The weather was a sunny 70F. I feel like I've spent the day with my friends here :-)

Planted out a bunch of my seeds from the seed swap (limequilla's Malva 'Zebrina, Leasa's Nora Barlow aquilegia, Fiwa's white foxglove, Eduarda's liatris, Flowered-corners' French Vanilla marigolds, Remy's baptisia).

Also planted more beets - Burpee's golden and Paonazza d Egitto. I'd harvested my first batch for Christmas dinner - they were so good, I wanted to plant some more.

Anne

Sounded like a marvelous day, Flower. You have a greenhouse? I'm so jealous!

Anne, I've not grow beets before. How do you prepare them for a feast?

I weeded some and enjoyed every moment. Watched the birds playing around the feeder and listened to the hummer making happy squeaky noises. It was a beautiful sunny day, almost like spring. Something bit me or it could have been a rose thorn, I freaked as it really stung and brushed it off right away (mental note: gotta wear gloves in the garden).

Edna

Here it was in the low 50's. I spent about 5 hours in the garden. For me it is high rose pruning season. I pruned about a dozen roses today and weeded the area around them. So much to do! I'm trying to get all the roses (about 120) weeded, sprayed, pruned and trained by January 16, when classes start. If the weather cooperates, I think I'll get close.

I walked out and tossed seeds of balsam impatience around the front garden. I had one plant year before last and the seeds from that one came up where ever I tossed them. So I bought a package of seeds. I wanted different colors.
I have several things started for our spring swap. They are in the green house.
Edna, I bought this from walmart, online. This is it's second winter....such as we get. And will be it's 3rd spring.

Here is a link that might be useful: greenhouse

Oooooooo, Natvtxn! How do you like it? Does it keep warm?

Edna

Here in zone 5 I didn't accomplish too much, but I did winter sow two flats of flowers.

Natvtxn - I got some balsam impatients seeds from a seed swap and they came up beatifully last year. I'm going to try to grow more from the same batch and hope for the best. They had beautiful purple blooms.

Oh a greenhouse! Can you send some pictures?

Measured the distance from my house to the neighbor's and then the distance from the back of our houses to the back corner of my yard. After a brief struggle with math, I figured out where I can place a chicken coop. Did a little dance when I figured it out and then called the city to verify my interpretation of the law reguarding poultry. Woo-hoo!

It's beautiful, mild and sunny here today, it's a shame I have to go back to work...

I'm redoing one of the borders to accomodate the red twig dogwood. In the process I relocated in the same bed a salvia leucantha that was completely hidden from view and a small mum that was in a pot. I want to increase Fall and Winter interest in that area, as Spring is well catered for with several roses and I've decided not to worry too much about Summer.

I'm also emptying my compost pile completely, so that I can start anew. So this border got a nice dressing of compost. I'm now proceeding into other areas of the garden, pruning and cleaning, and will top dress with compost as I go. My lavenders are in desperate need of pruning, so this is what I started today. It will take a while, as I have a whole hedge of them. I remembered to insert a few bamboo canes in the place where the Joe Pye Weed will grow come Spring, since the plant needs some support to keep upright. If I wait until it is fully growing, the ground will be too hard to insert anything, so I was glad I remembered to insert the stakes now, while the plant is still dormant and the ground is workable.

My back aches from weeding, pruning and shoveling compost, but it feels good. :-)

Eduarda

Edna
All and all I really like it. It does keep so/so warm. On the nights when a freeze is predicted I put an electric heater on the floor. When I go in there to turn the heater down, it is very much "green housey", humid and toasty. The GH has no floor. I put down card board and mulch. It has a window that can be unzipped on the back wall.
Of course I would love to have a glass and wood one, but budget wise it can't be beat.

Lavender, do you mean pictures of the green house it's self or the plants in it? If you mean the green house, use the link above. It is on sale for $199.00, so with shipping it will probably be about the same as regular price.

On New Years Eve day, I picked up every leaf that had blown into my garden from over the neighbor's wall. I don't have a blower, and the leaves have a way of sticking themselves into my redwood bark paths so that they have to be picked up by hand.

Last night at about midnight we had very strong gusts of wind, and, you guessed it, I'm right back were I started from, and then some! But we've had clear, jaw-droppingly beautiful weather. The moon and stars were laser-sharp last night. Tomorrow it's back to the leaves.

