That nasty Discontented Winter has created some gaps in the gardens. Big gaps. It’s icy tail flicked across the gardens and sent killing shivers down the spines of trees and vines.
The peach tree and a couple of a little apple trees -Dead. Also a big apple tree and a pear – Dead. Sopsta’s bright yellow magnolia only has three blooms but is coming along, though Donna’s magnolia is doing exceptionally well. Not dead. 
and all the roses have dead canes but most are growing back from the base which is often a rootstock (but I quite like the wild rootstock varieties) .There is worse news though. 
The Ladybird Wine grapes (Vidal Blanc) are showing no signs of anything at all. All the canes are dead. Misery. Could there be No More Wine!? Horrors! Even my table grapes are showing no signs of life. Only one remains alive. How can I drink wine without grapes! (rhetorical question – no question mark). Of course I will plant more vines on the new trellises but they take four years to mature, I have learnt way too much about wine making to stop now. But.. sigh… I will keep checking for signs of life.. but so far – Dead. A bitter blow.
Can you see Tima on the other side of her gate, waiting for me to surface?
She really does look like a puff fish when she lies down. Wait here is another angle.
Well, that is not a very flattering angle either. She looks more like a piebald blob that someone forgot to wipe up. She is such a good piggie and she loves all people and all animals. All the visitors get some Tima loving.
I hope you all have a lovely day.
You can put in requests you know. If you miss your favourites.. let me know! My days are full of gardening now and mowing and watering and all that lovely summery stuff!
Daisy’s milk was clear yesterday. Excellent. Hopefully that lasts a little while.
Your friend on the farm
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
52 responses to “The Winters Tail”
I know we had nothing like your terrible winter here in Texas, but it was much colder than usual and the cold snaps were more lengthy. Usually my roses are blooming again by mid March, but this year, it wasn’t until mid April. I put out tomatoes and bell peppers in mid March and watered like I always do, everyday. The leaves started turning yellow and I was confused until I realized that I was over watering. The heat just hasn’t come to stay yet like it usually does and the plants just don’t need as much water yet. Not that I’m complaining about the lack of crazy heat. I thought I lost some plants, but I see tiny little buds coming up from the ground, so maybe there is hope yet.
Happy Gardening! (better keep the peahens in tho….to avoid the wrath of John..ha)
This winter was hard on all – plants, animals and people alike. I’m so sorry to hear you lost so many plants as a result.
My Weeping Peach tree took much longer than normal to begin blooming this year and doesn’t have nearly as many blossoms as in years past. One of my lilac trees has only one lilac. The Forsythia had much fewer yellow blossoms and my pampas grass, transplanted last spring, is just now showing some signs of life. Of course being in a town, even a small town of 1300 like the one I live in, provides more protection than living out in the open.
What trees winter didn’t kill, the neighborhood bucks made rubs on during the rut. A few of my fruit trees are still alive but without bark. I lost a lot of plants this year too, Celi. It’s disappointing but we plant again and move on. That’s what we do! That is rather dreadful news about your grapes though… whatever will you do without your medicinal concoction? Gads!
Tima is such a cutie patootie! I’m glad all of the farm critters are doing well. Spring is very welcome… we revel in it! Ok, so out I go to do more planting in my garden. Have a happy day, dear Celi.
A sure way to tell if a plant is dead or alive is to gentle scrap the stem. If it shows green it is a live. Start as low and work up. You need to get below the brark My oldest plum tree was very late to start but it now has 25 plums on it. These are the first it has ever had—I think it heard me say that if it did not produce this year it was out of the yard.
Yes, i did that.. dead. It is a good trick that one, but no, these are snapping brown dry.. dead.. c
That’s terrible news about the vines!
I have wondered if Tima gets on with Sheila and Poppy and how are the 3 plonkers doing together?
Don’t cut yet! (as everyone says) Even here, vines have been slow to stick their heads up – a long cool spring. Things are only now beginning to shoot up from bases – and some vines still show green if a bit of bark is scraped (my dad always check for life that way). Hard to sit on hand when the urge to neaten up the garden immediately is so strong…trying to wait a bit ( and I’m much more south than you are)
That little pig is just a delight! More like a cute big puppy!
♥ღLinda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
Good morning! My grapevines have just now started to leaf, so don’t give up hope yet. Did you do a fingernail test on the woody stem? Can you see any green below the bark, or is it brown and dried under there?
We lost a rose of Sharon and some hydrangeas. All of the herbs are toast, too. My rosemary is dead as a doornail. I am sorry for your grapes!
Rose of Sharon can be really slow. Don’t be hasty in writing it off after a nasty winter.
Glad you’re out of winter at last…..nasty damage…hope you sort it:)
I learned years ago that I needed to plant only trees and things that survive this climate by looking around the old plants around this area. So…no hybrid roses, but wild roses only. No wisteria, but clematis is OK. Peonies and lilacs. No grapes. It is not so much the cold (-25F) but when it hits. (sigh). I am sorry you lost your beautiful grapes…but don’t give up on them yet. They might still surprise you….talk to them. Tima is such a doll! You did a good thing there, Celi
We can put in requests? Wonderful! I’m amazed at Boo Nanny’s maternal instincts. How have the relationships with the sweet kittie and sweet lambie-pie evolved? Thank you for such a great farm and a great blog about a farm!
Unless marmie wanders out into the field they don’t see much of each other lately, though i did see Tima and the cat leaning into each other the other day! c
Sorry to hear of your trees and vines .. Nature can be though. Love your pics ..
I’m quite amazed anything survived the winter there. Hopefully as is the consensus, a few more weeks, or so, of warmth may make a difference to some of the plants. Fingers crossed for the wine grapes. Weather reports indicate change also, to El Nino, i.e. drier conditions and possibly more extreme. I guess that is what weather does… ‘changeable as the weather’ but the extremes are of concern.
You know, I miss things about the mainland and winter, believe it or not. Still, I absolutely love growing flowers and veggies and fruits in a year-round climate. Lots of maintenance (mulching, some weeding), but it’s a rewarding experience.
Plus fresh produce all year round.. c