I so agree Jim. We've had such an incredibly mild winter to date. Until this week! Yesterday, -25C, -10F Wind-chill -35C Today, somewhat balmier, -20C, +2F No wind-chill (Those are daytime temps) This is normal Canadian winter, (finally) however we usually have a good snow cover to protect all the plants. We have just barely a skiff of snow and I fear this will spell death for many plants in the garden. I had put down several inches of mulch but it's all blown off and there is nothing to replace it that is not frozen! Oh well. I won't be able to learn the sad fate of many of my plants for some time yet. All of the bulbs in the yard, most of those I'm not too worried about, they're buried deep. I'm not sure how all the seeds in the cold frame will come through either, I was really counting on a couple feet of snow on top of it. I still have hippeastrum blooming to get me through the cold and a new book. Hippeastrum the Gardener's Amaryllis by Veronica M. Read. Stay warm all. Linda Foulis Okotoks, AB Canada Zone 3a Where a clear blue sky can be very deceiving!