A little thyme

Friends flew in from Florida today, and they brought the sunshine.  We almost reached the 50's.  There is still no chance of planting anything in the ground yet, even the cold weather crops, because the ground is frozen.  At least I have my herb pots on the kitchen window sill. There's basil, thyme, lavender, and cilantro.  Here is a photo of my thyme.  He's doing the best he can, and I am very happy about that.

How many is too many?

Most days I never consider the fact that I might have too many indoor houseplants.  I enjoy them and they help me live better.  Exchanging my carbon dioxide for fresh clean air, removing toxins from my environment, and all this while they beautify my house, what a great trade off.  But when I try to water them, all 52 of them, that thought does come to mind. I'm only whining a little, I really don't mind.  I check to see how much they've grown... if there is a new leaf ... or a dead one... if I should rotate the pot towards the light... just keeping tabs on my dependents.

Not a day to be outdoors

We hardly got an inch of snow last night, but it was really cold outside today.   After a few errands I spent the rest of the day inside cooking.  The house smelled like an Italian kitchen:  Fresh vegetable stock simmering on the stove, two trays of tomatoes roasting in the oven for making pasta sauce, double chocolate brownies....yumbellina.  If I can't be outside working in the yard, the next best thing is being in the kitchen.

Here we go again

Just when I start thinking about spring, another winter storm rears it's ugly head and snaps me back to reality. Okay, the weather people are only calling for 2-6", so it's really not a storm.   I did some clipping and trimming today; filled the coal bucket with enough kindling for tonight's fire in the backyard  fire pit.   As much as I'm longing for spring to begin, I really don't want a repeat of last years late winter/early spring start:  Most of the month of February we were in the 70's and just loving it. However, most of  April there was fresh snow every week.  So we had a pretty big set back as spring came along,  we lost all the buds that started forming in March.  I'd rather have two more months of snow, and then let spring begin.  PLEASE!!!

Hardy Succulents

I attended my monthly Master Gardener meeting this evening. The speaker, Kelly Grummons, is an authority on cacti.  I was amazed by this interesting fact:  Cactus are only native to America.    Even in Zone 5, there are many  hardy cactus that are just as beautiful in the winter as they are in the summer, and most are evergreen.  When I plant new beds, I try to  incorporate some plants for winter interest, but until this evening, Cacti never crossed my mind.  His website: coldhardycactus.com

Indoor Bounty

I have a Meyer lemon tree, small as it may be, growing and producing fruit in the dead of winter in my dining room.  I am thrilled with it's winter growth, which in turn gives me much hope for it's summer growth.  I also have two avocado trees that I had to bring indoors for the winter.  They are never very happy when they have to come in.  I started them from seed  several years ago.  It's unlikely that they will ever bear fruit,  but I enjoy their ornamental shape.  My trees are just like me, they do much better when they can be outdoors.

Is it still January?

Yes, there is still a little bit of snow on the ground.  However, I am thinking ahead, or maybe I'm just daydreaming.  The plans I have... for planting my vegetable garden, relocating some of my perennials, enlarging this bed and redesigning that one.  I want to introduce new plants to my backyard haven.  My mind wanders to the new additions I put in last year, and I anxiously anticipate them springing to life, taking a gasp of fresh air as they break ground from their dormancy.