Kathy Purdy's Cold Climate

Gardening and more

[kathy-purdy]

The Great Garden Rescue

The Great Garden Rescue: construction and repairs can often mean garden destruction. Here's what I did to save my plants from a new deck.

Moving Plants Out of Harm’s Way Before Construction Starts A year ago last March, I learned that renovations were planned for our home. The kitchen was going to be bumped out onto the deck, so that it was even with the screened porch. The screened porch was going to be upgraded to a three-season room. And the deck surrounding it all was going to be pushed out into the garden beds I referred to…

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[kathy-purdy]

January Thaw Walk-About

January Thaw Walk-About: The weather's been crazy, to put it mildly. With this second, post-Christmas thaw the snow is mostly gone. Monday it almost reached 50°F and it wasn't raining, so I decided to walk around the garden and check on things.

The weather’s been crazy, to put it mildly. I know most of the country has endured similar: a thaw the week before Christmas, a sudden drop to unseasonably frigid temperatures, and (once everyone’s holiday plans were screwed up) a return to unseasonably warm temperatures. I was thankful that we didn’t lose our snow cover during the first thaw, so that the plants did have some protection when the…

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[kathy-purdy]

Mud Season Pruning Chores

Mud Season Pruning Chores: Pruning is the only gardening chore you can do in mud season, because your plants (and the weeds!) are still frozen in the ground. It's a great excuse to get outside and do something--actual gardening!

Pruning is the only gardening chore you can do in mud season, because your plants (and the weeds!) are still frozen in the ground. It’s a great excuse to get outside and do something–actual gardening! The weather is very unsettled during mud season, so it’s best to be strategic about what gets pruned when. Your design goals will also factor into prioritizing jobs. (more…)

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[kathy-purdy]

A Drone's-Eye View Of My Garden

A Drone's-Eye View Of My Garden: Just for fun: a view of my snowy garden from the air. It's always nice to get a fresh perspective!

My son has a drone camera and captured these images of our home and landscape in January. It’s always nice to get a different view of the garden. I’ve numbered various features of note and linked to blog posts where I discuss them in more detail. Sometimes the entire post is about that feature, and sometimes you have to read through the post to find where I discuss it. If, like me, you are…

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[kathy-purdy]

This Garden Art Is For The Birds, And It Needs Your Help

This Garden Art Is For The Birds, And It Needs Your Help: What can I apply to these wooden birdhouses to make them weather-proof? Give me your advice in the comment section.

I first saw these architectural birdhouses several years ago, in the grocery store, of all places. I resisted them until they went on sale, and then I couldn’t resist at all. It’s the details in these birdhouses that make them so appealing. Since I’m not usually a collector, it surprised me how many of these birdhouses came home with me. While I found most of them at the grocery store, I also…

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[kathy-purdy]

Binge-watching Gardeners' World: A guide for U.S.-based cold-climate gardeners

Binge-watching Gardeners’ World: A guide for U.S.-based cold-climate gardeners

The holidays are over. Seeds have been ordered (or not–I decided to take a break from seed sowing). The temperature is dropping (-5°F tonight) and the wind is blowing (wind chill advisory in effect). Time to binge-watch some gardening shows. I’ve been watching BBC 2’s Gardeners’ World for several years now, and I’ve got some tips for you to get the most out of it. (more…)

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[kathy-purdy]

Have you considered a broadfork?

Have you considered a broadfork? There are good reasons to add it to your wishlist this gift-giving season. Click the link to read more

I decided on a broadfork in a roundabout way. I was rooting pink pussy willow cuttings and wanted to give them a cushy home for a few years before planting them in their wilder, permantent location. I had surplus colchicum corms that I knew I could find a good home for–but maybe not right away. What I needed was a nursery bed. (more…)

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[kathy-purdy]

Forcing Branches

It can get addictive--bringing dormant branches into the house so they can flower early is one way to get the jump on spring. Click the link to find out how!

