Wordless Wednesday...Coveted springtime blooms

I'm sure we all have one, our favorite springtime bloom that we look forward to all year. Without a doubt mine is the Magnolia bloom....I can not get enough! (I'm sure you can tell from my latest post obsession hehe)

What's your most coveted springtime bloom?

Wordless Wednesday...Magnolia tree love

For a fleeting moment every Springtime I enjoy its scent-full blushing blooms....

 

Frozen in time....Seattle ice-storm 2012

We have all heard the story of the boy who cried wolf...You know the one where the weatherman cries..."the snow storm of the century is coming" only to then get 2inches of snow 3yrs in a row. Needless to say, we all have grow tired of his false predictions and our trust in the wild claims is non-existent!
On Tuesday with barely any snow sticking to the roads, we were told of a wild and crazy snow storm to hit Seattle that night. This year dubbed "Snow-mageddon" with tongues planted firmly in cheeks we all said...ah ha sure! The schools were closed in advance and we all laughed at the overreaction...yet again!

Then to our surprise, Wednesday morning we awoke to find 6inches of soft fluffy snow! Wow, weatherman finally got it right! Off to sled and enjoy the gorgeous winter weather. Gulp! Now if that wasn't bad enough, we were then told to "brace" for the biggest ice-storm Seattle has seen in over 30yrs. What do we do? The weatherman actually was right last time, could he be two for two? No, surely not! So we return to our old-ways of disbelief and believe its another Seattle overreaction!

This time we woke to another inch of snow, so we thought. It was actually an inch and a half of ice! Weatherman was right yet again, I will never doubt again!! (well until next time) The trees were weighed down with the freezing weight that clung to every branch. My poor plants, my poor plum tree, a tree I have no problem walking under, now its limbs hang only a few inches from the ground. It is quite a site out there, I only wish I could capture the coating of ice that is over everything. So with camera in and hand and wrapped inside a plastic bag (ie, fancy waterproof technology) I was able to snap some pics. It feels like you are seeing everything with double vision.

My little helper showing just how close to the ground the plum tree branches are...yikes!

As I type this the snow is now falling once again, gone is the fun winter wonderland of snowball fights and sledding. Now its an icy freeze that has frozen my garden in time and they are predicting more...

My Jasmine seen here covered in a solid layer of ice, wishing I had of covered them in burlap!

 

Hedges of Dwarf Boxus and Hebees protected mainly by snow. 

The unprotected parts entombed in ice-cubes or dripping with icicles. 

 

The branches and new tiny shoots of the plum tree, as if dipped in glass!

 I thought my eyes were going funny with this picture, its like seeing double vision due to the layer of ice.

 Ahh sweet sweet Magnolia, frozen in time as if a curse has been placed on you!

Stay safe and warm my treasured tree! Maybe I should've brought it inside...hehe

Cascading branches of the Pussy-willow. You can see the thin branch with the added weight of the ice.

Very tentacle like.

Hydrangea in bud, crossing my fingers for this years bloom and safe longevity.

With more snow and ice in tonight's for forecast, it is now really scaring me in regards to the safety of my plants. What do I do? Is there anything I can do? What do you do when ice/snow threaten your plants with sheer weight? Do you try and shake it off? leave it alone to protect from the freeze? I am really at a loss and am "bracing" myself for the worst still to come...losing plants!!

How to protect your garden from winter snow

Sending out an S.O.S....Save Our Shoots!

Snow is coming and I'm slightly going into over protective parent mode with my plants!!
This winter the weather in Seattle has been mild to say the least. By this time last year we had already had a number of days in the negatives plus measurable snow fall, maybe even a few snow days at school...but here we get an inch on the ground and its called the "Snow-apocalypse" (*snowpocalypse please refer to #2) Seattle is good at freaking out and over reacting to snow!! Oh my god its sticking, what do we do???

