Hope that you all have had a good holiday season and have managed to enjoy the Christmas!
My Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) bloomed just before the holidays bringing a bit color to the gray winter we are having.
It is one of those plants that requires very little and blooms nicely if you neglect it a bit before the blooming season.
Have a very good new year 2021!
The perfect time to harvest dill. No yellow leafs yet.
I tried a new variety called Mammoth this year and it seems to be doing quite well. Dill is a bit un predictable to grow but have managed to do well several years in a row now.
I usually collect the harvest at this time of the year and freeze it to be used during the winter.
No signs of spring yet up here in the north. Days are getting longer and I am getting more and more impatient. Still two more months to go before you can plant something outside.
That does not seem to stop me from planting everything possible inside. Chilies have germinated and so have the coleus seeds. Yesterday found some herb seedlings and failed to resist the temptation. Hope that did not buy them too early. There is simply not enough daylight available yet.
A pot of crocuses found its way to my flat today. Usually do not buy them because the central heating makes them bloom in seconds. Now I am storing them between the window glasses where it is cooler. Hopefully not too cold, already managed to freeze to death a pot of daffodils.
Slowly running out off space inside. Planted some ornamental brassicas to day and now trying to figure out a where to put them and hoping for an early spring this year.
The first hints of autumn are here. Ornamental brassicas are starting to display their colors.
The Red Pigeon is yet another newcomer to my garden. It has succeeded well and I like the colors it has.
If I am right it will tolerate the cold well and continue to grow two more months. Getting even brighter and larger. Standing out even better when nearly all the other plants are gone.
This far there has been no pests to ruin its leaves which has surprised me. I expected to loose some of them to hungry visitors. Must have more of them next year.
Why orange? Siberian poppy comes in many colors – white, yellow, red. But for some reason only the orange ones are able to make it through the winter.
Do not know why but now all the ones I have are orange. Only in the autumn the colors are many due to the seeds I have added in the spring.
This year I have added many other poppy varieties. Hopefully those will bloom in the autumn. Just have to wait and see.
It is cold and dark outside. A perfect time to grow Christmas flowers inside while waiting for the spring.
Popov started to bloom and brightens my day. Like the colors it has.
Do not know why but I am becoming fonder of amaryllis each passing year. I guess it simply is that they are big and bold flowers blooming when it is dark and hard to grow anything else.
Must go and buy some more. Cannot have enough amaryllises in the flat.
Winter came to the north. It has been freezing outside these past few days. The coldness has crept everywhere and is keeping us as a hostage, forced to stay inside. 
Past few winters have been mild but this one seems to have found itself and is biting us hard. We do not have much snow and low temperatures like we are having now are going to freeze the ground and go deep to the soil. Worried that it will wipe out the most delegate and fragile flowers from the garden.
Nothing we can do but wait for the spring to show us which ones have survived.
Since there is not much to do outside I decided to make an easy terrarium. Just quickly went outside and bought a cactus.
Selecting the one was not difficult. After managing to have few spikes in my fingers ended up selecting the one without them.
My choice seems to be a good one. At least it looks nice and my fingers do not hurt.
PS. Wrapping many layers of paper around the plant helps you to move it even if it is well below the freezing point outside.
Gardening in the North 