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Ice Ice Baby

Shoot, I was singing the praises of impending spring just Thursday and just look what happened! My 3 blooms I was tickled over-- (lenten rose, winter jasmine and winter honeysuckle) are now shrouded in ice! Oh well , I guess it is still January.
I thought this was a cool ice effect on our windmill.

Now I'm glad I didn't remove ALL the dead vines!

Even the fairies were caught by surprise!

My Arizona Cypress...probably dreaming of Arizona.

Memories of mom

January is not a fun month for me-for many reasons. The obvious being the weather but the lesser known is that my mom passed away 6 years ago on the 24th. I have so many things of hers that I proudly display in my garden. They give me a good feeling when I look at them. One of the ones that symbolize her and many summers in my childhood yard is this homemade birdbath/strawberry planter. Mom had to decorate and garden in a time before Lowe's or even Wal-Mart. She had a job as a private sitter for an elderly lady and the job lasted for about a year. She had become good friends with this ladys family and when they were dealing with her estate they gave mom some things she had admired- one of them being this birdbath. After mom passed, my dad steadily dug up and moved everything in the yard, which was ok since he was just trying to maintain things easier and mow. This thing is very heavy so it took Glen on a tractor to pick it up with a front end loader so we could take it to its current place of honor. It was in disrepair, in need of paint and tlc. It originally had some old marbles stuck in the top of it which were long gone. I found a jar at a flea market and replaced those. It is a whimsical piece and has seen many winters--definitely 30 but likely many more. I like the fact I can leave water in it for the birds and not worry about it freezing and cracking. Glen put some red castle rock around it and I planted the base with hosta later on. I'll post pics when it comes into its full glory in the spring. Mom, I hope you're happy...your little girl is a garden junk-a-holic just like YOU!

Take a Sunday Drive With Me

Glen and I were going stir crazy after church today so we embarked on one of our favorite activities...road trip! We like to explore the roads less traveled and our county is full of them. Second to gardening I love cemeteries and the history that surrounds them. We ended up in Clifton Tn, a very small town on the TN river and located the town cemetery there.

I thought this was different gravestone for a child. I am always touched by children's graves and think about the grieving parents from so many years ago.

We hadn't done enough to need a rest but I thought the bench was a good photo op for me and Pixie! She loves to explore cemeteries too. I might have helped myself to a few "loose" iris rhizomes as a souvenir (don't stone me, they were badly congested!)

Clifton is also home to a celebrity of sorts- T.S Stribling. He won a Pulitzer prize in 1933 for his writing. This is his home which is now a library/museum. Google him if you're a history buff. He is also buried at the cemetery we visited.

This is a funny fern growing on a fallen tree. Any of my native plant people have an ID?

T.S. Stribling's grave marker. (no wonder he went by T.S!)

We had spent the day and were driving home around 6pm. Pretty desolate looking huh? LOL this is a house we saw on the way home. Glen is fascinated with the old homes that have the hallway in the middle. There are so few left standing anymore. Hope you enjoyed our "drive."

2009 Highlights

Sometimes revisiting the past can be really helpful, especially when planning the current year's garden. I was looking through some '09 pictures and thought I'd share some of my favorites. I'm glad I keep each season's photos on a disc. I am starting my 5th year gardening in this location. Though I am not where I want to be with this garden, I sure have come a long way!

This is an old cement block spring house that was our first project- even before the house was built! Glen needed something to do so he put a tin roof on it and we painted it. Of course I made it mine and dolled it up.

Just an overview of the garden- a big contrast from my prior post huh?

I love the pathway Glen poured for me from the quickrete form we bought. The flamingoes are standing beside my pond which is fed by a natural spring. I love my glass squirrels, they are a yard sale find and are like the ones my mom had when I was growing up.

I love my iris -they were my mother's and remind me of easter with the pastels. I love repurposing old things for the garden (hence the tire planter)

Cold Frame

Here is a picture of my cold frame Glen built last fall. I haven't "taken it for a spin" to see what it will do yet. The main reason I wanted one was so I could start seeds early. The bed is an existing seedbed we made with posts. Glen welds so he made a simple metal frame to lean the windows on. The ends are enclosed with a fiberglass type material we had. I'll let y'all know how it turns out.

Walking the Perimeter

Yesterday I thought I would visit the sleeping garden and make some spring plans. I like to see the winter bones and it's now that I can definitely assess the need for more winter interest. I am greedy, I don't like the span between the fall killing frost and the first sprouts of spring. I want to see a bloom in December, January and February! A tall order eh? Why is is we poo-poo the hollies, evergreen trees, camellias and such during the heights of summer when they are so vitally important during the drab days of winter? No more I say! I am making a conscious effort to do better! I have already ordered a witch hazel and have plans to buy a thuja green giant. Last fall I planted a possumhaw which I hope will reward me with red berries this year. I am anxiously awaiting the blooms of my lenten rose and shamelessly as a peeping tom I'm looking up their "dresses" regularly for flower buds! Take a walk in my barren landscape and give me some suggestions that maybe I haven't thought of. I don't mind, after all we're FRIENDS!

Laughing at Winter

These are my foxglove seedlings I started last summer and obviously should have divided already. Actually I had my doubts that they would make it but after Glen built a cold frame over my seedbed last fall they started to thrive almost immediately. They seem to have not been fazed by the weather although the cold frame is not airtight. I would recommend that anyone try foxgloves by seed. This is my second year to grow them and they are not that hard to grow. Well worth the $1.99 a pack I paid for the seed. One mature plant at Lowe's was selling for $9.99 or so last year!

A Pixie flower??

Hi everyone! This is a picture of the only thing that is growing in my yard right now! My maltipoo Pixie had a grand time playing in our first snowfall of the year last week. I enjoyed the snow but I'm glad to see it go along with those 20 degree temperatures during the day! I am looking forward to Friday and Saturday and the forecasted highs in the mid 50's!