Wet and Aggressive Corella challenges Magpie

Wet and Aggressive Corella challenges Magpie

Sunday 17 May 2015

Sunday Selections #224

Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim, of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files. 

The meme is now continued by River at Drifting through life.  The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.  Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to River.  Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen.

Like River I usually run with a theme.  This week I am focussing on the weather, and on its impact in the garden.

We have been having some very, very windy days.  Some of you will remember that a large gum tree crashed into her house while I was talking to one of my sisters-in-law on the phone.  This week it was our turn.  A substantial branch came down and landed on the bed I had been weeding.  It was all I could do to drag it off the bed, so I am glad I was not in the garden at the time.


Our tree dahlias (dahlia imperialis) also suffered.  We grow more than a dozen of these leggy beauties every year and keep our fingers crossed that they will bloom before the frost kills them.  Things were going well.  Most of them were at least eight or nine feet tall and laden with buds.

And then the wind snapped all but three.  The remaining ones were bent, but not broken.




The next day showers were forecast.  Showers we got.  Showers of hail.

 



That night temperatures plummeted and my city recorded the lowest temperature of anywhere in Australia, and we got a heavy frost.

The remaining tree dahlia's leaves are black and burned.  They still have buds, but I am not hopeful.



I expect that next weekend I will be cutting them back to ground level, and hoping for better luck next year.

And yet.  It isn't yet winter here, but many of the spring flowering bulbs are poking through the ground.  And some are in flower.



Weird. Discouraging and hopeful at the same time.  But gardening is like that...

129 comments:

  1. Hope. There is always hope. Your garden is not giving up, just yet. Loved this post. Thanks.

    Greetings from London.

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    1. A Cuban in London: The garden is often surprisingly resilient. And not a quitter. Usually.

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  2. Oh yes it is weird ... and the weather is going to be weird from now on as well, I fear. With the climate changes, the storms are more severe and the temperatures are all over the map ... Gardening is going to be quite a challenge in our future, I'm afraid and yet we will continue to do it because we love it ... and we love the results. Daffodils in the fall? Really?

    Andrea @ From The Sol

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    1. Andrea Priebe: Jonquils, anenomies and violets are out now. Already. More are pushing through the soil each day too. I am wondering what will happen to them in winter. Global warming? Global weirding. And weird it is.

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  3. We have our brutal summer days ahead of us yet. A very lovely spring day here though. We've had a nice break from the onset of summer with three straight evenings of rain. The grass and fern is smiling.

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    1. Author R. Mac Wheeler: Your summers make me cringe. Rain? I would love it. I do love it anytime it makes an appearance.

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  4. That is such a sad sight, all those broken limbs. I am also glad you were inside safe when it happened. Gosh, those dahlia plants look sad. And it's so weird to hear your spring flowers are blooming out of season! Spooky, even.

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    1. DJan: I am sad about the breaks. Very sad. And hope there will be no more. I would like the spring flowers to wait too. Fingers and toes crossed.

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  5. I'm so glad you weren't injured!!

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    1. fishducky: So was I. That is quite definitely hard wood, and heavy. That branch, spindly though it appears, probably weighs 20 kilos (around 44 pounds).

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  6. It appears you live in a beautiful neighborhood. What is the lowest temp ever recorded in Australia?

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    1. sage: I like my city, and neighbourhood. The lowest temperature recorded in Oz is (google tells me) minus 23 C. We only had a minus 5 C last week. We will get colder yet, but it was the coldest we have been for a while.

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  7. I love rain...I never complain about rain - but I do hate strong winds. Strong winds are so unpredictable and you never know what's going to land on your roof and what other damage wind will do. I'm forever holding my breath when the high winds are a-blowing! I'm not fond of hail, either.

    The day of your cold temps must have been the day it was very cold up here on the hill...Wednesday, I think it might have been. Of course, it was no where near as cold as you guys guys down there in your neighbourhood, though. But my two furry rascals ordered me about wanting - demanding - I go back to bed with them so they could snuggle up. Eventually, I caved in...they were happy and I was happy reading and watching a movie etc. We three were content! How come they always get their way??? :)

    I hope you and the Skinny One have a trouble-free week, EC...cuddles to your two furry mates. Take good care. :)

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    1. Lee: Wednesday it was. I prefer the cold to the heat (by a long way) so I was happy. The cats less so. They are comfort loving beasts. And yes, get their own way a lot of the time.

