Mother Nature is a Cruel Woman

I have learned the hard way that I can't even think about planting a garden until after Memorial Day. Living in the mountains has that disadvantage. I've tried, mind you. I've planted earlier, and watched the weather, and covered tender plants when temps drop to freezing, and brought flowers in when frost bites. While the flowers managed to live, the things in the garden didn't. The blankets and towels draped around the yard like white trailer trash did absolutely no good.

Last year I was extra vigilant. Last year I bought two sets of crops for the garden. Mother Nature killed the first ones. It gets expensive to buy things twice. I wouldn't be that stupid again. This year I'm waiting. Memorial Day is next week and I will plant my garden after that. I should be safe, but all bets are off where Mother Nature is concerned.

Being spring and all, I get the overwhelming urge to garden. Since I can't plant vegetables yet, I content myself with breaking new ground for flower beds. One of these years I'll have the landscaping completed. I'm not sure if I'll sit back on my laurels after simply weeding and enjoy my handiwork, or re-do everything for the sake of having something to do. But this year wasn't the year I had to make that decision. This was the year that I landscaped in the front yard. It was in desperate need.

And then Mother Nature decided to get involved. It was a heavy frost. Several nights of a heavy frost. Sam scraped ice off the windshield before heading to work, it was that heavy.

My basil is dead. I'll have to buy new.

My hosta is dead, as are the bleeding hearts.

My astilbe is dead.

My lemon mint is brown on the top, but still green underneath. Half the bush will die.

The oak leaves are dead. The scrubby trees in the hedge are just fine.

The perennial flowers that were coming up nicely are dead.

My gardens will be bare this year if they don't come back.

Mother Nature is a cruel woman.



My ferns are dead, too, just in case you were wondering.

16 comments:

JennyH said...

well that sucks! That is some heavy frost. it would kill me to have to wait that long to plant things.

designHER Momma said...

that woman's had a major case of PMS over here too...

Flea said...

Aw no! I'm so sorry! I can send you some forsythia ...

Danyele Easterhaus said...

that just makes me sad. i laid out my tt blankets too the other night...and my flowers are not looking too hot. hope they survive.

Anonymous said...

She's a real b*tch! She managed to kill off all of my crocuses last month. She has not, however, suceeded at eliminating all of my dandelions . . . it's the small victories sometimes.

Trisha said...

Gardening is such a fleeting thing bowing entirely to fate.

Brandie said...

My neighbor's gardens are dead. I was thinking about you when we had that frost. I saw it was worse in your part of the state. Ice on the windshield! Whoa!

Burgh Baby said...

Revisit everything you said was dead in a week or two. I guarantee there will be some pleasant surprises.

My name is Sarah said...

crap. what a bummer.

Michelle said...

Hmmm. Yeah. I'm thinking it's all the weather's fault around here, too. Yeah, that's it! :)

And you know Memorial Day is as early as possible this year... so you might want to wait a bit of extra time ;)

imbeingheldhostage said...

"My name is Sarah" took the words right out of my mouth. :-( sorry K.

Shellie said...

That is why someone invented wall o waters. Sigh, mother nature is cruel, it is true.

Karen Deborah said...

that is depressing, so what kind of plants are native to your area? what thrives there?

I found out that planting a California flower garden in the deep south is/ was a disaster. but what belongs here does quite well.

Irises grow in crappy soil, are planted shallowly and the only thing that will kill them off is too much water. If you think you'd like some send your address again.

MoonNStarMommy said...

OMGosh I am so sorry - that BLOWS so bad!!! We are growing our herbs from seed this year, all sitting out on our picnic table right now but I would cry if they died. Luckily we are past that point here - and I can always bring them in because they are in pots... but still :( I do however have runaway sunflowers growing all over my yard. We de-headed all our HUGE sunflowers last year and kept them (for the seeds, to plant this year) and they were in some bags by our picnic table all winter, I had picked them up and opened them at some point this spring to check them and then the birds took that as an invitation! So I have sunflower seeds all over my yard and you see them growing here and there and go "oh my!" ... from my 15 or so Sunflowers last year, I now have sunflowers growing all along the side of my house, and STILL tons more seed to spare! LOL

Debbie in CA : ) said...

Oh what a shame! I planted out a wee bit early this year, but found a smiling and sunny mother nature. I have not always found her so congenial. I do hope that your perennials find the spunk to try it again this year. You may be surprised. (You can always come and stroll my gardens via web or really truly if you're ever in the neighborhood.)

the planet of janet said...

i dont do plants because i'm capable of killing the unkillable bamboo plants. you know... the decorative ones that are supposed to be indestructible?

my daughter is also amused to learn this weekend that i also have killed a cactus plant.