Sunday, January 12, 2014

Best part of winter

So you may think the best part of winter is when the first snowflakes fall, or in the exciting, busy weeks leading up to Christmas, or maybe when the last drift melts and the first snowdrops bloom. I would like to make a case for this, right now, being the best part of winter. January going into February. I know it seems too cold (although I think everyone is loving the warm, above freezing temperatures right now after the bitter, highs-in-the-negative-two-digits cold snap!), too boring, and too dark. But in reality, the days are now getting longer, and now that Christmas has passed, all attention can turn to mentally preparing for Spring, while I ignore that Christmas tree waiting to be put away! 

In looking ahead for what seeds to order and plants to buy for next year, I had to look back at last Spring to remember what's buried under all the snow. Here are a few Springtime images to remember what we are looking forward to:

from our driveway; I love the walk down to get the mail

lilacs. these grow wild in our woods

morels

interesting images Mike brings back from his walks in the woods

4 leaf clovers

the joy of seeing your land turning green

freshly planted vegetable garden

hanging baskets

bird's nests with pretty eggs

It's just after 5 pm and the sky is now dark, but the baby is somehow still napping, so I'm planning. This year I'm considering planting all my pots from seeds. Mike shops from Seed Savers and Baker Creek Seeds, so I'm planning to order from them, too.  Both specialize in heirloom, non-GMO seeds. I haven't picked out all that I'm going to get yet, but here are a few favorites from last year:

Persian carpet zinnias
Red cap zinnias (I think these are what I saw in their display garden when we visited, and they were gorgeous)
Rainbow floral strain mix coleus
Apple blossom snapdragons
Lavendar Queen zinnia, mine were much more pink than lavendar, but they were outstanding

Look forward to trying out new combinations this year. But for now the baby is awake, so further planning will have to wait!






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I'm a flower enthusiast married to a man with organic farming dreams. We're enjoying developing our own outdoor paradise in our first home, with 3 little gardening girls by our side. When not spending my free time gardening, I'm recording our memories in my pocket page scrapbooks.