My pond is ice free but it is only a little man made one about 2800 gallons. No sign of the fish yet but I don't expect to see any survivors til about the end of March at the earliest. We keep a pump running all winter sucking water from the 'deep' (3.5') end to the shallow end 2' lofting the hose to get some oxygen mixed into the water as it falls back into the pond. The fish hibernate in a cave under some large slabs of stone. Have done so for five years. The big ones have problems. We surmise they get stuck as they do continue to grow all winter, albeit slowly. I tried to block the entrance with some 4" mesh so the big guy couldn't get in but he finally found a spot to slip by in once in went in there was no coming out. Hopefully he won't be like a cork in the bottle and block the way for the smaller fellows (2-4") to escape.

There's up to 50% chance of snow for the next 3 days and below freezing temps. but then it's suppose to warm up some again. We did have a couple of nice days last week. One was up to 55 degrees and it was so nice to be able to get outside. The snow, where the sun hits, was gone and we got a lot of clean up work done. The next day it snowed again so I'm looking at white again. Our general last frost day is June 10th so I'll be starting my vegetable seeds soon but I should start seeing more of my gardens in the next couple of weeks.

I found a Siberian Wallflower that was trying to flower.
And I think that there is a bud on a peony up by the house.
One lilac near the house has small leaves on one branch.
I started peppers, and want to start some tomatoes and other veges soon.
Petunias too.

My rhubarb is starting to grow! and the sandhill cranes are back...

The maple sap is rising, and one of our neighbors has attached collection buckets to his trees. I got excited by the prospect of spring and visited the gigantic Humber Nurseries garden center, on the northern edge of Toronto, a 45 minute drive away. I bought one packet of OSS Seeds "Heirloom" Tomato 'Black Cherry', which I plan on growing in a large container on my south-facing deck, and one packet of Gusto Italia Bush Bean 'Borlotto', a haricot variety with attractive red & white streaked pods. The bean packet tells me to "sow directly in soil once danger of frost has passed", but unfortunately the fenced plot that DH once cleared for growing vegetables was unused last year and has completely disappeared under a thick mat of deep-rooted weeds and grasses. I guess I'll have to buy some grow-bags, or a couple more deep containers. While I was at the garden center I somehow wandered into the growing area, and wandered out again with a tray containing three hybrid polyanthus-type outdoor primulas, and three named Fuchsias (rooted cuttings, about 2 inches tall). The Fuchsias, after being sprayed with insecticidal soap, are now on the table next to my laptop. I want to try growing them as standards, but they have already been encouraged to branch from the base - oh well, I can always take cuttings from the lead shoots and start again. The primulas (already in bud) are in the unheated garage, hardening off, and once they flower they will go outside for the bees on mild days.

Wow, Linda, last frost date June the 10th is really late, thought it was bad here being May 24th. How early can you expect the first frost? We can get frost in August, not usually a killing frost though.

Hi, Margaret! Our first hard frost is generally toward the end of August to the middle of September. We can get some lighter frosts earlier but run the sprinkler all night and that helps. We may get to plant a little earlier this year. I've noticed the clematis is starting to get leaf buds so I can hope anyway. I'm starting broccoli and tomato seeds today. The tomato plants are then planted in the greenhouse mid May and stay there all summer. According to the zone maps we are a zone 4 to a zone 4b.

Linda, that's interesting that you are in zone 4 to 4b and I am zone 3a, I guess we must get lower winter temperatures here.

I kind of wonder how the zones are actually determined... we were previously in 4b (which I think is more accurate), but now are supposedly in 5a; which no doubt we were with this past/current winter, but the last two were certainly a whole different thing. Oh well, it's really only a starting point anyway -- eventually we just have to go by our own experience!

There are two different systems for determining zones.
The Canadian one has recently been updated and includes factors along with temperature......altitude, valley or mountain side etc.
We were zone 3, but are now zone 4a in Calgary.

I arose to snow covered ground this morning (well, 2am when the dog wanted out). But you can tell it is only an inch of really heavy wet snow. We continue to have 40-50 in the day and finally up to 20's at night. Ground is still as hard as Kelsey's nuts (opps - is that too riske' for here ??) Only thing popping is my tiny azalea with leaves. The plants in the garage are doing well especially the Hepatica and wild Geraniums. Will have to set up the plywood table and drop the lights from the ceiling soon to accommodate the taller plants that the rolling shelves cannot take care of. Too tall. Time to get the dahlias out from the crawl space and really launch this show. Am waiting for April 1 for most indoor seed planting in hopes they will be more robust by outdoor planting time.

Not a nice morning, lightly snowing, 21F degrees, but it is supposed to improve with some sunny breaks. March has not seen too many nice days so far, it's been windy and gray. Yesterday when I went out to feed the birds I was surprised to see that the Monkshood plants were coming up, they are in a foundation bed close to the house so I guess that has thawed out, they are tough plants, I planted a couple of clumps that I was given 14 years ago and now I probably have about 10 plants around the garden.

Usually I still have snow several inches deep out front of my house, on the other side of the sidewalk. And I have seen the crocus sticking up out of the snow. This year there is no snow, just kind of an icy crust amidst the frozen mud. Yuk. So not sure how the poor crocus are going to feel about trying to come up out of that. The beds closest to the house are on the north side so not much, if any, sun there this time of year (actually it is north-east.) I printed a report from my database that lists, by date, when things start growing so I don't have unrealistic hopes. I can go looking for those really early ones. I was surprised to see a couple of peonies that showed tiny growth as early as the first part of April. I guess we will see.

We had a dandy thunderstorm early this morning, and then light rain all day long... Now I'm wishing there was some way to have spring without mud

Was just starting to look like spring then another dump of snow yesterday. Very disheartening!

Debbie, I love your picture; well the little rock fellow (can't remember what you call those pictures on our postings (EDITED: avatar, that is the word) you have for your postings. He looks so jaunty. I can just see him on a skate board balancing as he rolls along. Your landscape picture looks much like ours as of yesterday. It snowed heavily (not a lot just wet) and now there is this awful 2" crust of frozen ice/snow on the ground.

Thank you Mary. I love my Inukshuk too; I can see him rolling by on a skateboard!

Windy, snow flurries on and off all day yesterday, not nice. Today is sunny but very cold, -10C/14F.

Ouch, that IS nippy especially with the wind - What's the chill factor?

We've had snow for the last 3 days but it's been just above freezing so most of it is melting as it lands but, boy, the wind feels colder! It's suppose to clear off for the next 3 days with below freezing temperature at night and just above freezing during the day, then more snow! For all that are having snow and ice, please be careful.