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    2. I, too, prefer the cold to the heat, EC. And in all honesty, it never gets that cold up this way, but by the way some react to it and dress you'd swear it was the Antarctic! lol

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    3. Lee: I hear you. The skinny one's sister's whole family retires to bed with hot water bottles if the temperature dips below 20. Which would mean that they had to spend months in bed here.

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  8. I can remember we used to grow tree dahlias but I can't remember much about them except for the stems, as you show in your photo. It is interesting how similar your weather is to ours when watching the weather forecast. We had hail on the same day I am guessing, along with snow in the hills. Someone else wrote about spring bulbs flowering now. Will they flower again in spring?

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    1. Andrew: Sadly I don't think the spring bulbs will flower again in Spring. Or not this one anyway. There are more bulbs yet which aren't up so we will probably (hopefully) still have a display.
      And yes, we had snow on the hills too. So I was surprised to learn that Canberra recorded the lowest temperature.

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  9. The weather seems to be odd everywhere lately. That's sad news about your dahlias. Hopefully they'll recover with time and pruning. Weird about your spring bulbs. Maybe you should bury a calender with them. ;)
    I'm so glad you weren't weeding when that limb came down!

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    1. River Fairchild: No tree dahlias this year. We have another hard frost this morning and even the buds are blackened. There is always another year. And yes, I was very grateful that I wasn't in that garden bed when the branch left its parent.

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  10. Sorry your plants got pelted with hail. Really glad you weren't in the garden at the time that limb came down.

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    1. Alex J. Cavanaugh: Sometimes being lazy has its pluses. I have worked out that if I garden every day until Christmas (which won't be a happening thing) it might be under control. I try and do a bit most days, and on a very windy day wimped out. Luck.

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  11. Your weather totally confuses me. I was reading and thinking "THIS in MAY?" I used to love winter, but after being isolated in Florida for five years, I never want to experience winter again. Weird, huh.

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    1. lotta joy: Endless summer would be close to my idea of hell. Winter is fine. Though our winters are wussy by global standards.

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  12. So sorry to read all this but glad you were OUT of that garden when the tree fell! Mother Nature can sure be ugly at times!

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    1. Bookie: Mother Nature is not someone you can turn your back on anyway. Or not safely.

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  13. Snow then, next? Followed by a 90 degree F day? Followed by howling winds and golf ball size hail? I know you can handle it! But the spring flowers blooming now? That I can't even handle thinking about. That is just wrong!

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    1. Strayer: I really, really hope we don't get a 90 F day any time soon. Snow and howling winds and hail are certainly on the agenda. I agree with you about the spring bulbs though. Sigh.

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  14. Hope those tree dahlias come back. I remember when you posted one last year. I had seen one on the central coast of California and my botanist sister-in-law couldn't identify it. But there it was in your blog..

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    1. Sue in Italia/In the Land of Cancer: I hope they come back too. I think they will. Next year. And, since we have another frost this morning, I will have to cut the remaining ones down.

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  15. We sure are having weird weather, hot and cold masses of rain and hail all in the same day no wonder our plants are confused.
    Merle..........

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    1. Merlesworld: No masses of rain here. Sadly. But yes, the plants and I are confused. Very confused.

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  16. I am glad you weren't under that branch when it came down, EC. On windy days I hold my breath if I have to walk under the trees ... for all the good it would do ... How is the Smaller Portion doing this week? I hope his progress is of the forward kind, and that you are therefore able to relax a bit as well.

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    1. jenny_o: It really was very lucky. I had been weeding in that particular garden bed for days. The skinny one is driving me to distraction. He is slowly getting better, but I think that is despite himself. He refuses to do the lung exercises (and still gets breathless) and lifts more than he should. Sigh.

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  17. "The next day showers were forecast. Showers we got. Showers of hail." So eloquently put... So... metaphorical for so much.

    Sorry to hear about that massive branch, truly. But I'm relieved it didn't fall on you or the house itself. Sigh... (Still--I really wish you didn't have to be the one to drag it away!! AGH!!) And sorry to hear about the frost hitting at such a bad time.

