Thursday, March 24, 2011

This is a joke - Right?




“You have to be kidding.”
“You can’t be serious.”


“Haven’t you had enough?”
“You’re joking.”


“Enough is enough!”
“Isn’t it about time to call it a day?”


“Time to move on!”
“What is wrong with this picture?”

These are just some of the many comments, thoughts and yes - - frustrations
a visitor to Gardens at Waters East might have this week.

On Monday February 21st., strolling through the gardens there were tulips, some three inches out of the ground, others there in place but not yet broken through.  There were daffodils breaking ground.  Sedum, red with buds enlarging.  Tardia, a good inch and one-half into growth.  Allium Azureum a couple inches showing.  Grape Hyacinth, Muscari Armeniacum, well on their way.  Iris beginning to show themselves.  Egyptian Walking Onion going strong, and many other plantings about to meet the sun.

On Monday the first Robin appeared – always a welcome sign of Spring.

Then too was seen the damage, not very encouraging.  The deer and the rabbits had a “field day” this Winter in and around the Gardens at Waters East.  So may bushes bitten back by the deer.  So many bushes striped and girdled by rabbits and rodents.  It is the year of the rabbit in the Chinese calendar.  How perfect.  For indeed the rabbits celebrated and no doubt partied wildly all Winter long in the Gardens at Waters East.  Those rabbits sure had their way.  For whatever reason this year there were more rabbits than normal.  The eagles and the coyotes didn’t do their “thing” to help keep the population under control – Shame! Shame! Shame!

Can you imagine what kind of damage there will be in the garden next year?
It will be the Chinese year of the Dragon!!!

On Tuesday the rains came, then sleet, then snow and more snow, then lighting and thunder snow, winds blowing hard with strong gusts, and more snow.  This went on all night long.


The blowing snow is so heavy, one can only see the shadows of South Ravine.

On Wednesday lots more snow.  Ten inches by 9:00AM.  Snow and more snow all day long. There was a mounting “lake effect” with additional heavy snows coming in off Lake Michigan.  This was as bad as the storm posted back on February 3rd. – the "Groundhog Storm".  The winds blew and just kept blowing throughout the day.  Branches on the bushes and trees whipping around wildly.  Winds constant 30+ miles per hours with stronger gusts to the mid forties.  It looks like mid January out the windows!  It is a very heavy snow with high moisture content.  The branches are sagging.  Power outages here and in the area.  Schools and business closed.  Roads impassable.  It is all like a bad dream!

Asian Garden as seen through a window.

Finally, Thursday the snow has ended, the sun is out, and it is time to take some  pictures.  It is true that the Gardens at Waters East really does not need more Winter pictures.  There are plenty of them already from this Winter’s snows.  Today’s photos are an attempt to “fill out” a complete record of this season in the gardens.  Yes pretty, but enough already!

 Portholes from the ferry boat Straits of Mackinac

Total snowfall just west of the gardens a few miles  inland was 17.9 inches.  Pretty impressive.  Here at the Gardens at Waters East the total reached was 12+ inches.  More than enough to make it look and feel like Winter once again.  To top it off, the temperature is in the low teens!


The sculpture "1000 Cranes" is nearly buried under the approaching six foot drift.

The bad new.
Gardens at Waters East will have to do a lot of trimming and replanting to remove the many damaged plants.  There was painfully lots of that showing on Monday.

The good news.
Now that Gardens at Waters East has received so much snow these recent days,  all the Winter damage is hidden.  Trying to be the eternal optimist - the place looks nice!



Reference Note:  For a complete list of the ten (10) Principles of Design used here and throughout Gardens at Waters East, check out the archive postings for November 14 – 24, 2010.

If you wish to email a message or share photos of your garden please do that through this Blog site or with an email to:




10 comments:

  1. Wow we did not have as much snow as you but we got about another half a foot making our total 177.7 inches...lots of rabbit damage as well as vole damage in my garden...it does look beautiful but really enough already...hoping it ends for both of us soon...

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  2. Good heavens! Just now I understand your words: "...helps me survive all the snow we have had recently". It's really stunning!
    I wish you from my heart a very next spring, Jack...
    Btw: I loved your photo of Asian Garden!

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  3. Wow, you were hit harder than we were here in MN. Thanks for sharing your blog - I'm definitely adding it to my reading list. Let's hope true spring arrives soon for both of our sakes!

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  4. Thanks for finding my blog. Indeed, it is good for us cold climate gardeners to unite! Glad to hear you're from WI too.

    The photos on your blog are incredible. What kind of camera do you use? (Not that the camera has the talent.) I was guessing DSLR from some of the amazing close-ups.

    Thanks again for connecting!
    Megan

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  5. Goodness, not what you'd expect for March! Hope it melts soon. Thanks for finding me and check out my latest post for some spring time pictures!

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  6. Wow is that a lot of snow. We never see that kind of winter storm, even in actual winter. I hope that's the last of it so you can get out and work in your garden.

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  7. Gorgeous shots even though I agree, enuf is enuf! :c)
    Come see me again,
    all the best,
    Ailsa

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  8. Thank you so much for your comment in my Blog. Right now I´m in Germany and here in Cologne we have had the most beautiful Spring. In fact almost hot, with sun and temps well above 18ºC some days. Today however is cloudy again, but still mild. In Portugal I know some friends that have been to the beach this year already. This only tells you that Europe is much warmer than Canada. Looking forward to see your garden in really Spring time:)

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  9. Amazing pictures of snow - if we get more than 2 inches everything stops!

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  10. Wow, that's a lot of snow! But as you say very beautiful. We used to live in Massachusetts and I remember March being the one month that I really missed the UK - when friends and family would be telling me about the warm days and the Spring bulbs, and we still had two foot of dirty snow...
    Thanks for the comments on my blog, and for wanting to become a follower. There's a box called "email subscription" in the right hand column, if you come back and decide you do want to know about future posts.
    Hope the Spring arrives soon for the Gardens at Waters East.

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