seasonal drama

Brrrrr.  Does this look as cold as it felt?  

It's that funny time of year again.  The time of transition from one season to the next when it's hard to know what the weather's going to be like.

                            

Last week, just when I began feeling like I wanted to get my tender perennials out of the greenhouse so I could clean up after winter and make room for all the annual seeds I'm starting, it got really cold.  Luckily, we didn't get a big snowfall, just a dusting but the garden beds were frozen for a few days.

These poor little tulipa turkestanicas, my earliest blooming tulip were very sad but they've survived and are standing tall and looking happy again.  

In April, they'll be blooming like this....one of my favourites!

So then, a couple days ago, with the arrival of March, a big wind storm.  March came in like a lion this year, which is fine with me if that means the big winds are over for the winter and March will go out like a lamb.  

A big tree came down with the wind, luckily in the forest away from our buildings.  Just little ones around the buildings with very little damage.  This one hit our deck but the pergola caught it.  It made a big noise and shook the house, but no damage. phew!

This arbutus branch just missed the garden outhouse.  We've survived another one!....lots of clean up work to do.
The cold days before the wind storm were mostly sunny so back in the greenhouse, altho' it was nippy outside, the sun made it nice and toasty inside.  I could shed my hat and scarf and get down to work.

The lemon verbena and australian mint bush (on floor) are thankful that I didn't take them outside before this cold snap.  So am I...wouldn't want to lose these lovelies.

All the baby herb plants that I'm starting for spring and summer sales this year were keeping snug overnight, after the sun went down on their heat mats under the row cover fabric.  These are some garden sage plants.

The pea shoots, sunflower shoots and microgreen trays all managed to get through the cold snap in the greenhouse too.  These are some trays of arugula that will be harvested after their first true leaves develop.  Yum, yum...arugula microgreens!  Can't wait.

All the little onion seedlings I've started for yummy salad onions this summer are fine too...they're quite hardy.

My first potato planting was chitting in the greenhouse....for really early new potatoes, I hope.  (I just planted them in containers yesterday)

The echeverias look like they'll survive another winter too.
I really hope that was the last cold snap and the last wind storm of this winter!  fingers crossed.