Gardening Indoctrination 101

Soon-to-be-6 year old granddaughter, Tessa, at Campbell's Nursery with Meme and Papa!  Ready to plant early, cool weather veggies! 
 

Hmmm . . . which seeds should we buy?
We bought 2 kinds of lettuce, spinach, white icycle radishes, and snap peas . . .
and 3 packets of flower seeds!

And we checked out the pansies . . . sooooo pretty!

These are pretty, Meme.

AND we found these REALLY cool stone owls!
Whoooooo wants one?  Tessa and Meme do!

Would LOVE to add this water fountain to my shade garden!



Bones & Signs of Life

I love the structure this Harry Lauder's Walking Stick /
Corkscrew Tree adds to the winter garden. 
The corkscrew shape is not as noticeable with leaves.

Red Twig Dogwood . . . pretty even without snow!

Sandhills Crane metal sculpture standing guard . . .
or is it contemplating it's belly button?
(See it's eye?)

 

Nothing can stop crocus from pushing up through the soil at their appointed time!
I had to move the thyme to get this picture.
Notice the thyme is getting green . . .
can hardly wait to use fresh thyme in my cooking!!! 

Daffodils out by the curb, where once the mailbox stood. 
A new mailbox was put in last spring. 
Need to redesign my flowerbed around the new mailbox . . . then
dig up the daffodils, which also need to be divided.

Chives . . . yummm!

French Tarragon

Just because!

Winter Beauty

Cyclamen "Laser Synchro Scarlet"
Valentine's Day 2012

This picture taken early Spring 2011.
Received in October 2010, as a birthday gift, in a 3 inch pot.
Put it outside, spring through early fall of 2011 and this is how much it grew:

January 2012

January 2012

Winter Buddy . . . February 2012

Look closely . . . a cold February day! 
2012

Look closely . . . enjoying the sun on a very cold February 2012 day . . .
has tail curled, like an umbrella, over top of body

Beauty of the Storm

Winter Wonderland - Febr 4, 2012

Winter Bones of My Shade Garden
Do you see the Sandhill Crane?

Solitude and Peace

Winter bones in my largest flowerbed . . .
(left to right) Red Twig Dogwood, Harry Lauder's Walking Stick (corkscrew tree),
birdbath, trees, sundial. 

Look closely . . . Snoopy hugging fire hydrant!

Accolade Elm Tree

Happy Ground Hog Day!

According to all ground hog reports, we have 6 more weeks of winter.  In Lincoln, we are still waiting for winter!  The past month, the weather has been more like early spring or early fall . . . temps in the upper 60's and low 70's.  I am a snow lover but have not complained about the mild weather.  My only concern is that the snow does not wait until April!  We have had a couple of dustings of snow (an inch or less) and even one 6" snow, but none have stayed around for long.  Tomorrow night could bring us up to 3 inches of snow.

Below are some of my feathered and furry winter friends, who are even more beautiful when they are backdropped by snow.

Red Headed Woodpecker

Grackles . . . not a bird we care to see hang out in our yard . . .
but loved the lineup on the fence!

Sooo cute! 
One day, I will get a picture
of the beautiful, black squirrel that lives in the area.