 Celsius with the windchill.  I don't think I'd go outdoors for anything with temperatures that cold!}

Next week, however; we expect the temperatures to normalize again, getting near 0 and slightly above.  I can't wait and I'm sure most residents here agree. I'm so grateful this will be short-lived.  January is supposed to be our coldest month!  Looks like March came in like a lion so here's hoping the counterpart, a lamb, shows up at month's end.

Hope you're keeping warm.  What is your favourite activity to do when it's too cold to be outdoors?  I've been snuggling under a blanket, sometimes with the fireplace on, and reading a book or watching Midsomer Murders on Netflix with a hot tea at hand.

I'm linking up with Louis over at Louis' California Travels for Sunday Bridges.

Installing Spring....

Oh, how I laughed when a friend of mine posted this on Facebook.  I just had to share it as I'd come in recently from being outdoors on this incredibly frigid and frozen day.  In like a lion, they say.  I cracked up when I read this!!  Hope you enjoy it as well.

Are You on Trend if You Plant This Colour?

Image previously shared on Facebook by Frank Ferragine (Frankie Flowers)

“A SEASON OF COLORFUL EQUILIBRIUM Designers take a modern twist on the traditional for spring 2014 by pairing soft pastels with vivid brights to create a colorful equilibrium. Inspired by a mixture of blooming flowers, travels abroad, and strong, confident women, designers use color to refresh, revive and defy conventional wisdom.”  Pantone.com

According to Pantone Colour Institute, these are the colours we will be seeing this spring in fashion, home decor and in the gardens.  Does this help you plan your garden or do you plant what you like best and ignore the trends? Personally, I plant what pleases my eye.

2014 Garden Trends

The Garden Media Group says the following 12 trends will dominate during 2014.

1. Ground Up: Composting

2. Super Foods, Super Models: Edibles including hard to find specialty herbs and vegetables are being home-grown.

3. Drink Your Garden: Emphasis on leafy greens, garden fruit and strawberries to make your own home-grown smoothies.   Growing grains and grapes.

4. Dress Up Your Yard: There's a greater interest in expanding the living space to the outdoors with decorative elements such as pillows, throws, lanterns, tabletop fountains, garden art.  Social trends contributing to this include camping, lawn parties and barbeques.  Outdoor spaces reflect the personalities of the people living there. Hand-made plant pots.

5. Bee-neficials:  Sustaining environments that are bee-friendly is high in importance for the environment conscious individuals.  Planting flowers that will attract bees will be on the increase.  Following pollinator friendly practices.

6. Cultur-vating:   Bringing the world to your garden, growing plants, especially vegetables and herbs, that are not native.  Shopping at farmer's markets, buying local.

7. Simple Elegance: Monotone flower plantings. Mono-plants - singular varieties emphasis.

8. Frac’d Up: Geometric gardening, dimensional gardening, explosions of colour, architectural plants, native plantings.

9. Young Men Get Down and Dirty: Young men 18-34 are spending $100 more than the average gardener. Grilling, gardening, taking classes, getting out in nature.  Growing hops, making their own beer.  Shopping at local hardware stores.  Taking the kids outdoors and sharing nature.

10. Think Gardens:  More emphasis on indoor gardening, especially in commercial applications and in the workplace.  Indoor plants inspire productivity, reduce stress, and are vital to mental health.  More schools are developing garden spaces, outdoor classrooms.

11. Fingertip Gardens: From sharing gardens on blogs, Pinterest, etc. to apps that inform the gardener; gardening is going high-tech.  Also more emphasis on technology in the garden such as hydroponic gardening, solar lighting, SoLoMoCo: SOcial, LOcal, MObile & Commerce.

12. Tree-mendous Reversal:   Trees can increase property values by 3-10%.  A view with trees has been known to speed recovery from illness, businesses on tree-lined streets have better sales, trees reduce stress of mind and body, absorb noise and help clean the air.  Did you know 4,000,000 trees within an urban area disappear each year?  Plant a tree. 

The complete 2014 Garden Media Trends report is available for free download.

Shrouded

Friday morning, on my way to work at 5 am, I had to stop for a quick iPhone photo of the foggy deserted street.  It's rather difficult to tell in this grainy shot, but the fog hovered around limiting visibility to about a block.  There's something about fog, so atmospheric, it reminds me of old movies I saw as a child.  Not that I can recall any of them, but the feeling remains.  A sense of mystery prevails and my mind conjures up images of a London street shrouded in fog, particularly one by a wharf.  I know you will think it's odd, this fascination of mine, but fog always has this dream like effect on me.

Skywatch Friday

Happy Valentine's Day

As my wedding anniversary and Valentine's Day are just a few days apart, my husband surprised me with a gorgeous bouquet of two dozen roses.  Aren't they lovely?

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Growing Vegetables in the Tube (underground London that is)

Green Roof in Greece

www.landarchs.com — with George Mann, Mark Estigoy Genizera, Víctor Hugo Cruz Vargas,Sinabro D Yang MO and Jorge Mann.

Balzac Billy Did Not See His Shadow!! Does That Mean an Early Spring?

photo from http://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/balzac-billy-predicts-early-spring-1.1140471

Today is groundhog day and Balzac Billy predicted an early spring.  According to the groundhog legend, if the groundhog comes out of his hole,sees his shadow and goes back in we will have six more weeks of winter.  If, however, the groundhog doesn't see his shadow and stays out for a bit, then that is a forecast of an early spring.  

Did you know that unlike most forecasting groundhogs across US and Canada, Balzac Billy is actually a man dressed in costume?  Hmmmm.

Environment Canada doesn't predict an early spring though.  I wonder who will be right?  Do you put much faith in this old tradition?