    Very interesting about your weather. This year some of my carnivorous plants began to come out of dormancy and bloom at least a month early... only to then be hit with an unseasonable cold snap later (covered in ice and hail). Now they are blooming again (when it's more expected). "Weird" is increasingly "normal."

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    1. Paper Chipmunk (aka Ellen): I saw the term global weirding for weather changes a while ago and smiled a bitter sort of smile. It sounds about right to me.
      I don't think the spring plants blooming now will bloom again before next year. And hope they do so then.

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  18. Your gum tree branch looks familiar. One very like it came down here 2 weeks ago during the night along with lots of potted plants. I checked for footprints and ruled out dinosaurs. I conclude there is a whirlwind roaming the planet and it found your yard too!

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    1. Geo.: Pot plants thrown to the ground as well? Definitely a travelling vandal whirlwind...

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  19. Ack, I would be confused by that weather, no wonder your plants are! Glad you weren't in the garden when the branch came down, wimping out has a great deal to be said for it.
    Thank you for your kind words E.C. They are much appreciated.

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    1. Jacquelineand...: Heartfelt hugs. You went through way too much last week, and I am amazed to see you here.

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  20. You final sentence is so wise. I'm delighted that you are OK, my friend <3




    ( '>
    /))
    //""

    ALOHA from Honolulu,
    ComfortSpiral
    =^..^=

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    1. Cloudia: Experienced rather than wise. The garden is like that. Death and regrowth side by side.

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  21. Oh EC, I know how much you long for rain but you could have done without the damage and that hail. Those poor dahlias.
    So glad you weren't in that garden when the branch snapped. Plants can regrow or be replaced but nobody could take your place.
    Our weather has only just become wintry this week and at last plentiful rain has fallen in Perth, possibly an inch and a half and the temps have dropped below 20C (68F) for the first time in about six months.
    Lovely to see your little bulbs coming through....and flowering already. I find the changeable weather plays havoc with the flowering of many plants.

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    1. Mimsie: I would feel happier if the bulbs had waited a month or two before bursting into flower.
      And some rain would be lovely. Predicted for late next week.
      I am glad that you finally got some - you have been dry for way too long.

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  22. WOW! Luckily you weren't in the garden at the time! Sorry you had to lose the plants. Always disappointing when these things happen. We are probably going to have to dig out 2 of our tree peonies. All they are doing is suckering now. The only thing coming up is from the root stock that the tree was grafted to. You never know what Mother nature has planned for us!

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    1. Teresa Hennes: Some day I will have success with peonies, and then I will branch out into tree peonies. Good luck with yours. Would a hard pruning help or not?

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  23. Like you say EC, thank goodness you weren't outside in those high winds. You have had every taste of weather there. I was not enjoying the cold southerlies this week, even going out to buy the boy a tracksuit so he would stay warm. If he doesn't wear it, he only has himself to blame if he gets sick. I am not familiar with tree dahlias so will have to google them. Hope all else is going well in your world with nursing care x

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    1. carolincairns: There is a link to the tree dahlia in this post. Clicking on dahlia imperialis will take you to a picture and some notes. Dramatic things - but fragile.
      I was out in the winds - had to go to the shops for things to tempt the skinny one. When I returned I was so wind-blown I stayed out of the garden for the day. Lucky, lucky, lucky.

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    2. Thank you ~ I missed the link.

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  24. You've had frost, we've had rain.Gardens that had thought to shut down for winter have lifted heads and had one last drink. And weeds are easier to pull!

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    1. dinahmow: Rain would be nice. We are promised some towards the end of next week. And yes, the myriad of weeds are much easier to pull when the ground is damp.

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  25. The weather is certainly weird. My little neck of the woods generally escapes the wilder weather, but it is still scary at times. Your garden is so lovely, and perhaps the (dare I say it?) possible overplanting offers at least some protection.
    I do not think I could return to a colder climate. Of course, when the city was planned it was believed that the cold and bracing climate was character building. Perhaps it was supposed to make men of us?
    Non illegitimus.....

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    1. persiflage: Overplanting??? How can you say such a thing. You are right though. And we have some more to put in over the next few weeks. Gluttons.
      I like the cold, but am well aware that many find it difficult. Hopefully the cold doesn't make a man of me though.
      Your city's humidity would do me in.

