The garden is starting up again after our very short winter. I use the word loosely because our first frost date was on January 4th and the last on January 19th. It was just enough to kill the outer edges of most of my shrubs, a few young plants, and the cherry tomato bush that was the lone survivor in my vegetable garden. Within a few weeks, most of the plants had new growth and were coming back to life.

Here’s what bloomed and grew in my zone 9 late-February garden!

Flowers

Pentas – The pentas I planted in late December is blooming. It’s located in half shade, and is sheltered, so our winter frosts didn’t damage it. However, the pentas I have planted in sunnier less sheltered locations were all damaged during the last frost, but are have lots of new growth.

Phlox – Both types of phlox are in bloom, both the just planted (February 17th) 20th Century Phlox, and the white phlox planted last fall.

Sweet William Alyssum – This plant loves cooler temperatures, so it’s blooming heavily and looking great.

Plumbago – This plant blooms every 6-8 weeks, and while the outer leaves and branches did freeze during the last frost, the majority of the plant survived and is now having a round of blooms.

Asiatic Jasmine – The very outer leaves froze, but the majority of the plant survived. It has a few blooms on it right now, and should continue blooming every few weeks.

Gerbera Daisy – This little daisy plant was purchased from Ikea almost two years ago, and continues to randomly produce flowers. It dies back once or twice a year, but always comes back.

Dwarf Morning Glory – I have roughly ten of these that create a border and drape over a short retaining wall I built in winter 2016. They died completely back during the last frost, but are now about 6″ tall and producing flowers already.

Other

Strawberry – I finally transferred my two strawberry plants into a 4’x4′ planter. I’m hoping they grow runners so that I have even more plants. For now, these are producing just a few berries at a time.

Lettuce – This pack of romaine lettuce survived the last frost and produced so much lettuce. We had salads for days. It finally bolted when the temps hit over 80º F.

Chives – These are always present in the garden.

Cilantro – These reseeded from last year and I have little plants everywhere. Even in my lawn!

Sage – I moved this to a shadier (half sun) location with better soil, and within a week it was producing so many leaves. I think it gets way too hot in Tampa to thrive in full sun.

Dill – These were part of my Beneficial Bug Seed Mat that I purchased and planted last spring. They reseeded and are thriving again.

For the second year in a row, I’ve started planting in February. While the rest of the hemisphere is struggling with late-winter snows and freezes, Florida is maintaining daily highs in the mid-80’s.  After living in colder climates, I’m confident that the plants I put into the ground can take cooler temperatures. Especially crisp weather lovers like lettuce, radish, cilantro, and parsley. While we may have another cold snap before the official end of winter, there’s a very low chance that we will have another freeze that could damage my spring garden.

But…I have my doubts. When the neighbor who runs a landscaping business says he never plants before March 15th, and my mom says to wait until Easter. I question my own knowledge. But while these dates are guidelines, they shouldn’t be followed without question.

*Update* While we did have one more cold snap in late February, it didn’t freeze or frost in my area past mid-January.

Here’s how I determine when I’ll start planting:

Check growing zone guidelines for individual plants. I found an amazing chart from Urban Farmer that tells you, for each growing zone, when to start seeds, move plants outdoors, and when you can expect to harvest. Remember that tomatoes are not the same as lettuce are not the same as radish are not the same as basil are not the same as zinnia. They like different temps, and shouldn’t be planted at the same time. Some like it cool and can thrive in temps 30-40, other wilt at the thought of any temperature below 50.

Check the Almanac for the frost dates in my zip code. The Old Farmer’s Almanac has a frost date calculator that tells you the first and last date of frost, as well as the probabilities. They also have a lot of other useful resources, so exploring that website is well worth your time!

Pay attention to nature. Nature knows when it’s time to grow. If you have seedlings popping up in your beds, that’s a great sign that you’re ready to plant. Plants that reseed in my garden are tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, parsley, marigold, zinnia, impatiens, and vinca. Another indicator is the pollen left on your car windshield, and new buds on tree limbs. Here in Tampa, our oak tree starts shedding it’s leaves as the new leaves push them out. When they start falling, I know it’s time to start seeds.

Check the 10-day forecast. 10 days will give your new plants enough time to establish themselves. So if the weather looks great for that time period, you are good to go.

Keep in mind that the seasons we’ve grown up with are not the same as they are now. Spring is arriving, on average, four days earlier than typical because of climate change. Something to keep in mind.

While the United States has cornered the market on Christmas lights in the wild, no one does Christmas markets better than Europe. From London to Berlin, it’s hard to find a city that doesn’t have a quaint market filled with treats and gifts to purchase. It’s such a beautiful way to celebrate the holiday season. If you’re lucky enough to visit Europe this winter, here’s our list of ten markets that you might want to put on your list.

Christmas By The River, London UK. This is a relatively new market located in London Bridge, and has more than 65 stalls set up selling drinks, snacks, and handmade gifts. You can stroll through the market while enjoying famous London landmarks, including the Tower of London, bridge, and a gorgeous view of the skyline from River Thames. The market runs daily from 11am to 10pm until January 3rd.

Christmas In Leicester Square, London UK. Explore the beautiful candy and gifts in historic Leicester Square in East London. You can visit the National Gallery during the day, and then Leicester Square to see the beautiful lights, mulled cider, and any of the many events hosted at the Square. You’ll need to purchase tickets to any events, including Santa’s Grotto, but the markets themselves are free. The market runs daily until January 7th.

Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park, London UK. Have a drink in the ice bar, skate on the ice rink, and enjoy a hot cider while viewing London from the ferris wheel. When you’re done, purchase ornaments and gifts from the more than 200 Bavarian style huts. Just make sure to book tickets ahead! It’s one of the most popular winter events in London and is a bit manic with people. The market is open 10am to 10pm until January 1st.

