First Snow

What a dark, gloomy day!  We were surprised with early frigid temperatures: 10  days of temperatures ranging from 9- 15 degrees.  That is more typical of February weather.  Today is much warmer.  I believe it might even hit 50.  (It feels tropical.)  It would be even nicer if it wasn't raining!

The result of this unseasonable weather is that all our leaves are not raked.  The tender bushes are not wrapped.  The garden isn't completely cut down and the lawn furniture is not put away.   Some of you out there are probably happy that all your outside obligations are completed, but hopefully I'm not the only one that left some tasks undone.

I was hoping that we'd get a few more days of mild weather so I could finish my chores and decorate the outside for Christmas without freezing my buns off, but the ten day forecast doesn't look promising.

       

Oh, for the child like joy of first snow. (My grandsons woke up and immediately put their snow suits and boots on....over their pjs no less).  I tried to look at the glistening, sparkling snow with that in mind, but the beauty was undermined by adult concerns.

It's all a matter of perspective I guess, and if the chores don't get done, my chore clone is very irresponsible by the way,  I'll make tea and enjoy the trees covered in their first winter cloak.

Monarch Article

I was so surprised...today when I picked up the newspaper and there was an  article entitled:
Monarchs may be loved to death posted from the NY Times. I had just talked about monarchs myself the day before, but now I was concerned that my information wasn't accurate...but it was. WHEW!

The article talks about "tropical milkweed." I have never heard of this variety of milkweed before, but the milkweed I'm talking about is a native plant and it doesn't live long into the Fall like this tropical cousin.  So if you want to add milkweed to your garden do a little research first and be sure you're planting Asclepias syriaca or common milkweed.

The bigger plant is common milkweed. The plant next to it with the orange flowers is butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa).  Reportedly some monarchs will eat butterfly weed, but it's never happened to me personally.  The good news is it is another native plant of the midwest prairies, and when in doubt...go native!

Below is a link to a federal chance to help Monarchs:

http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/02/10/nows-your-chance-help-save-monarch-butterfly?cmpid=tpanimals-eml-2015-02-14-cove

Monarch Butterflies

This is the last Monarch that I released this year.   I have been been raising Monarchs from eggs for several years now, but in the last three years several things have happened to our environment to make these beauties become threatened.  Two of the biggest issues are:
1) Violent spring storms have made the annual migration North more difficult.
2) Spraying and cutting down of median and roadside "weeds," including milkweed, which is the only food source of monarch caterpillars,  has even casual observers notice there are far fewer Monarchs than there were just a few years ago.

We can't control the weather, but we can provide safe havens in our gardens for Monarch butterflies and their eggs and larva.

This is milkweed.  Monarchs lay their eggs on the leaves and the caterpillars eat the leaves.  Milkweed has beautiful flowers, and it smells great, too.  It is easy to add it to your cottage garden. 
Your reward will be a constant display of beautiful Monarchs drifting over your garden and sipping the nectar of your flowers.

I want my gardens to be a safe and beautiful haven for birds and butterflies.  Milkweed helps me to do that.

Introducing Julie's Garden Journal

For the last 4 years I have had a website entitled Gardening with Julie. As of this month the website will be no more.

This blog is taking me in a new direction.  I am a retired teacher and amateur gardener.  I love all kinds of gardening, but my favorite gardens are full of perennials and flowers that are either native or delicious to birds and animals.

I love cottage gardens and exuberant English gardens.  I live in gardening zone 5 so there won't be a lot of tropical or desert plants emphasized in my posts...unless of course they are so gorgeous that I decide to try to grow them in spite of their preferred growing locations.

During the winter, which has apparently already started, I have more time to write, as I'm usually out in my gardens when weather permits.

I plan on filling my blog with lots of pictures and the wisdom I've gained from several decades of gardening.  Hopefully, this journal will help you to enjoy your garden more, too because not only will I share the tips that have worked for me, I hope to bring you along with me on the journey of my garden.  So please come back again and again.
Thanks,
Julie