Edna, I grow beets in 5 gal containers because I don't have any space for a veg garden. On Christmas Eve, I harvested the ones that were at least pingpong-ball-sized, rinsed them, and peeled them (my golden beets were too small, so the store bought ones had to pinch hit). For the meal, I just steamed them simply so the flavor could shine through.

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Eduarda, you reminded me that I've got to clean out my composter too - not looking forward to it (I've got one of those tumblers and last time I looked, it was a solid mass of black goo). I'd planted some of the verbena seeds you sent but noticed today when I pulled out my spent verbena that it had already spread seeds all around the area and I should have about 300 seedlings come spring....

YUMMY!!!!! I just cleared my potager. Beets are on the menu.

Xuan came over today and helped me work in the garden. She weeded my strawberry bed to shear perfection. Deadheaded roses that strangely enough continue to bloom despite the frosts we've had. It was a wonderful day.

Eduarda, I'm sure to be sore tomorrow. Your right, it sure does feel good.

Spring is just around the corner.

Edna

You folks are all west of me, but tomorrow we are forecasted for those temperatures. The very first thing I shall do is look for my snowdrops and see if I can see any signs of them.

I shall be cutting back English Ivy which is hated by one and all, but in its defense, it is just about the only thing green in the entire garden. [I wonder if balsam impatiens would come up through it?] The people on the west coast probabaly cannot imagine how absolutely BROWN it is here.

On the other hand, the Ivy grew two feet into where I don't want it, so I have to trim it.

I've sowed some seed -- Remy's 'Miller's Crimson' Primula seeds germinated in about 3 days when I was expecting between 30 and 60 days. They are outside, and I know they can take a great deal of cold, but I shall keep an eye on them if the weather turns super-cold.

Lime

Oh, those beets look so YUMSHIUS!

Today was gorgeous. I began winter sowing and was able to begin with 29 different types of seeds. I'm about an 1/8th of the way there. And I'm supposed to be cutting back. Pathetic :)

I gathered some mizuna and arrugula for a friend too.

Yes. Compost must be attended too. I have one bin that sits and does nothing. Way to shady in summer, and never enough greens for some reason. I've got some trashcans full of compostable material simmering on the driveway. Silver cans on cement, that'll get things started. I'd like to buy a new composter, one of those black ones simply because they look more presentable in the garden than a chicken wire circle.
Someday I dream of a three bin compost area that is sheilded from view but easily accessed for the black gold!!

GGG

On New Year's day morning I walked around with my cup of coffee enjoying the new day and seeing what what happening around the property. It was peaceful and I started feeling so thankful. Later when it got a bit lighter I took some pictures. I am unable to upload them to my website at this time because server is having a 'problem'. So will share pics later. ~ I am working on a new gardening area, off to the east side of shed that got smashed by downed pine in Wilma in 2005. We strung some wire mesh fencing from the shed eastward,to a telephone pole turned bird home, and I have roses, bougainvilla, and vines woven into the fencing and am looking forward to the time fencing is filled in. This area I am calling my 'potting garden'. I have my mini green house in here, pots, dirt, etc. We are going to mount an 11' long stainless steel restaurant sink that we got curbside shopping many years ago when a restaurant was remodeling, on the east wall of shed. Will put an awning over that so it won't be too hot to work there. We've got to get the heavy sink over to the area as right now it's behind the big storage building to the west of small shed, and there is stuff that needs to be cleared away in order to do this. All in time. ~ I also weeded and trimmed around the paths of my main garden and measured the path lengths to figure out the whole length, because I want to get cheap roll roofing to use as path material over the grass that is now there. I am tired of weed-wacking paths and already have some of this roofing down on the path that runs east to west in front of main garden and it works fine. ~ Everything takes time, and I'm working part-time, so things are going slowly. Part of what I want to do this year, is to enjoy what I have, and what I can accomplish each day. Every little bit done makes a difference, and it's the journey of each day that I want to enjoy and learn from.

Happy Gardening and living in 2007.

FlowerLady

While weeding yesterday I found a 4 LEAF CLOVER!!!!! Sure to bring luck for 2007.

E'feffa

I read all your posts and feel so guilty. I think I have detached emotionally from my gardens. I have much clean up to do from the wicked winds we had but can't get motivated to do anything outside. Edna; how wonderful to have Xuan help you in your garden. One more example of how GW has brought people together. Xuan, you are truly a sweet heart!

