Above is the small Canadian hemlock (
Tsuga canadensis 'Gentsch White') on the side of my house this morning. We've had about 4" of fluff (by 12 noon) although it's warm enough that it is slightly damp but not challenging
to remove. It's not quite snowball "packing" snow. Larry and Bill are taking care of the first wave of snow removal at the gardens and I'll go in later to do touch-up and sanding/salting as needed on the slippery spots. We'll have the lights on this evening after the Taste of Chocolate so attendees can wander thru the winter wonderland with a stomach full of food and chocolate. The forecast mentioned 3-9" of accumulation thru this evening but it's been tapering off and has never been real heavy. It is certainly a nice looking snow and my da
ughter was outside immediately to enjoy it. When is that "transition" from "Oh! Look at the pretty snow. I'm heading out to play" to "UGH! No I have to get the shovel and clear this stuff off."? I think it happened for me early when my brothers and I were given our own shovels at age 7 to clear our long (and wide) driveway. Snowblowers were a luxury back then but I've never minded shoveling even though we have a snowblower. I'm amazed by those that fire up the snowblower to pollute the environment to clear off 1" of fluffy snow! Nice shot to the left of a small white spruce (
Picea glauca) in our front yard and to the right is our Tiger Eyes sumac (
Rhus typhina 'Bailtiger') holding snow. Known for its bright gold foliage and red fall color, this woody plant also looks architectural in winter as seen above. This specimen is 12' tall so don't believe the descriptive tags when you buy one that says 6' tall at maturity! Below is a close-up of the curled needles of the contorted white pine (
Pinus strobus 'Contorta') on the side of our home.
The winter container workshop went well and I was impressed with the creativity of all six participants. Becky did a nice job setting up (with help from her husband John) and was assisted by Nancy. Both Becky
and Nancy are Master Gardeners and facilitated this workshop last year as well. Becky also has her own landscape maintenance business and has no shortage of work. The ladies had a wide range of materials to utilize for their containers including colorful stems, greens (pine, spruce and arbor
vitae), dried flowers, pine cones, etc. I've considered having winter container arrangements out in the gardens but I think they would be seen more by our deer population (and perhaps nibbled upon) than the sparse few visitors that wander thru the gardens in winter. I've seen nice winter arrangements at both Olbrich Botanical Gardens (Madison, WI) and the Morton Arboretum (Lisle, IL) as they have significantly more winter traffic and keep their entire garden paths clear for visitors. The pictures to the left, right and below give you an idea of some of the results of the two hour workshop. We hope to have it again next year so keep it in mind if you are in the area. What a nice final product for the front stoop or side entrance.
Above is the small Canadian hemlock (Tsuga canadensis 'Gentsch White') on the side of my house this morning. We've had about 4" of fluff (by 12 noon) although it's warm enough that it is slightly damp but not challenging
to remove. It's not quite snowball "packing" snow. Larry and Bill are taking care of the first wave of snow removal at the gardens and I'll go in later to do touch-up and sanding/salting as needed on the slippery spots. We'll have the lights on this evening after the Taste of Chocolate so attendees can wander thru the winter wonderland with a stomach full of food and chocolate. The forecast mentioned 3-9" of accumulation thru this evening but it's been tapering off and has never been real heavy. It is certainly a nice looking snow and my da
ughter was outside immediately to enjoy it. When is that "transition" from "Oh! Look at the pretty snow. I'm heading out to play" to "UGH! No I have to get the shovel and clear this stuff off."? I think it happened for me early when my brothers and I were given our own shovels at age 7 to clear our long (and wide) driveway. Snowblowers were a luxury back then but I've never minded shoveling even though we have a snowblower. I'm amazed by those that fire up the snowblower to pollute the environment to clear off 1" of fluffy snow! Nice shot to the left of a small white spruce (Picea glauca) in our front yard and to the right is our Tiger Eyes sumac (Rhus typhina 'Bailtiger') holding snow. Known for its bright gold foliage and red fall color, this woody plant also looks architectural in winter as seen above. This specimen is 12' tall so don't believe the descriptive tags when you buy one that says 6' tall at maturity! Below is a close-up of the curled needles of the contorted white pine (Pinus strobus 'Contorta') on the side of our home.
and Nancy are Master Gardeners and facilitated this workshop last year as well. Becky also has her own landscape maintenance business and has no shortage of work. The ladies had a wide range of materials to utilize for their containers including colorful stems, greens (pine, spruce and arbor
vitae), dried flowers, pine cones, etc. I've considered having winter container arrangements out in the gardens but I think they would be seen more by our deer population (and perhaps nibbled upon) than the sparse few visitors that wander thru the gardens in winter. I've seen nice winter arrangements at both Olbrich Botanical Gardens (Madison, WI) and the Morton Arboretum (Lisle, IL) as they have significantly more winter traffic and keep their entire garden paths clear for visitors. The pictures to the left, right and below give you an idea of some of the results of the two hour workshop. We hope to have it again next year so keep it in mind if you are in the area. What a nice final product for the front stoop or side entrance. 
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