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  26. I'm so sorry about your tree dahlias, but I love the green leaves with hailstones caught in them. I'm also very glad you weren't in that garden bed when the branch fell. I have green shoots where bulbs are poking through already too, no buds yet though, it will be a while.
    I have so many bare patches, and want to fill them in but have to wait until spring/summer and see how much growth happens on what is already in place.

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    1. River: Thank you. I liked the leaves cupping the hailstones too. It was cool enough that it took some hours before they melted.
      Everywhere I look there are shoots, and often buds. Too soon. Way too soon.
      And believe it or not, we have some bare spots too.

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  27. 8 or 9 foot tall dahlias, wow, so sorry about all the wind damage, terrible to watch something grow for so long only to have the wind wreck it's havoc.

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    1. Linda Starr: If they beat the frost they are spectacular. And fast growing. I cut them off to ground level every year. The eucalypt is a different matter. Goodness only knows how long it too to grow that limb.

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  28. Dear EC, those falling branches are such a threat. We lost a few trees in our weather disaster a couple of weeks ago but there is still one large tree just dangling in the branches of another. A disaster waiting to happen and impossible to get hold of tree loppers just now. My tree dahlias are flowering, to my delight, and there are dozens of jonquils flowering cheerily. I've told them it's too early but they're not listening. We missed the hail, and I don't expect frost, but you never know these days...

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    1. Carol: Sadly some of our neighbours reponse to wind is to chop down every tree just in case. I am prepared to take the risk. Mostly.
      We seem to be firmly in frost season now. We have had one every day since. I am glad that your tree dahlias are flowering. Stunning aren't they?

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  29. Ugh, nature can be so cruel to our gardens! Poor tree dahlias.

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    1. librarygirl: Better luck next year. I have what purports to be a crimson one which I would really like to see flower.

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  30. Gardening is always a "lose on the swings, gain on the roundabout" sort of occupation. Poor dahlias, they really had a job done on them!

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    1. lynners: Isn't it lucky that the dahlias will come back next year despite this year's abuse. And trauma.

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  31. Reading through all the comments, I smiled broadly at persiflage's "over planting." That is the exact theme of my garden--plant so much of what I like there is no room for weeds. I cannot imagine a nine foot dahlia. What stunners they must be in good years.

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    1. Joanne Noragon: The dahlias are an amazing sight in good years. They can have thirty or forty blooms to a single plant. So I will keep them in the garden despite knowing that we wont get flowers every year. Or even most years.
      And yay for overplanting. Though the weeds find a way...

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  32. Sorry about your garden. :-( The weather can be a fierce enemy, but it's good that it didn't hurt anyone or take out one of your cars or part of your house. Are gardens covered by homeowner's insurance? They should be...those suckers are expensive to build.

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    1. Stephanie Faris: Gardens are indeed a money-chewing hobby. Not covered by insurance, though the damage they can do to a house is. Mostly.

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  33. Its always a little discouraging when mother nature does a number on the garden. I can see your gum tree and dahlias really got their butts whooped but thats the wind for you. Try planting a hardy bamboo bush. It might shelter smaller plants grown at its base. Once the canes are grown they'll prove useful for securing the weaker plants!

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    1. Spacerguy: Better luck next year? Bamboo has a tendency to try and turn into a triffid and take over the world so I avoid it. Perhaps if there was a non-invasive variety.

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  34. Broken...
    but you and your garden RISE)))!!! Love from MN. xxx

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    1. My Inner Chick: I hope so. I really hope so. Hugs.

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  35. Awe, that broken tree. I thought the that bed, to sleep on. Thanks EC.

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    1. Bob Bushell: The cats and I like a bit more comfort than that. A lot more comfort...

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  36. Oh my goodness, I don't think I've ever seen that much hail in my life! It's actually beautiful in the photos, though I know looks are deceiving. Hope all the buds miraculously open!!

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    1. Raquel Somatra: Fortunately these were only small hailstones. We have had then golf ball sized in the past - which do a LOT of damage. Fingers crossed on the bud front.