Dear Xuan, once you are done with Edna's garden and are ready for a change of air (i.e. Europe) you can come and help me with *my* garden :-)

Ednafeffa, in the end you didn't tell us what you got at the nursery. I can't believe both you and Xuan came empty handed...

Worked some more in my garden today, but felt that I still have a long way to go. I don't know how you guys with significant acreage care for it all, I have a postage stamp lot and I can work on it for days on end!

GGG, you made an interesting comment on producing compost in trash cans. Does it work with the cans on top of cement? I have a problem similar to yours - the only place for the compost heap is now quite shaded and access is not very good, so it forces me to awkward positions to be able to get it out. I always assumed that for one to produce compost the heap had to sit on top of soil, so that the worms could get in. If you're telling me it also works in a trash can on top of cement, I may give it a try, as an additional to the existing pile. I do have a lot of kitchen scraps, because I use lots of vegetables and fruit in our daily meals, as well as wood ash from the fireplaces, so in addition to the garden trimmings my compost pile tops up rather quickly.

I'm probably weird, but I love Winter in the garden. There is something so serene in a cold Winter day, with the fog hovering over the pines up hill. The birds all flock to the firethorn hedge for their meals and a few brave ones even venture a bath in the birdbath. I also love the look of a resting garden, especially after being cleaned and weeded and pruned. Sort of like a promise of what is to come.

Eduarda

Eduarda:
You can use the cans, but you really need more air to keep them from getting stinky and sludgy so drill some holes in your cans!! I keep the lids on, and that heats the whole thing up like crazy! My cans do not currently have holes. So they need to be turned out and into another bin or pile pretty darned soon!!

GGG

Hi ya all my CG friends, I really wish I could come and help you clean up your gardens wherever yours is... but I'm afraid you would sweat a lot worrying that I'd pull up the wrong things!
Well, in fact, it was so good to be able to do something in the garden. I must thank Edna for having given me the chance.

Xuan (coming home soon!)

The weather here in So.Ca. has permitted 3 glorious days of gardening work. I'm not sure I could even call it work, despite a few sore muscles. I was able to get quite a bit accomplished, just in time for (hopefully) rain tomorrow. I still need to prune a few more roses and strip the old leaves off all of them but that can wait until this weekend when we should warm and dry up again.

Xuan, I'm glad you got a chance to get your hands dirty! And how lucky our dear Ednafeffa is to have such a generous gardening friend. I hope you've enjoyed your visit to our beautiful state and I hope you come back again. : )

Pat tea - it's got to be tough leaving those lovely gardens of yours behind. Just keep envisioning the new ones and soon you'll be back to planning and planting, creating another piece of paradise. Besides, you've got that farmhouse kitchen to plan. Let me know if I can enable, errr, I mean HELP you. ; )

Diana

Is anyone else freaked out that it is so warm? I work in the environmental movement, so I am probably more sensitive to the issues of climate change, but this is downright wierd and disturbing. It is sooo warm here in Virginia- I spent last Sunday emptying out my compost bin and refilling it from the pile of scraps- I haven't got the system down quite right and as I am in an urban/row house garden, don't have lots of space. I was in a t-shirt doing it!!! Crazy. My cats are loving hanging in the garden in the warm weather though!

I'm not freaked out about the warmth, as this has happened in the past, and will happen again. I just would love some chilly weather down here. It almost feels like summer, but not quite, and I know it isn't hurricane season. ;-) This morning before heading off to work, I mowed. Getting that done felt great!

FlowerLady

I have always had bad luck with sowing seeds on the site they are to grow - they either don't germinate or are eaten by the birds before they have a chance, so in the last few years I have resorted to winter sowing in covered containers and that works quite well for me.

However, while redoing the border I'm working on at the moment, I wanted to have some cosmos growing in between the existing shrubs and was wondering whether it was a good idea to simply scatter the seeds in place. The area has been tickly mulched with compost and looks quite yummy, from a seed point of view I mean... We are having a *normal* Winter, not too cold, have had plenty of rain in Fall, hardly any frosts at all. Temperatures during the day are around 14C maximum and at night drop to about 3C.

