I have for many years thought to show a picture calendar of how my garden looks like all times of the year. Now finally I have collected enough pictures so I have something to show. Here we go:
January:
This is generally the coldest month of the year. Often we have -30°C/-22°F or colder for a few weeks. The coldest I ever experienced was in January 1999, then we had -42°C/-43.6°F. That day, I stayed home from work but the next day it was only -36°C/-32.8°F and then I went off to work. Stupid, I know, but the car started fine and I got both there and back with no problem.
February:
This month is pretty similar to January, but not quite as cold. Daylight is returning slowly and it usually snow quite often.
March:
This time of year I sow a lot of seeds. I keep the little plants in the garage. It’s still way too cold and snowy outside yet to be able to use the greenhouse.
When it starts to thaw, the snow from the roof falls into giant piles. The pictures below are from really snowy winters.
April:
Now finally the thaw is starting to accelerate. The plants in the garage are growing fast. In late April, I want to move them into the greenhouse as they now have become so large that there is not enough space in the garage. They also need more light than I can give them under my HPS lamps. I must have a fan heater on in the greenhouse for it still gets pretty cold at night.
Crocus starts to flower at the end of the month.
May:
Now the last snow is melting away. I’m busy replanting all the little seedlings into larger pots. Pasque, Hungarian hepatica and daffodils begin to bloom. Sometimes it even snows in May!
June:
June is a busy month. Now I carry in and out of the greenhouse all plants that are to be planted out. They need to get used to the sun. After June 10 the the risk for frost is over and then I can plant out all my plants.
Now is also when all the mosquitoes start to be annoying.
The wild cherry bloom in early June and the spirea bushes gets all covered with white flowers. Flower after flower come to life.
July:
Now we are in the middle of the summer and we have daylight around the clock. The first picture is taken after midnight. The lilacs are in full bloom and the peonies and mountain poppy is so beautiful. Now we can start to eat cucumbers, sweet peas and strawberries.
The rhubarb leaves start to be large enough to be used for concreting stepping stones and birdbaths.
August:
At least once a week, the grass have to be mowed during the summer. After the peonies, the lilies start to bloom. Raspberries are ripening and the tomatoes in the greenhouse is turning red. I make pickles and picks delicate flower bouquets.
September:
I have many composts built of pallet collars. It takes two years for the compost to break down so it can be used. Of currants and gooseberries I make juice. The mash that remains after the juice, I freeze for later use for pie and more.
I pick the small sour apples from our crab apple tree and make apple sauce. In September, we often have frost at night and trees and shrubs are starting to get autumn colours. The days are getting shorter.
October:
In October, the ground freezes and becomes hard. I tie the shrubs to protect them from the heavy snow that comes with winter. The water in the pond freezes so that I can walk on it. In late October, the waxwings comes in large flocks and eat berries in the trees.
November:
Now comes the winter. It snows and thaws several times before the snow stays.
December:
Now it is the darkest time of year. It never gets really bright in the days. The sun is up for a few hours only and only just above the horizon. The snow is falling and we are shovelling. Luckily we have a snowblower that make it easier. I stay inside and prepare for Christmas.
Lovely! Thanks for sharing photos of your year with us!
Everything is so beautiful! I don’t know how you find the time to do it all. Thks for sharing.
I think I want to come to your house for Christmas.
You are welcome!
Thanks for sharing so much of you with us. Not sure where you live, but here in northern WI we get just as much cold and snow. Tonight it is once again going to -25F. March is definately coming in like a LION! Really enjoy your cutting files also. What talent you have! Thanks again!
I recently found your old web site as I was looking for files to cut using my new Silhouette Cameo and thank you for the files you share, that is so nice of you.
This new site is wonderful and the photos in the Year in Pictures was so interesting to read and see. Our climate here in Western Australia is mainly dry and warm to hot.
You are so busy I marvel at how you manage to get so much done in a day.
Thank you for your time and generosity.
Monica your are an inspiration to me, like you I work full time and sometimes my days are above 12 hours just working, I then come home and have to deal with the things around my home and my young Granddaughter only lives across the road from us so we spend a lot of time together. Like you I try to grow my own veg and I even get my Granddaughter involved and she loves it. I live in the Uk so don’t have the very bad snow falls like you thank goodness but it can get cold at times…however what I’m really trying to say is : I don’t know where you get all your energy from to do such wonderful things in your greenhouse etc and on top of that your create the most lovely files for all to share….I have been looking at your website since I started crafting around 8 years and loved every bit of it But your new site is fabulous thank you so much for share all your hard work with everyone.
Monica, you are a very busy lady. All the things you do. All the work you had to for your new
website. You can be very proud of yourself. It was nice to read “the year round”. You live in
a lovely country with lovely seasons. I hope will get enough energy for the future years.
Thank you for all what you share with us.
Such extreme weather you have! but such lovely pictures. I think your website and the files you put on it and the work you put into it is amazing, thank you for your generosity in sharing with us.
Hi Monika. I found this post really interesting. Here in Australia we get temperatures as high as 45 deg C and as low as -3 deg C. I loved how you gave a month by month pic. Also love your garden. Thanks for the giving is a peek into your life. Love your files also and the new website is terrific. 🙂
Hi Monika, Just did a huge comment here, and had to sign up to post I thought, but then when I did that My comment disappeared??will check back later and see if it appears..thanks for all your wonderful photos with a year in your life and your cooking looks scrumptious..and thanks for sharing all your creative and wonderful files with us , and thanks to your lovely daughter’s boyfriend Jonah for help setting your new home up here:-) hugs from OZ
Thank you, your garden, plants, cooking, files and website are all amazing. I am very jealous. We live in Northern England and I have great difficulty growing capsicums etc. You must have a heated greenhouse!