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  37. Hail is rather scary, but then so are hurricanes, and we in Louisiana are facing that season all over again. Appreciate what we have while we have it, right? Thanks for visiting my old ramblings today and in the past! :-)

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    1. Roland D. Yeomans: Hail doesn't usually scare me, but high winds can. Good luck in your hurricane season. I hope they are all minor.

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  38. I think there's only one possible conclusion we can draw from this: The world is coming to an end.

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    1. Michael G D'Agostino: It is coming to an end - but fortunately we don't have a date.

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    2. Typical - the world comes to an end and I STILL can't find a date :P

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    3. Michael G D'Agostino: Mind you a date secured as the world was ending doesn't have a lot of future to it...

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  39. That's awfully scary. You are overdue for some nice, boring weather and a streak of good fortune.

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    1. Rawknrobyn: I really don't have a lot to complain about.

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  40. As long as we have seeds in our grasp, there will always be some blooms. Discouraging and hopeful is the way of nature but I believe that those who have no winter, can never truly appreciate the joys and thrills of spring.

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  41. What a scary weather situation. I am glad you were not out in it. How interesting to see flowers, they must be a bit confused. Several years ago we had hail so large it ruined practically every inch of siding on our house and the roof was damaged enough that we had to replace most of it, along with the siding. Fortunately our car was in the garage as the next day while driving around, we lost count of the cars we saw that looked like a hammer had been taken to every square inch of many.

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    1. DeniseinVA: I remember a hail storm like that. Car windows were shattered. And yes, they did look as if someone had taken a hammer to them. This was a tame version. Fortunately.

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  42. I'm such a non-gardener. I've inadvertently ruined bushes that thrived through winter before I came along. True story.

    My son was in the woods behind our house, I sent him on a nature hunt while I did yard work because he wasn't getting bored. I could see him, there were no leaves on the trees yet. A tree cracked in half an fell. Missed the barn. Not super close to my son, but close enough that I'm still talking about it here. Scary stuff trees are, when they come crashing down.

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    1. because he 'was' getting bored, is what I meant to type. ;)

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    2. mail4rosey: I am guessing that you were more upset by the tree falling than your son. Much more.

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  43. Hi Elephant's Child .. so pleased you enjoyed the posts on Cornwall as you said it was your mother's culture and background ... and I hope I brought back some memories for you.

    Weather is dangerous .. we have gusty winds here at the moment .. the isobars over the UK are fairly near and the jet stream is roaring north of us I hope for a while .. we could do with some decent warm weather!

    Cheers - Hilary

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    1. Hilary Melton-Butcher: Welcome and thank you. I did like learning more about my mama's home territory. Thank you.
      Weather is often underestimated. Severely underestimated. A big mistake.

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  44. Gardening is so much like life then I conclude. Pretty flowers, dear. :)

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    1. Lux G.: Thank you. And yes, gardening and life do have some strong parallels.

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  45. We see that in my neck of the woods sometimes in winter, too - suddenly trees, etc. bud out when they shouldn't. Sorry about the storm damage.

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    1. Lynn: I assume the plants are responding to something we can't sense - but I would like to know what it is. I find it disturbing.

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  46. Sorry to hear about your tree dahlias. I'll bet they're gorgeous. Glad you escaped the branch. Sounds as if your plants don't know what time it is. Mother Nature needs to re-sync her clock :)

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    1. Carol Kilgore: Next year I hope the tree dahlias are gorgeous again. And yes, I would like that clock re-synched. I am even more confused than the garden.

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  47. I kind of like how the foliage is simply coexisting with the hail in those photos. One set of leaves cradling ice as though to offer you some for your drink.

    But I'm very sorry for the spoiling of your gardening efforts..

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    1. John Wiswell: I thought the hail was pretty too. The garden does what the garden does. I can help (sometimes) and nudge, but I can't dictate.

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  48. Oh gosh, how nasty! The weather is crazy all over the world, kind of scary isn't it!

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    1. Karen: Global weather weirding is freaking me out.

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  49. Gosh - that's some crazy weather! Hope some of the flowers survive.

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    1. ladyfi: Fingers crossed - but I won't be holding my breath.

