More Rain

It is still raining, and has been for most of the week. It is actually flooding in quite a few places, because the ground is so saturated. There were a few roads closed yesterday when I was trying to get back home from errands, and I had to divert a couple of times. I love rain, and it is good to get it, but I am really tired of everything being soggy. This weekend is supposed to be sunny, but the temperature is supposed to drop. Hmm...warm and rainy, or cold and sunny. :) And yes, that honeysuckle is blooming in my garden right now. It has definately been a crazy year.

Rain Garden in Winter

One of my favorite things about the garden in winter is that things you wouldn't ever notice in summer take the forefront. These are the seedheads from my 'Violet Queen' Monarda. The plant is stunning when in bloom, and I left the seedheads on because I am a lazy pruner. But also so that anything that might need to eat some over the winter would have a chance to do so. I can't wait to see how it will do this year, when it is established more. I do have to say that I have had to keep it from spreading and eating its neighbors. I can only imagine how big of a stand it would make if left unchecked.

Rugged Soldiers

It has been a beautifully warm weekend, can't complain about 60 degree weather in January. Unfortunately it rained today, so we couldn't get out and enjoy. My creeping phlox has a few rogue blooms here and there, my rugged soldiers that give me small glimpses of spring in the wintertime. Nothing like the carpet of flowers that it will be in April, but just a reminder that spring will be here before you know it.

Splash of Color

I love my flowering quince, it is so cheerful at a time when there isn't much color going on. It is planted along our front walk, so I get to see it every day. As with everything in my garden, I got a mutant. It was supposed to get 36", and it is already reaching the gutters on the house. I hate having to prune it back so severely every year, but I haven't had the heart to dig it up.

Ewe Got Broken

I took the Gnomeslayer to the yarn store with me yesterday to pick up the last skein of yarn that I need for my shawl that I am crocheting. It isn't my first choice to take her with me because she starts pulling all of the yarn out and I have to keep her out of things. I usually stop by on my way to work, but I wasn't going to have time so we went earlier.

We made it through the shopping, and were checking out when her hand flashed out and grabbed one of the wooden sheep from the counter. She was wearing gloves, the sheep slipped, fell to the floor and its leg broke off. So I bought it. The nice lady said I didn't have to, but I really did. It is from a local woodcarver, Charlie Thomspon. While I thought it was cute, I wouldn't have spent money on it, but now it is mine. So now the sheep is on my counter, waiting to be repaired.

So it looks like the Gnomeslayer will be gaining a new title, I just haven't decided what it is. Maybe the Sheep Shearer, seeing as how her leg got sheared off. ;)

Surprises

I love to go walk around in my garden in winter, because I can almost always find some little blooms here and there. Yesterday I noticed a tiny flower on my Siberian Wallflower. I just planted it this summer, and it has already been growing quite a bit. I am almost worried that it is going to take over the corner that it is planted in. I may have to do some readjusting of plants next summer.

A Bright Spot

When our daughter was born, we planted two Mountain Ash trees in the backyard. One died the year after we planted it, but the other one is still growing. The Alabama climate doesn't seem to agree with it too much, because the leaves drop off in the summer and come back in the fall. The leaves were still green up until December, and finally started turning red a couple of weeks ago. The tree is now well over my head, and will hopefully grow to be big and strong. It is nice to still have a patch of red in the middle of the winter tans and greys.

Southern Exposure

Every year I look forward to getting the new Southern Exposure Seed Exchange catalog. I have been getting it for years now, and it is like seeing an old friend again. When I first started getting it, the catalog was black and white. Now it has a vibrant, colorful cover and color pictures. They also seem to have a fondness for garden gnomes and frogs that I heartily approve of. SESE is based out of Virginia, and the seeds are appropriate for the Piedmont area. We don't have those same conditions here in Alabama, but there are still many things that will work. I have already ordered my seeds for this year, but I may have to look through and see if there might be one or two things that I just HAVe to have in my garden this year.