Congratulations and thanks again.
I love the new website and am glad to have you back designing goodies for us – your garden looks wonderful, I love your plants, maybe you could do a regular column on your garden as well, I have trouble with peonies, what soil do you have?? Mind I don’t suppose you have time with all your creating, gardening and cooking – wht a busy bee you. I look forward to doing the same when I retire from work later this year so any hints would be useful, although of course our weather in the UK is just a little different to yours 😉
Have you looked in the category “My Garden”? There I have a lot of pictures of how my garden has grown over the years. 🙂
My peonies are planted in poor, dry soil near the house wall facing east. They are really old, 20-30 years I think. Every spring, I give them some chicken manure. Peonies do not want to be planted too deep, the roots should be just below the soil surface. Then they do not want you to dig around among the roots, leave them alone. It takes several years from planting until you have a rich flowering plant. I hope you don’t give up on them because they are lovely when flowering.
I found this post and loved the pictures and flowers. Here in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), is exactly the opposite: from October starts much sun and too much heat with it. Our temperatures are above 40 ° C and it runs through March. Our lowest temperature is 15 º C in winter. Here the sun comes up too.
Monica – how lovely! Thank you for sharing. I live in the US, in WA state near Seattle, so we have rainy weather from about September through May, not much snow, and then lovely springs and gorgeous Summers. I amazed at all y our varried skills! When do you find the time???!!! 🙂
Hello Monica
What else can I add to the other lovely comments concerning your craft work cooking and gardening.I simply don’t know how you find the energy and time to fit all the other time consuming projects you do, I admire everything you do.
Oh Monica. I have visited your old site many times before – but this new site it just brilliant. I can tell you that all the hard work you’ve put it has definitely paid off. I looked at your garden pics on the other site – but wow – these look so much better on this site – and especially now you’ve been able to show you garden throughout the year. Well done on all that hard work.
It looks like you love your work in the garden too – it really does look so good during the summer – and unlike here in England – you can tell what each month brings… we’re in a funny position that means our seasons are a) changing and b) completely unpredictable!! I couldn’t guarantee any month of the year because we can have random snow showers in June one day- then the next it can be unbearably hot… we must be in a weird position being an island surrounded by 4 different seas/oceans… Atlantic Ocean, North Sea, Irish Sea and English Channel,. then again, it might be nothing to do with that at all!!!
You have a beautiful garden – a real testimont to all that hard work you do in it throughout the year.
I’m going to look some more around your new website. It looks like it works a lot better than the last one – but the last one was good – but this one is definitely another labour of love judging by my first impressions.
Thank you.
Paula x x x
Beautiful pictures of your hard work , love looking at everything you do . Margaret
I am amazed by how much snow you get and how cold it gets there. I love your site (old) I have been there several times. After finding out you used AutoCAD to design with I was inspired to reload my old version and start using it again. I don’t have a lot of room in my office so its a little more difficult to use. It is much easier going to your site and just downloading what I like. I have a granddaughter wh
I love all of your beautiful flowers and bushes. Such a short summer! I do not envy you all the snow and cold. Blessings.
What a wonderful pictorial of your year, I really enjoyed looking through it. Your garden is a credit to you, but how on earth do you find time to do it all? This new site is great and so easy to navigate…..Thank you for setting it up, and for all your wonderful files that you so freely share.
I’m new to your site but I can tell I’m going to love it. I enjoyed your year of pictures. I used to have a large garden but I now live in Arizona where it’s really too hot it grow most things and I also have a very small yard now. So it was nice seeing your beautiful garden.
I really love your blog. I am from South Africa and thought -4 C is very cold. I really have to reconsider it. Your flowers are beautiful – all the colors!!!
OMG you have a mini paradise! Beautiful.
Thank you Monica, your blog is great I love your garden, I am not a good gardener, thank you for you designs you must spend hours doing them, I am in Suffolk in England we have very good weather, not had snow like you have.
I have added you to my favoured.
Hi dear Mônica , my name is Rogéria , I’m brazilian (sorry for my english)Your blog is amazing , I’m very happy to meet you ,cause you is really Talented woman.God Bless you and your family so much , kisses from my hot country Brasil!!!
Monica, people like you are a real inspiration to so many of us who always dream of doing things , but for some reason the “mañana” philosophy prevails and very seldom we get things done the way you do. Here in Costa Rica, we have sunshine all year around , no lack of water , a huge diversity of plants and so on , so there is no excuse , You know what? I am going to start right now taking better care of my garden. Thanks a lot.
Guillermo
Que preciosidad,un saludo desde Barcelona (España)
Several years ago I used to look at your site for the amazing cutting files you offered. Since then I have moved and getting my Silhouette Cameo and PC out of storage was heaven, until I realised I hadn’t bookmarked your site, a couple of months of searching and I have found you!
So happy, and definitely bookmarked your site and saved to my backup!
Laura, Bristol, England.
Your pictures are great! Thank you for sharing. You are very talented! Teresa in Oklahoma, United States.
wow! Amazing pics and a fascinating insight to the garden year in Sweden, Thank you for sharing 🙂
Hola Monica, Thanks for sharing the beautiful pictures! You made me miss Sweden, I have been there 3 times and I have a lot without visit the country again…
Tack igen & kramar!
Sonia – Costa Rica