Orange you tired of it?

Sorry for that silly headline, but what's a girl to do when she still can't find a single thing in her garden to put in a vase today. Last year at this same time I made a nice little arrangement with snowdrops, a Hellebore and the first Iris reticulata. Supposedly we will start coming out of this deep freeze this week, though the possibility of snow today was mentioned. I decided after my brief moment of snowdrop ecstasy that I won't buy any flowers or plants to showcase here. I will wait as long as it takes to have something from my own garden to share. 

The giant carrot is the largest one in my collection of decorative carrots that make an annual appearance at Easter. Mark loves carrots and turned me into a fan, so it was inevitable that I would start buying him silly carrots at Easter. I found this big one at our local antiques mall at Christmas, bought it and have had it hiding in my closet until now. I was smitten with the delicate  alder branches used in place of greenery. Alas, I did not think about how I am going to store such a big, fragile item without damaging it. 

To see what other gardeners have actually been able to cut from their gardens and arrange in a vase today, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden who hosts this lovely, long-running meme. 

. . .

Update: Sunday night I set the blog to post automatically at 6 a.m. this morning. When I got up at 7, I discovered that it had snowed overnight. Not as heavily as last week's snow, but enough to make the landscape white again. Today's forecast is for cloudy skies with a high temp of 37 degrees F. (2.77 C. ) late this afternoon. I don't think that is going to have much effect on this new snow.

Comments

[Donna@GardensEyeView]

Oh no I am sorry to hear your weather was as dismal as ours has been although we are moving out of the freeze and into spring finally this week. Your display is a wonderful color to rejuvenate....here's to both of us finally seeing spring flowers and spring warmth.

[Ali, The Mindful Gardener]

Oh no! Snow is just tedious in spring, isn’t it?

[Susie]

When the weather lets up perhaps you'll enjoy your outdoor garden even more. I like the alder branch finish to the carrot.

[Linda Brazill]

I love that branch, too. Such a clever idea. And you are right. I will be in heaven when I can get outdoors again.

[Peter/Outlaw]

Your carrot is fantastic. Love the title and the display with the oranges & table runner. Sincere sympathy on your wintry weather and hope the sweetness of spring arrives at your place soon!

[Cathy]

Well done Linda - this is a great example of thinking out of the box when times are lean for blooms. I keep emphasising that it doesn't have to be blooms, but perhaps some people might feel a fake carrot was 'cheating' - I certainly don't!! What is it about carrots and Easter though? Or is that just a thing of Mark's?! ;)

[Loree / danger garden]

Oh that carrot is fabulous! Unlike your weather. Ugh. While we had a fairly mild winter our spring has been so cool that things are way behind here. I'm not complaining, just observing.

[Eliza Waters]

A fun little carrot! Do you grow them in your garden? I just used up my last storage carrot yesterday. They made it until April, not bad!
We're still in the grips of below average temps, but are looking forward to warmth coming at the end of the week (hopefully).

[Linda Brazill]

The sun is breaking through the clouds so looks like this snow may disappear rather quickly.

[Linda Brazill]

I love how quirky that carrot is, but it is probably about 18 in. long making it hard to store. And I don't have any branches that could replace those alders as nicely.

[Linda Brazill]

Alas, not enough sun or empty space for veggies here. Hopefully it will warm up later this week so I can get some cleanup done outdoors.

[Linda Brazill]

I think one year I saw carrot shaped candy at Easter and got them as a joke for Mark. And then I started seeing decorative carrots. Now I have enough that I usually work them into some kind of spring/Easter display. And you are right about thinking outside the box. I have floral china and jewelry etc. so someday they will all eventually make it into a Monday post.

[Nell]

Just over a hundred years ago, my grandmother's April 10 wedding was "graced" by a freak snow, so I knew it could happen here (western Virginia). But it was still a shock to wake up to a (completely unpredicted) three-month blanket this morning.
It's cold and grey enough that the melt is going slowly, too; not the usual laugh-about-it-by-midday spring snow. Only the fact that we badly need to build up soil moisture keeps me from getting grumpy about this long and indefinite extension of winter, and snow's also a big improvement over recent non-stop winds.

[Linda Brazill]

I have to agree with you about the groundwater replenishment. Though I have been complaining about the late snow, in the long run I am OK with it for that very reason. I went looking back at my blog posts for April for the last 9 years and saw that it is only the last few years that we've had Aprils without multiple snow storms. A nice year or two and we think that's the way it's always been and will be.

[Kris P]

Storage is always the snag! I'm sorry that Winter still has you firmly in its grip! We're currently receiving an untimely visit from Summer. (Tt's just after noon here and already 85F.) I'm willing Summer to move along in your direction to warm things up for you and release Spring. (That's beginning to sound like the basis for a fairy tale, isn't it?)

[Noelle]

Love your sharing your joy of carrots...you are probably the first to post a 'fake carrot'! At least you have shown that despite the snow in April you are with us all and we with you on this Monday. Have a good week.