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  50. Madly enough we have exactly the same weather for a change! It's been battering down with hail regularly, and rain, and the wind has gone crazy. Much like you, we fear for the garden. Don't let the wind blow you away and don't stand anywhere falling trees can get you. That's an order. x

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    1. All Consuming: I am not usually good with orders - but that is one I will try and obey.

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  51. Wow, your weather is a crazy as ours! I have never seen so much rain. I hope you can save your dahlias!

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    1. Terri @ Coloring Outside the Lines: We had very little rain with it. Wind. Lots and lots and lots of wind. A little hail. Last night we finally got some of the wet stuff though. Yay.

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  52. "Discouraging and hopeful at the same time. Gardening is like that."
    Indeed. Life is like that, too.

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    1. Dawn@Lighten Up!: This gardener agrees. There are a lot of parallels between them.

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  53. That's terrible about your Dahlias! I can't even discuss my yard as it's still a complete mess from the winter.

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    1. mshatch: Better luck next year. And a garden (mine anyway) is ALWAYS a work in progress.

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  54. You certainly have some interesting plants there. Hope there'snot too much damage.

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    1. Jono: Some damage, some saved. Fingers crossed.

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  55. The plants low, really hugging the ground, seem to have a better change. But the trees!

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    1. Susan Kane: My greedy gardening self want the ground huggers and the trees.

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  56. I never quite knew what a gum tree is, but after I saw your photo I see that it is a eucalyptus tree? Those are messy trees! We have them here, too, and while I love their fragrance, I don't like their messyness. At our old house we also had a huge branch from our neighbor's eucalyptus crashing down on our garage, luckily without any big damage. I'm sorry for your tree dahlias. These must be huge - no wonder they're called tree dahlias. Ours don't get much bigger than three feet, four tops.

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    1. Carola Bartz: Yes, they are eucalypts. We have lots of them and some of them are known as 'widow makers'. The tree dahlias are huge. Sometimes they have reached ten feet tall and we have never had them at less than eight.

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  57. Wow that is some extreme crazy weather....and spring bulbs popping out before winter...my poor garden is confused too.

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    1. Donna@LivingFromHappiness: I think I am more confused than the garden which is just getting on with things...

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  58. Wow! What bizarre weather! I'm sorry your tree dahlias didn't make it to bloom this year. I was hopeful when you said some were "bent, but not broken," (Kinda like me!) but then the hailstorm and frost did them dirty. Oh well. Better luck next year. Still, your pictures are lovely. (If some of your poor misguided spring bulbs are blooming NOW, does that mean they won't bloom in the spring?)

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    1. Susan: A few of the tree dahlia buds are still hanging in - but I am not hopeful. I don't think the spring bulbs flowering now will flower again this year. I hope there are enough of their relatives with better time sense to still have a display in a couple of months.

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  59. Gardening is a labor of love and so rewarding when all goes well. So sorry to hear about the branch coming down on the bed you had been weeding. Thank goodness no one was hurt! Such a shame about the trees- but amazing that flowers are blooming! :)
    ~Jess

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    1. DMS ~ Jess: I was very lucky that the branch came down in my absence. The blooming plants are simultaneously lovely - and scary. I am not ready for the warmer seasons yet.

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  60. At first I thought it said "showers of hell." Which we get here from time to time too!

    You talk about gardening being discouraging - the squirrels are nibbling things that aren't even ripe yet.

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    1. Riot Kitty: I like showers of hell. A lot. And squirrels and birds are greedy blighters aren't they? The birds get into the mulberries each year and then crap indelible purple. Sigh.

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  61. What dramatic weather you have had! I am so sorry for your damages. I'm catching up on your posts today. Life has been rather busy this month, and I have gotten behind with my favorite blogs. Pursuing yours is a fun way to spend some time now though!

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    1. Susan F.: I think all of us have known extreme weather from time to time. And ours is minor on the world stage.

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  62. Gardening brings a bag of emotions, people who don't do it think we're weird. But it's so satisfying, digging the dirt, smelling it, watching things grow!

    How is the garden now?

    I've always heard about hail, and it used to feel like something made up...but it's real!!!

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    1. neena maiya (aka guyana gyal): I do love the garden. I find healing and peace in it, along with rather a lot of work.
      The garden is, as always, a work in progress.
      Hail is indeed real. And sometimes frightening. And sometimes rather beautiful...

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