The Magic of Christmas, Carcassonne France. We had a chance to visit Carcassonne this summer, and it was beautiful even without Christmas events in full swing. So I can imagine just how beautiful this market is, especially at night. Stroll through medieval streets enjoying all the wonderful shops and restaurants. Details of exact dates and times are hard to find online, but you can contact the tourism office at 04 68 10 24 30.

Photo by Sweta Meininger on Unsplash.

Berliner Weinachtszeit, Berlin Germany. While the market has the traditional gifts, foods, and events available what sets it apart is the perfectly quaint and historic feel to this market. View a life size nativity, carousels, and other quintessential German Christmas details. Don’t forget to pick up nutrackers and candle-powered wood carousels. The market runs from noon to 8 pm every day until December 29th.

Rothenburger Reiterlesmarkt, Rothenburg, Germany. The second walled medieval city on our list, this market has occurred every season for over 500 years. Don’t forget to pick up a Lebkuchen, or gingerbread heart, the German equivalent of a Valentine. The market runs daily from 11am to 7pm (Mon. to Thurs.) and 11am to 8pm on weekends until December 23rd. Other events will run until January 7th.

Weiner Weihnachstraum, Vienna Austria. At 400-years-old, this is one of the oldest Christmas markets in the world. Over the centuries it has moved to various locations, finally ending up in Rathousplatz in 1975. The market has, in addition to the traditional vendors, daily concerts from children’s choirs, a reindeer train, and trumpet fanfares every day. Can’t be there in person? They even have webcams up on the website! The market is open from 10am to 9:30pm every day until December 26th.

Winter Wonder, Brussels Belgium. I haven’t had the chance to visit Brussels, but friends who have been have fallen in love with this city. This market is setup in Grote Markt, just outside of the beautiful Town Hall, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Which makes it one of the most scenic and beautiful locations for a market. Hours and days of operation of each event vary, but the market is open daily from 12 to 10pm until December 31st.

Photo by Mira on Unsplash.

Christmas Market at Champ Mars, Paris France. While not the most beautiful, historical, or expansive of markets, you really can’t beat the view. This annual market sets up shop within site of the Eiffel Tower. Grab a crepe (skip the cheap trinkets), and take a stroll over to the ice skating rink and then up to the Place du Trocadero to watch the lights of the tower. The market is open daily until January 6th.

Christmas Market at Notre Dame, Paris France. Blink and you’ll miss it! This short-lived market sets up shop under the shadow of Notre Dame. Purchase handmade gifts then take a break. You can sit and enjoy the music both inside and outside the cathedral. The market is open daily from 1oam to 8pm from December 15th to the 24th.

Honorable Mentions:

While not strictly a Christmas market, if you are in Copenhagen, don’t miss Christmas at Tivoli. It really is a magical place at night. And, if you get a chance, visit Aubagne, France which has created the world’s largest Provencal nativity scene with 3,500 figurines!

Are you a slimer? Our entire household is a bit obsessed with slime. We’ve a mini factory set up in our kitchen and have made a few batches of different slimes. I had a friend ask me to explain the slime trend. It’s hard to say why, but I can feel it lowering my stress level after a few minutes. It’s also an easy way to create and inspire creativity.

The only problem I have is in finding good recipes. There aren’t any amounts, just a list of ingredients, and everyone has customized the combinations to their preferences or ingredient availability. I’ve a few combos saved on Instagram, but couldn’t find a basic slime recipe, so I decided to make my own. I hope you find it useful. Comment below and let me know your favorite slime recipes.

Basic Slime Recipe

Ingredients:

• 5 oz white or clear glue
• food coloring (optional)
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1/4 teaspoon Borax powder

Directions:

1. Pour the glue into a large bowl. Add coloring as desired and mix together until color is evenly distributed.
2. Mix together the borax and warm water in a glass. Add borax water into glue 1/2 teaspoon at a time, stirring afterwards. Keep adding 1/2 teaspoons until mixture pulls away from the bowl.
3. Begin kneading with hands until mixture is smooth. If mixture is too sticky, add more water 1/2 teaspoon at a time. When mixture does not stick to hands but is still stretchy, it’s ready! Store in an airtight container.
4. The mixture can become sticky again after about 24 hours, so keep the remaining borax water on hand and add more as needed.

To make clear slime, use clear glue and then keep it in a container for 5-7 days without touching it. Eventually the bubbles will come to the surface and clear up.

You can buy Borax in any grocery store. I found a giant box of it for $3 at Target. If you can’t find it locally, look for items with boric acid in them. Some that I’ve found are eye drops, contact solution, and powdered hand soap. While you can find it in many other products, keep in mind that you will be handling the slime often. So make sure it won’t irritate your hands.

Long time no blog! Life is pretty busy right now between classes, work, and just life. I haven’t had time for creative projects that photograph well, and I’m 100% positive you don’t want to read about Microeconomics and Statistics.

I have spent most of my extra time in the garden, creating and learning to design with plants. Learning how to garden in zone 9 has been a process of letting go of some loves (tulip, daffodil, peony) and finding new loves (plumbago, zinnia, dahlia).

I haven’t picked up my camera in over a year now. It’s been great to take a break from it. But now I find myself thinking about it more and more, especially as I create in the garden.

If you do need more of a regular fix of what I find interesting or noteworthy, I stay active on Pinterest, which has replaced a lot of blogging content. It’s easier to collect images there, and so many people are on it. Rather than spend hours finding images and doing roundups on things that inspire me.

Here’s to good intentions of future posts!