What say you? Yes or no? Shall I stick to sow the cosmos in pots and then transfer them to the ground? If sowing on site, do you think it's still to early to do it and that I should wait a while? How long? Same question regarding poppies - I got some beautiful ones from Leasa in our seed swap and would like to give them the best possible start!

TIA
Eduarda

Eduarda,

Glad you like the seeds--Thank Tracy for the wonderful selections she made!
I think you better pop them in the freezer for a while before you toss them in the ground, You do not get any frost at Z10 right?

Poppy growers: I'm right, right? They really need to freeze.

You really just need to toss the on the soil, not so good soil is ok too.

Suppose to be warm here all week and hit 50 on Sat. It will be my first Sat off is a very long time and will be off work until Spring so I can get some stuff done around here. Been working 6 days a week at the mill.

Leasa

Hi Eduarda,

Our temperatures are very similar right now. Tomorrow it's going to be sunny with a high of 21C (70F).

I would scatter the poppy seeds right now. I received some of Leasa's in the swap as well, and sowed them almost immediately. Last year was my first year with California Poppies, and I sowed them in November and had them blooming in late February-early March, but as soon as the heat hit...they were gone.

I hope I correctly timed the planting of Leasa's seeds, because her poppies are breathtaking!

I've been growing cosmos for so long, I don't even remember when I planted seeds the first time. lol They are such great re-seeders. But, I do know they love warm weather, and emerge when the weather stays consistently warm ( similar to when zinnias emerge). I think I might wait a bit longer before direct sowing into your garden, if you decide to go that route.

Marilyn

It was a very balmy 58 degrees today and sunny in my zone 4 garden. No snow on the ground. Spring bulbs are starting to come up in places. I spent the day planting tulips, anemone blanda and globemaster alliums....no frozen earth. Tomorrow is supposed to be in the 60's. It as absolutely crazy for this time of year in upstate NY. Tomorrow I plan on cleaning out my garden shed and greenhouse...should take me all day!

Sounds like ya'll have been busy and enjoying your yards. it hasnt been nice here since day before yesterday. snowed in Eugene today. didnt stick. I have managed to clean out the fridge and put all the christmas stuff away. thats an accomplishment in itself! I dug out all my garden magazines from the last 5 yrs and look at a couple each evening as my dh watches college football games. My boss let me plant some bird of paradise seeds and fan palm seeds in one of the greenhouses yesterday. I really hope they grow. I grew one fan palm last yr in my greenhouse then forgot about it and it croaked. I would love to grow giant palm trees from seed. there are actually a few around here that are pretty big. Well, have fun working in your yards!

Eduarda, I would hold off on the cosmos. Mine turned to mush as soon as night temps hit the 30s. Poppies are cool weather plants, cosmos are hot weather plants. I plant cosmos after the poppies are done. I usually sow poppies in place in November. Mine are up now; these are self sown ones this year.

I got flu and a rainstorm just as I focused on five days of winter sowing/planting. : (

Well, I got about 1/3 of the rose pruning done. This was the first "real" pruning these roses have gotten since they were too new last Jan to need much pruning. Before I started, I got a large vase for the roses that were still blooming. Amazingly, that turned out to be 5 vases!

Eduarda, cosmos seem to germinate very easily and would probably do fine sown on site in a few weeks (perhaps after your heavy rains that might wash them out of place).

Sow those poppies now, Eduarda. You have similar weather as I. You won't be disappointed. The seeds are so small I don't think the birds could possibly find them. They thrive well in poor soil and little water. The ornamental's, well that's a different story, a pain in the rear if you ask me. I love them but the bloom is so short and they need staking. Mine bloom in the morning and petals fall of in the evening. So sad.

Edna

OK, the consensus seems to be - do the poppies now, once they have shrivelled, sow the cosmos (probably same place). Shall I pop the poppies seeds in the freezer, like Leasa said? For how long? It has to be the *freezer*, not the *fridge*, right? I have never done this before, because when Winter sowing all this scarification process is done by Mother Nature outside, so complete beginner in this area here!

Eduarda

I just threw mine in the yard. Let nature do the rest. Now is the time. I'll post poppy pictures in the gallery.

Edna

I worked in the yard today -- I made a PLANT trade with a GWer in Z5 WV! Zone 5 in January and I dug up some little mums that were coming up from the mother and also some geranium! Isn't that unbelievable?

