(I wonder if there are any birds in there? Probably not.)In the past few weeks it has been snowing a lot here in Minnesota, with each storm producing 6-12 inches per storm. This has been causing travel problems or delays for us since we like to travel around to visit with relatives or go back home and such, and this heavy snow along with wind and ice create rather treacherous traveling conditions. To make things more wonderful for any living creature outside is the fact that the temperature is below zero and the windchill has been somewhere between 20 and 40 below. Fun fun.

The weather has also been affecting the watering schedule for the plants since we have had to spend more time driving, shoveling, shopping for the holidays, and keeping the house clean and everything, so hopefully we won't lose too many plants as a result. The only plant that has gotten to dry so far is our newest Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) which I had thought I had watered enough and which I thought was getting enough light, but I was apparently wrong with that assumption.

In other news the annual plants that were never thrown out at the end of the season continue to get more and more snow on them.

I cannot wait until winter is over.

(NOID Plant...any ideas?)
During the past few days here in Minnesota we have been having an unseasonably warm stretch of days in the 60's and 70's, which is not what the weather should be around here. Normally at this time of the year its in the 30's and 40's and there is a usually a lingering threat of snow. I'm not going to complain though. The warm weather gave me the chance to go outside during a lunchtime visit to my parent's house. I was surprised to find the white flowers in bloom (see picture above and below) although I was unable to identify them.

(NOID Plant)
I also found my Easter Lilies (Lilium longiflorum), which I had placed out in the yard when I was still living there. I never got around to actually growing them in the garden and I am wondering if I'll be able to bring them inside during the winter. I will have to do some research on that, but luckily they are still alive and green.

(Easter Lily #1.)
(Easter Lily #2.)
I also found some Sage (Salvia officinalis) and Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) still clinging to life and ready for use in our future cooking adventures.
(Sage and Rosemary.)
Unfortunately this warm weather will not last so we better enjoy it while it does!

NOTE: Due to the high number of pictures in this post, the page might take a while to load for those of you with dial-up connections!

One afternoon while vacationing along the Oregon Coast this past August, Annah and I visited Shore Acres State Park, which is located in Coos Bay. The reason why we were in Coos Bay, Oregon in the first place was to visit my paternal grandmother who lives out there. My parents and I had been to Shore Acres State Park before during previous visits out there, but it is a nice and quaint destination which was exactly what we were looking for one afternoon.

Here is a little description of Shore Acres State Park from The Friends of Shore Acres website (http://www.shoreacres.net/)

Perched on a scenic bluff above the Pacific Ocean, Shore Acres began as a private estate with luxurious gardens featuring trees, shrubs, and flowering plants brought from around the world aboard the sailing ships of pioneer lumberman and shipbuilder Louis J. Simpson.

[The Gardens Include:]

• Hundreds of spring bulbs and daffodils - late Feb. thru March
  
• 5,000 tulips - late March thru April
  
• Hundreds of rhododendrons and azaleas - April thru mid-May
  
• 5,000 flowering annuals/perennials - May thru Sept.
  
• 600 rose bushes - June thru Sept.
  
• 250 dahlias - Aug. thru mid-Oct.
  
• 250,000 or more holiday lights (almost all L.E.D.)- Thanksgiving thru New Year's Eve.
  
• Hundreds of spring bulbs and daffodils - late Feb. thru Mar.

The weather that day was in 60s, cloudy, and lightly misting. Although sunshine would have been nice, this light mist created an environment that was very calm and soothing. The peak time for the sensational rose blossoms had already passed by, but there were plenty of other flowers to look at and photograph. We were also able to see some rabbits and a friendly chipmunk. It was delightful!

If you are ever out along the Oregon Coast and want to do something other than visiting the beaches or going fishing, then you should check out this wonderful little state park in Coos Bay!

Enjoy the pictures!

Last week Annah and I, along with my mother, toured four gardens in the Annual Garden Tour around town. Each garden was beautiful and each one had ideas which both Annah and I and my parents can implement into our own gardens. We didn't really take that many pictures, mostly due to the fact that it was very crowded, but we were able to snap a few pictures during the tour.

The first picture (to the right) is a tomato plant that has been trained to climb up single pole, which is far different from the way we have been growing our tomatoes. Usually we just plant the tomatoes and then place a metallic cage around them. When the plant branches out and gets really heavy this metal cage holds them up and allows for easy access to the tomatoes. Using a single pole instead allows you to train the tomato plant to grow up the pole by pinching off the branches that aren't from the main branch. This allows for what seems like a more efficient growing method for growing tomatoes. Unfortunately, our tomato plants are already too far along to implement this method this year, but we will definitely be trying it next year.


In the next picture, if you click on it to see a larger version of it, you will see three different varieties of Lilies. The first Lily starting from the left is a dark pink variety with white mixed in, the second Lily next to that is a plain pink one, and the last one in the back is a stunning dark red color. We will definitely have to purchase some of these because they are simply magnificent!


I've always liked Foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea) for some reason, and at the last garden we saw a beautiful plant with a few blossoms on it. In our own gardens we have yet to plant any Foxgloves, but it is on the list of things to be planted. Regardless, I took two pictures (see below) of the pink Foxgloves. Enjoy!

I'm not sure of the identity of the last plant that I photographed (below), but it is a beautiful flower and as soon as we find out the identity we will need to add it to our list of flowers to grow! Update: While researching hollyhocks tonight I found out that this flower is a Malva sylvestris 'Zebrina' or "French Hollyhock" so now we can officially add it to the list!

I was going to post today about two of my peperomia plants that were flowering, but when I went to take a picture of my newest plant, a Peperomia 'Golden Gate', the flower fell off and I decided that I'll have to wait to take some more pictures of my houseplants. I still wanted to type up a quick post so I went outside and found several plants in bloom that were not blooming before. Below are the pictures that I took. Enjoy!

Monarda fistuloa L. var. mollis ("Bee Balm")
Monarda fistuloa L. var. mollis ("Bee Balm")
Asclepias tuberosa ("Butterfly Weed")