Which leads me to think...am I just over-reacting? There is snow in the forecast for this weekend and my garden is already starting to shoot! Yesterday we had a high of 51 with blue sunny skies, gorgeous! I woke to a frost this morning with temps of 34...how ever will my plants cope from such extremes?

Last year I lost a number of plants including two of my gorgeous white Hydrangeas, which I am playing favorite child to at the moment as I don't want to lose any more! My other favorite that is susceptible to frost damage is my Magnolia which is covered in hundreds of tiny buds, I would be devastated if something happened to it! Also my Confederate Star Jasmine is finally recovering from snow-apocalypse 2011...sigh!

 RIP Hydrangea, the Apocalypse of 2011's first casualty

What am I to do? The gardens are for the most part winterized with a large amount of mulch over the garden beds protecting the roots, about 2inches deep keeping away from the trunks. For mulch I used what my garden provided for free, just by raking the fallen leaves straight on to the beds it provided enough...thanks mother nature! I have to check the soil from time to time as it has been a dry winter, to make sure the moisture is penetrating the soil under the mulch. I have noticed that under certain trees I have had to water the shrubs as the soil had dried so much...Crazy to water a garden in winter, in Seattle!!
But what about the tender, helpless, vulnerable new born shoots? Do I protect them with a covering? Wrap them? Just let the snow do its thing?

 My technique last year....The crazy gardening neighbor

 Rose shoots from last year, they really didn't seem to mind!

The more I read about what to do, the more I want to scream at my computer...I can not bring them inside over the winter months!! No they can not be a house plant till the warmer weather returns!! Really is that the only option? OK 20ft Magnolia looks like your sharing the house with us, not likely! I am not about to dig my huge hydrangea out of the garden to relocate to a pot to bring in my house. I think I'll try the burlap route this year, swaddle them until the snow passes?

Covering: This is one of the most effective ways of protecting the foliage of evergreen shrubs. Like Rhododendrons, camellias, azaleas and early flowering plants will often benefit from being covered with some type of cloth material during extremely cold weather..It is also effective for plants with new shoots! (yay)
Start by placing three or four stakes around the plant being protected. I have some bamboo stakes I will use for this. Next drape the cloth material over the stakes, being careful that the cloth does not come in contact with the leaves as it can cause freeze. Do not use plastics for this job, as it not only cuts off air to the plant, it also acts much like a greenhouse which can cause leaf rot to form, taking plants from nightly lows to high daily temperature in a relatively short time period. This rapid temperature change can cause serious freeze damage or may be fatal to plants.
Any type of covering should only be left in place during the cold spell. As soon as the weather moderates or it begins to rain, remove the covering completely. However, leave the stakes in case it gets cold again.
Burlap (which my friend showed me you can get for free from local feed stores, thanks Jill), old moving blankets, sheets or similar cloth or fabric materials are the best types to use as a cover over plants. Attaching with clothes pins is useful to keep them secure and sturdy for the weight of the snow.

This will work well for my shrubs but in regards to my Magnolia I have no clue?

Fellow garden bloggers....What are your experiences with mild winters and late frost/snow? Would love to hear your survival techniques!! Any other over protective Magnolia parents out there?

Some other useful sites...
Winter protection for Hydrangeas
Shrub protection from the snow

Plant adventures with Magnolia's

Cut the ribbon, drink the champagne! My very first (of many) plant studies...whoo I'm finally starting this!
I posted a few months back that I have over 100 different varieties of plants in my garden (yes overwhelming) but I need to learn about them so I can better look after them (and quit killing them!).
I started by writing a list of all my plants front and back. This list contained a number of descriptions, as quite a few of these plants (to me) did not even have names yet. What is that varigated evergreen slow-growing shrub, with beautiful white flowers? Time to start learning...
So long story short, thanks to my trusty Sunset Western Garden - plant guide (my go-to book for plants) all my plants now have names! Well, that's a start on my quest. Now off to research in depth about each plant....here we go!

I have decided to start with my absolute favorite...

The Magnolia Tree

 These were taken last week down at my favorite park, the smell was intoxicating!