Forcing branches of flowering shrubs and trees is a skill I try to get better at every year–it’s another way to hurry spring up. Compared to last year, this winter has been more consistently snowy and cold. It hasn’t been severely cold, but we haven’t had the intermittent thaws that we had last year. But for the last week, the temperatures have moderated. Almost every day has managed to get…

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[kathy-purdy]

My New Fave Winter Bloomer

My New Fave Winter Bloomer: Tired of forcing the same bulbs every winter? Let me introduce you to the Madeiran squill. Click to learn more:

The purpose of houseplants (in winter) is to ameliorate the effects of cabin fever. The best houseplants for this purpose grow fast enough that you can see changes from day to day, and they also bloom–strengthening the illusion that actual gardening is taking place. Flowering bulbs are well-suited to the task–the tender ones that tolerate our artificially heated homes and the hardy ones that can…

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[kathy-purdy]

A Year at Brandywine Cottage: Book Review

A Year at Brandywine Cottage: Book Review--A Year at Brandywine Cottage complements David Culp's previous book, The Layered Garden. They each inspire in different ways.

It’s the middle of January, and I’m hungry for spring. Spring won’t come for another couple of months in my climate, so I whet my appetite with inspirational gardening books. One of my favorites is The Layered Garden (aff. link) by David Culp. I reviewed that book seven years ago and it’s still one of my all-time favorites. I re-read it at least once a year, and often more frequently, for the…

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[kathy-purdy]

A Dahlia Grows in the Basement

A Dahlia Grows in the Basement

Oopsie. I finally decided to figure out what was in the garbage bag in the seed-starting area of the basement, and it’s a dahlia. Last fall, I let this chore go too long, and when I finally decided to remove the dahlia from the large pot it was in, I discovered it was mostly frozen in place. I managed to get it out of the pot, then put it in this bag and into the basement so the soil could thaw.…

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[kathy-purdy]

Minding the Garden: Book Review

Minding the Garden makes me pause and think about my own garden, bringing back memories of its beauty. It's also reassuring to see how Lilactree Farm has changed in thirty years--there's hope for my garden! This is a great book to give or get.

My favorite gardening books to read in winter make me pause and think about what I just read, or bring back memories of my own garden with their vivid descriptions, or trace the development of the author’s garden, complete with maps. Minding the Garden: Lilactree Farm by Brian Bixley does all three, with a dash of wit thrown in for good measure.

(more…)

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[kathy-purdy]

I just noticed this the other day. Funny how you can walk right by something every day and not see it--and suddenly one day, you do. #InTheGardenToday #bloomingtoday #coldclimategardening #upstateny #flowerstagram #instaflower #allium https://www.instagram.com/p/CFOH2aSgAKK/?igshid=1nl7a0qs6ypnc

[kathy-purdy]

Colchicums week 2, part 3. More to come next week. #InTheGardenToday #bloomingtoday #coldclimategardening #upstateny #flowerstagram #instaflower #colchicums #autumnflowers #colchicumqueen https://www.instagram.com/p/CFI2qOpAsAc/?igshid=8oca2vjz8x5n

[kathy-purdy]

Colchicums week 2, part 2 #InTheGardenToday #bloomingtoday #coldclimategardening #upstateny #flowerstagram #instaflower #colchicums #autumnflowers #colchicumqueen https://www.instagram.com/p/CFI2KUBgVDz/?igshid=1ljqbehg9qlqn

[kathy-purdy]

Colchicums week 2, part 1. Labeled with the name I received them. #InTheGardenToday #bloomingtoday #coldclimategardening #upstateny #flowerstagram #instaflower #colchicums #autumnflowers #colchicumqueen https://www.instagram.com/p/CFI1o4Wgr_O/?igshid=svl50pwnk6is

[kathy-purdy]

The plot thickens. The eggs from my previous post have turned slightly tan in color and this creature showed up. It surely is too big to have hatched from one of the eggs. Perhaps it's eating them? #InTheGardenToday #coldclimategardening #upstateny #insecteggs #dahlia #friendorfoe https://www.instagram.com/p/CFDxyNsgx0W/?igshid=kaq4hkfbziuy