Six months have passed quickly since I posted about these gardens. I haven’t neglected reading about other gardens, but it’s been very refreshing to take a break from writing. Recently I’ve felt the urge to dive back in. Autumn and most of winter were as busy as usual here, although at the end of October I experienced a serious hamstring injury which reduced the amount of time I could spend leaning over and cleaning up the garden. Spring is less than a month away, snowdrops, crocuses, and primroses are blooming, and soon I’ll have to make up for what I neglected. Thankfully, I’m fully recovered and back to “normal.” 😉
ONE – Winter 2021-22 has brought some snow to the Pacific Northwest, mostly around the holidays. Right now about half an inch of snow blankets the shady parts of Coppertop. This weekend’s warming trend should put an end to that. At the turn of the new year and today:
TWO – My hope is to get into the rose garden when the slope isn’t slick or icy and begin the pruning there. A week ago I took this rather sad before shot of over 20 rose bushes and some perennials that await me:
THREE – I began starting flower seeds in the garden shed at the very end of January. The perennials and annuals I started are intended for another May Master Gardener plant sale. Germination was a success, but a double whammy of travel and a voracious mouse have done in some of my seedlings. Plenty of dianthus, delphiniums, digitalis, hollyhocks, and others survived, but the cosmos and sweet peas were decimated. It’s hard not to be discouraged. Various mouse elimination strategies have been deployed! The long row of heated seed starts, and evidence of mice:
FOUR – One of the larger snowstorms dumped over a foot overnight, and our precious willow tree by the pond suffered severe breakage of its upper limbs. Rather than have it look off-kilter and be prone to further damage, we radically pruned or pollarded it. It’s sad for right now, but anyone who grows willows knows how quickly it will rebound. Pictured in the center below:
FIVE – The travel I mentioned earlier included a few days at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle — a tradition with special girlfriends. I thoroughly enjoy the seminars, display gardens, shopping, and time with friends. Returning this year were the glorious Fleurs de Villes displays, all made with fresh flowers and rejuvenated daily:
SIX – I recently returned from the final leg of my trip visiting North Carolina. My eldest daughter’s family is living there for one year while completing another round of studies. The Duke University Gardens were gorgeous even in winter, with highly-fragrant Edgeworthia chrysantha shrubs throughout, bridges over water features, a stellar children’s garden, and a bamboo forest for climbing grandsons.
The Six on Saturday weekly meme was started by The Propagator in the U.K. a few years ago and continues to encourage gardeners worldwide. Visit more posts here: https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com.
Gardens at Coppertop 
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