Last Blog for 2021 from Warsaw, Poland
Thank you to all those who have read my blogs over 2021 - SeeHow is now one year old! It has been a great adventure bringing a unique idea and brand new product to the market, so special thanks for all those who bought SeeHow, making this journey possible. We are currently working on new and exciting additions to the SeeHow family, including SeeHow plants volume 2 and SeeHow fruit and veg. We hope you like them as much as SeeHow plants volume 1 - please check them out on the website in a couple of months’ time.
SeeHow plants volume 1
In Warsaw, where I spent my Christmas, the temperature has been well below zero for quite a few days and nights recently. During the day it averaged -5C and at night it occasionally dropped below -15C. The snow, which fell over a week ago, is now frozen solid. Looking out of the window, it is difficult to imagine any plants recovering from this in springtime – yet this is normal for many parts of Europe. As soon as the milder weather arrives in March, the flowers will quickly re-appear, buds will burst into life and, I know from experience, it will be is easy to wonder what those winter worries were all about!
Snowy Warsaw
In the summer in Poland, temperatures may soar to over 30C for several months – perhaps even more problematic for many plants than the low winter temperature. In winter the plants adopt a period of dormancy, but summer highs mean unpredictable ‘drought’ and may mean a flower’s death if this lasts for any length of time. In my experience, while many books focus on winter cold, resistance to hot summer conditions can often be more problematic.
Symphoricarpos - snowberries
When selecting plants for SeeHow, we relied heavily on RHS recommendations and also on plant suggestions made by some of the well-known UK TV gardeners and garden writers. For every plant we have provided information describing the key plant characteristics, including suggested planting locations, as a guide to give the plants their optimal growing conditions. It is always worth checking these notes against your garden conditions prior to making final plant selections.
The back of each SeeHow plantstick contains key plant data
Regarding flower colour, which was the inspiration for the SeeHow idea, my own thoughts on this are that while heavily constrained colour themes can look good, I personally do like areas where plant colours and structures are allowed to have a bit of a free-for-all – a colour riot! Are there really any plant colour combinations that actually do not go – if so, I haven’t found them myself! And looking at the white snow and ice-covered gardens in my Warsaw neighbourhood, I appreciate any splash of colour at all! Like late blooming roses caught under the snow or – of course, the intensely coloured berries of Yew, Cotoneasters, Pyracantha and holly. The rhododendrons already had many buds formed before the recent freeze struck, possibly mistaking the unusually warm November for the herald of an early spring. Yet despite this, I know that regardless of their current wintery struggles, their bright colourful blooms will appear as always, in a couple of months’ time.
November roses caught by the sudden onset of winter
The rhododendrons may be ok, but Mother Nature’s creatures also have to survive the winter. Unlike plants that have adapted to survive winter, the continuous cold can be a killer for many birds. We are lucky to have a walnut tree that normally provides a few sacks of tasty nuts each year – enough to last through the winter. We like to share some each morning with a family of hooded crows that come to visit our balcony for breakfast. They are such clever birds – if rather nervous of my camera – only allowing me to take some photos through the window. But that is fine. They are a joy to see every day and a reminder that gardens – even small ones – are best when they encourage nature to share the space with us.
A hooded crow enjoying walnuts for breakfast
The above Text and all Photographs are copyright of Wincenty (Wicek) Sosna. Please contact SeeHow for permission to reproduce in any way, in part or as the complete text.