The Strange Thrill of A Weather Event

We in the north have learned to deal with the cold, the gloom, the ice and snow over the many years of living here. To those who are in warmer climates, it might be puzzling as to just why we stay and tolerate less-than-ideal weather conditions for so many months of the year.

The reasons are varied:

• We like the change of seasons.
• We have family here.
• We have jobs here.
• It's too expensive to relocate.
• We like to complain.

It does give us a break from the garden and for those of us that are a bit obsessed with ours, we need that break, whether we think we do or not. This winter has been one that's all over the weather map, with thunderstorms, high winds, snow, sleet, freezing rain, blizzards, and fog. The result of some of that has been flooding and power outages for some of us. Never a dull moment!

Think about this . . . what would winter be like if we didn't have some extreme weather to look forward to? Day after day of gray, brown, cloudy, depressing weather, with a few sunny days peppered here and there. Bo-r-r-r-ing. So sometimes, strange as it may seem, we get a bit excited over what the weather forecasters like to call A Weather Event.


Right now, I'm reading The Shack by Wm. Paul Young. It's been recommended reading for me for quite a few months now, and when I saw it on the shelf at Walmart last week, I picked it up. I started reading it last night and in the very first chapter, there's a perfect explanation of how we northerners are when A Weather Event is forecast.

There is something joyful about storms that interrupt routine. Snow or freezing rain suddenly releases you from expectations, performance demands, and tyranny of appointments and schedules. And unlike illness, it is largely a corporate rather than individual experience. One can almost hear a unified sigh rise from the nearby city and surrounding countryside where Nature has intervened to give respite to the weary humans slogging it out within her purview. All those affected this way are united by a mutual excuse, and the heart is suddenly and unexpectedly a little giddy. There will be no apologies needed for not showing up to some commitment or other. Everyone understands and share in this singular justification, and the sudden alleviation of the pressure to produce makes the heart merry.

Of course, it is also true that storms interrupt business and, while a few companies make a bit extra, some companies lose money - meaning there are those who find no joy when everything shuts down temporarily. But they can't blame anyone for their loss of production, or for not being able to make it to the office. Even if it's hardly more than a day or two, somehow each person feels like the master of his or her own world, simply because those little droplets of water freeze as they hit the ground.

Even commonplace activities become extraordinary. Routine choices become adventures and are often experienced with a sense of heightened clarity.

Wm. Paul Young has been there. He gets it. He could never explain it in such an accurate way unless he'd experienced it.

I'm sure the southerners have their own counterparts to these northern natural events, especially those who live in California or other areas that experience earthquakes. Though relatively commonplace for some, it still provides a bit of drama to their days.

We're having A Little Weather Event here today. This is one of a slightly different sort, but the resulting feelings inside us are much the same. We are having what I call "a teaser day." The thermometer on the bank just outside Walmart read 51° at 1:00 this afternoon. The average high for this date is 25°.

The sun was peeking out for a little while and though it was a bit windy, it was still much, much warmer than it was just a couple of days ago. We saw people shedding their heavy winter coats and walking around in just sweatshirts and sweaters topping their jeans. The sheer numbers of people out and about was an indication of The Event, too. The fresh air smelled so good.

These days put a smile on our faces because they are the sign of things to come. The teaser days will occur more frequently from now on - melting snow and softening the frozen layer of soil blanketing the land. Oh, we'll have more snow and maybe even A Weather Event or two, but spring is on the way!

If At First You Don't Suc-seed...

Growing anything from seed can seem like a daunting venture when you think about it. I mean, honestly, just how can a teeny tiny seed ever hope to become a relatively gigantic plant with colorful flowers? Take the petunia for example.

A petunia seed is about the size of the period at the end of this sentence. An ounce contains 245,000 to 285,000 seeds. They need light to germinate, but a seed that small can get lost in the cracks, even when you can't see any cracks. That's probably why a single seed pod on a petunia contains so many seeds. Chances of many of them reaching maturity is pretty small.

I enjoy growing things from seeds, because 1) it's a challenge, 2) it's an inexpensive way to try new things, and 3) I enjoy watching the tiny seedlings emerge and go through all the stages of growth. There are plants that I love that are not easily available at our local garden centers as an already grown plant. Seeds allow me to grow them.

But all is not ideal in Eden. As much as I would love to say that I have a 100% success rate with my seed planting ventures, I can't. There are those plants that elude me, some of them time and time again. I am a persistent sort and don't like the thought of a plant getting the better of me, so I try again.

Meconopsis betenicifolia

I've attempted to grow Meconopsis (Himalayan blue poppy) from seed and plant. Two years ago, I started them inside in peat pots and got a single seedling for my efforts and even that succumbed within a few weeks. Last year, I purchased plants from Michigan Bulb and while they were really healthy plants, I managed to kill every one of them. I also winter sowed the seeds and got nada.

Has anyone had good success with growing Bells of Ireland (Molucella laevis) from seed? I don't want to know, unless you have a tried and true secret for it. I've tried to grow them every single year for the last four years and only had one plant with bells on it two years ago. I love them and would be quite thrilled to see just a few plants looking good in my garden.

Oriental poppies (Papaver orientale) are a favorite of mine, but I have yet to be able to grow a single one from seed. I'll be trying again this spring by planting some 'Lauren's Grape' oriental poppy seeds that I purchased from Botanical Interests. I bought two packets of seeds and will probably plant them all, hoping to get at least a couple of plants from them.

Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus)are supposed to be easy to grow and self-seed, right? Well, there isn't going to be any self-seeding of these going on in my garden this year, because I only got one blooming plant out of the bunch I planted last year and it was so close to frost that it never made it to seed-pod stage. These are readily available at the garden centers so I might purchase some and then let them go to seed. Romie loves them and calls them "dragonsnaps."

Jodi's Livingstone Daisies (Dorotheansus bellidiformis) captivated me from the moment I saw them on her blog, so last year I decided I would try to grow them from seed. No luck, but I'm going to try again this year, because they're so gorgeous and I want them growing in my own garden.

And finally, what kind of gardener can't grow Johnny Jump-ups (Viola cornuta) from seed? Me. I've sown them several times and have yet to get even one blooming plant.

It's a sinister plot meant to discourage me from seed sowing, don't you think? But it's not working. I will always sow seeds, even those that are my own personal nemeses.

Who plants a seed beneath the sod
And waits to see, believes in God.
~ Unknown

Black Lady Slipper

We were invited to my grandma's house for ham and beans the other night (yum!), and stopped at Walmart on the way home. We needed to pick up a few things, but as is usually the case, we found a few that we didn't need, too.

I usually take a stroll through the garden center, but as it was late in the evening, I resisted this time. However, sometimes Walmart will put items in another location totally unrelated to their usual space. As I was walking from the pet supplies department to the other side of the store for some food items, something caught my eye and I stopped.

Black lady slippers! And they were on sale for five dollars!


I'd not seen these before and was surprised when I just happened upon them. It only took me a few seconds to make the decision to buy some. I couldn't believe my luck and smiled all the way to the frozen foods.

I showed Romie as I met up with him there, and he took one look and rolled his eyes, which is exactly what I expected him to do. He just doesn't understand how sometimes it only takes a small thing to give me great joy.

So how do you like my black lady slippers?


When you saw the title of this post, you thought I'd found a black lady slipper orchid, didn't you? I didn't mean to mislead you. Okay, yes I did. When I looked at the receipt and saw the slippers listed as "Lady Slipper", I couldn't resist.

Only a gardener would look at that and think "orchid."

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Is there such a thing as a black lady slipper orchid?
Perhaps not a Cypripedium, but there is this.