Comments on: Mr. Arctic Air Mass Takes a Vacation

By: Northern Shade

Northern Shade — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:54:40 +0000

Renate, I hope you mice will get enough moisture to last for the summer. Although I haven’t had to worry much about drought, I do wonder which plants will succumb to the cold over winter. However, every time we get an extra cold day, I know it helps kill off the pine beetles.

By: Renate

Renate — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 04:35:27 +0000

We’ve finally gotten a little bit of rain down here at the central California Coast. Still not enough by a far cry… I find it interesting how much more I appreciate the weather now that I’m growing things. Can’t imagine being, say, a farmer and have my livelihood depend on the weather which is so unpredictable.

By: Northern Shade

Northern Shade — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 23:37:16 +0000

Shady Gardener, although we have broken some high temperature records, tomorrow we are supposed to be back to -30 C (-20 F) with the windchill, so I might have to put away the shorts. :) All good parties come to an end.

By: Shady Gardener

Shady Gardener — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:10:52 +0000

We’ve had a visit from Mr. Warm Air Mass this week… I’m unwilling to let him go, as yet! ;-) Have a great party!!!

By: Northern Shade

Northern Shade — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 14:57:17 +0000

Frances, we have had some record setting warm weather, but we knew he would get up to his old shenanigans. It’s a good thing his pasty white legs didn’t leave any snowy footprints in your garden. I hope he didn’t pinch you, or your plants, too hard.

By: Frances

Frances — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 11:25:33 +0000

Hi Shade, so that’s what happened! While we can understand that you have had your fill of this mister, he doesn’t have good southern manners and overstayed his welcome here. You know what they say, fish and houseguests beging to smell after three days. Well, his three days are up and we are giving him the boot. Maybe he should go out to sea and stir up a little trouble there, far away from folks! :-)
Frances

By: Northern Shade

Northern Shade — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 21:03:15 +0000

Pam, today as our temperatures rose, and a little patch of bare earth was visible at the corner of the house, I detected the faint scent of warm earth and spring, but our real spring won’t arrive for another 3 months. In my mind though, I could picture the green sprouts emerging from the ground, and the buds swelling.

By: Pam

Pam — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 19:00:59 +0000

As Anna, above, says we’ve had a pretty cold start to our winter, and yet; and yet. I still hold onto the hope that spring is so very near, and one day very soon I’ll be out gardening and suddenly feel the heat of the sun on my back – only for a moment, but definitely there. Mmmm. Wonder what my favourite season would be?

By: Northern Shade

Northern Shade — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 16:15:03 +0000

Anna, those kind of winters are especially difficult if you are trying to grow perennials from a zone or two warmer.
Our normally cold winter took a break for the last few days, and we set records for the hottest January 16 and 17 ever. We are likely to get a few more record setting days. Luckily we still have some snow cover, because the repeated freeze/thaw cycle is particularly hard on perennials. I’ll probably have to dig a few plants back in, come spring, that have got pushed out of the ground.
In the meantime, I’ll have to go find my suntan lotion. :)

By: Anna

Anna — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 09:28:03 +0000

Thanks for your recent welcome message. I have really enjoyed having a browse here. I think that Mr. Arctic Air Mass or his cousin has visited the UK too this winter. It’s not as cold as it must have been for a lot of folk over the pond but we have had our coldest start to winter for thirty years. Brrrrrrrrr ……