Paul’s Plant Pick: Now You See It, Now You Don’t

While falling snow makes commuting a challenge, I always welcome snow in the weather forecast because it is very, very important for our gardens, not only to insulate plant material but also to provide a source of valuable and vital ground moisture. It’s been interesting to walk through the TBG gardens this winter and observe the constant changes that take place even at this time of year. On warm days, the snow and ice slowly melts and recedes, revealing many garden treasures that are lying beneath and just waiting to “do their thing.” Then, if Mother Nature decides to bless us (and our gardens) with another dusting of the white stuff, many of these gems become once again hidden from view, at least for a short while. That’s definitely the case with the many clumps of heath (Erica carnea) growing in the far end of the Westview Terrace. Their flower buds, which were set last fall, are just waiting to pop open, and some have already done so. With last year’s mild winter, however, those patches were all in full bloom in late February and March. This year’s colder winter temperatures and snow cover has held back the flowering. I am good with this, and glad to have the snow!