High Altitude Gardening: March 2015

Did you know? Those cute little Primrose plants sold in supermarkets, this time of year, are actually zone 3 perennials? Yeppers. Oftentimes the first little flowers to grace my garden, come springtime. (Keep them alive, indoors, by keeping them very cold. Sunny windows are too hot.)

It's been a busy winter! Or, should I say the longest 'autumn' on record?

Up here, on top the mountain, in ski country, we typically batten down the hatches mid-November. In preparation for a long, quiet winter reading great books, in front of a crackling fire.

John's Trail Ride Selfie :) Riding horses, in March, in a ski resort, in t-shirts!

But, not this year.

I suppose, it depends on who you talk to... Either we're all gonna die from global warming. Or, we've seen these weather patterns before; we'll see them again, and ya'll should stop frettin' so much.

Crocus, Hyacinth and Daffodils are preparing to bloom ~ months early.

I don't buy into that claim that this is nothing. If it was a one year oddity, perhaps. But, this seems to be a depressing 'something' that's gone on for too long and it's not gonna get better anytime soon.

It's certainly changed my game plan for seed starting.

I wanted to try some exotics this year, but decided to be all practical and stuff. I started the most waterwise cuties I could find:

Globe Mallow
Blanket Flowers
Paprika Yarrow
False Indigo
Wild 4 O'clocks
Prairie Zinnias

* Numbers 1-3 are left column, top to bottom. 4-6 are right column.
** Make sure you plant them in a lifelong spot - they put down deep roots, to find their own water. After the first two years, they'll bloom beautifully without any help from a sprinkler.

Why? Because I'm preparing for the inevitable letter from the county putting us on a super strict water conservation program, when the real summer really does arrive.

I guess the only bright side to this non-winter is how it's put us ahead of the game, for the first time ever. We used to have to head south early, each year, just to find a warm enough spot to give our horses a bath. Can't show up on a trail ride, without a pretty horse! :) But, not this year.

In 5 short days.... Tick... Tock...

... We're off on our first horsie vacation of the season. The Caballos del Sol benefit trail ride. Where 160 horse lovers converge on Sedona, Arizona for 5 days of sun & fun.

Not that we need any more sun, or dry weather. But, I'm certainly up for more fun! Can't. Hardly. Wait...