First, some quick and interesting facts... 

• There are over 210 different species in the Magnolia genus (family) also known as the Magnoliaceae genus.
• Their origin is from south/east Asia and in areas of the America's both southern and central. 
• They can be dated back over 95 million years...yikes! 
• Magnolias came into existence before bee's and were originally pollinated by beetles (one reason why their petals are so thick). 
• They are named after a French botanist Pierre Magnol. 
• Magnolia bark is being used in a number of medical/dental studies for its preventative properties. 
• Its the state flower for Mississippi and Louisiana.

Now to get down to the juicy plant details...
I have decided to focus my study on just one, the one found in my backyard and the more common Magnolia found in the Pacific Northwest. The "Magnolia Soulangeana - Alexandrina" also known as a "Saucer Magnolia" or "Tulip tree" it is well know in this area as the later.

The Magnolia Soulangeana (soo-lan-jee-AH-nuh) is a small deciduous tree/large shrub hybrid, bred by French plantsman Étienne Soulange-Bodin (a precursor of the Société d'horticulture de Paris) in the early 1800's, by crossing a Magnolia denudata with M. liliiflora. It quickly spread through Europe over to Japan and Voila, we now have one of the most loved Magnolia's in the Northwest. Thanks Etienne for this French born beauty!
 This beautiful Magnolia, flowers early Spring with a dazzling show of white, pink, purple saucer shape blooms (buds and new flower bursts resemble tulips hence the nick-name). It produces waxy green oval shaped leaves on stubby stems which it looses in late fall. It is a beautiful feature tree for all seasons, while dormant in winter its branches are architecturally interesting, during spring its fragrant blooms are the star of my garden.




Growing loves for...
Magnolia Soulangeana - (Alexandrina is the sub-specie)

• loves sun to part shade and well drained soil, but water regularly. 
• Grows best in zones 5-9
• It needs little pruning and does not take very well to topping, its lower branches can be removed to create a more tree like shape (this is my absolute favorite place to sit in my yard during summer, great shade tree!) It is not a fast grower so cut with care.
• It is fairly wind and alkaline tolerant unlike most magnolia varieties which makes it a little more hardier than others. And deers stay away, added bonus!
• Loves compost/fertilizer, I use a kelp based application twice a year...loves it!
• It attracts bee's, butterflies and birds (I get hummers) with its beautiful fragrant flower. 
• Its roots love a mulch bed for protection (I use its own leaves) during winter, especially if the temps get below freezing which its been doing a lot here these last few winters.
• Its main threat is late spring frosts, which can damage petals. (see above pic, yellowing petals)
• Can grow 20-30ft high and wide at a moderate rate (I wish the previous owner knew that before they planted it right on the fence line...fooie! Hope my neighbors love it as much as I do)

Next to my tulip bulbs sprouting green shoots, there is nothing like a budding Magnolia tree to say...spring is on its way!

I wonder where my next Plant Adventure will take me? One plant down, only 99 more to go.....oh which one will it be?

Hardiness:
USDA Zone 4a: to -34.4 °C (-30 °F)
USDA Zone 4b: to -31.6 °C (-25 °F)
USDA Zone 5a: to -28.8 °C (-20 °F)
USDA Zone 5b: to -26.1 °C (-15 °F)
USDA Zone 6a: to -23.3 °C (-10 °F)
USDA Zone 6b: to -20.5 °C (-5 °F)
USDA Zone 7a: to -17.7 °C (0 °F)
USDA Zone 7b: to -14.9 °C (5 °F)
USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 °C (10 °F) This is me, but man we've been getting frost/snow these last few winters and knock on wood, its doing fine!
USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 °C (15 °F)
USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6 °C (20 °F)
USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 °C (25 °F)

Some more helpful websites...
http://www.magnoliatreeearthcenter.org/ - great website for everything you need to know
http://landscaping.about.com/b/2008/04/28/magnolia-tree-care.htm - great Q&A Magnolia info here

Wonderful Magnolia reads...