Lime

Hubby and I have been doing alot of garden clean-up - discovering new seedlings coming up - being amazed that some azaleas are blooming - wintersowing - and trying NOT to get too anxious for spring. We do know that winter will eventually come - if only for a short time - but in the meant time we are enjoying Gods creations.....

Lynne

I really enjoyed our little taste of "spring in the winter" a couple of weeks back and was able to spend several days out in the garden. I was up at Lowe's on December 31st purchasing bags of mulch...I don't think I've ever mulched on New Year's Eve before! In addition to putting down new mulch, I cleaned out all of the beds as well as re-edged them and rebuilt the rock wall around my garden pond.

I had thought that getting out in the garden would give me spring fever, but remarkably it has done the opposite. I was able to tidy up and take care of some gardening chores that were bugging me, but now I can sit back and enjoy my non-gardening time and know that it's all good for a few more months.
jiggreen

Here is a {{gwi:637019}} picture. Here is an {{gwi:637021}} picture. And another after picture of a future {{gwi:637023}}.

This is what I have been doing over the past couple of days. This is our side yard that I had been neglecting. Since it's the first thing you see of our house when you turn onto our drive, I thought I had better get it into better shape. My "soil" is limestone and rock so raised beds are, by far, the most logical choice. The beds closest to the camera will be mostly ornamentals and annuals and perennials. The ones farthest away will be primarily vegetable beds. The bed under the crape myrtle will be a fragrance bed. It is located to the left of me as I stood to take the other pics. Over the spring and summer of this year, I will also be working to cover the paths with cardboard, feed sacks and newspapers. Then I will top that off with some kind of mulch. Probably loose hay and alfalfa since we have 7 horses and an abundance of those items :).

I hope I can post a pic later this year of those beds full of lush and thriving plants. I think I must go and shamelessly beg for seeds on the seed exchange :). Any suggestions for things that will thrive in my area will be much appreciated. I'll need all the help I can get to fill these beds up!

It's bitter cold and freezing rain and drizzle here right now :(.

Kristi

I want to work in my yard again so much! I may go out today, it's only 21 degrees right now though. I want to get seeds started and clean up some stuff. 2 yrs ago my old arbor fell down in the middle of the night and dh built me a new one. I wanted a bench attached to it to throw pillows on so anyone could go out and read or just sit. I came home from work yesterday and there it was! i am so excited! It just needs white paint to match. also, he started to build a swing arbor. someone gave me an old wood bench swing that just needs new paint and probably new chains to hang it. We were putting in a pond that got put on halt when the tranny when out in our new truck we only had 3 months. so he put the swing arbor facing our empty hole. Of course its right where the fire pit was to go but we'll work around that. I knew I married him for a reason.

I have successfully ignored this thread for nearly two weeks now because I knew you all would have me dreaming of the coming warm season. Right now there is snow on the ground and temps way below zero. The weather is definetely "normal" where I am but I can remember years past when we sat in the yard on Christmas Eve and other bizare winters so all things come around in time I think. Count your blessing for a short winter season this year because more than likely you'll get zapped next year. Glad so many of you are still able to be outside enjoying!

MeMo

I went outside for about an hour yesterday gathering seeds at 28 degrees. My winter sown jugs are froze. I had to bust up all the water for my animals. My daughter made water balloons (why i don't know) and they are frozen solid. I think it was about 18 degrees last night. I like to look at winter I don't want to be part of it. I was in LA a few days before Christmas and was in hog heaven with all the bird of paradise and geraniums and more all in bloom. I kept trying to kipe seeds of the B_O_P but they werent near ready. oh, i did get one, put it in my pocket and washed it in the washing machine. I do love being able to sit with my magazines and dream. of course then I can't sleep at night for all the planning I do in my head. It's a never ending fantasy for me!

I finally got to go out and begin to clean up the yard a little! I pulled the curly willow I just cut down back out of the brush pile and cut off bits of it to take to my mother for decorating purposes. Then, I cut and cleared last year's growth along one bed. Mostly I just untangled passionflower vines (still green) and honeysuckle (still blooming) and tried my best to wrap them in the places I hope they will stay.

I made an attempt to clear the other side of the bed, but that side is at street level and my knees haven't completely lost their feeling yet. But I did clear leaves off of the little cyclamen plants so that their flowers will be more showy.

Then, we walked down to the soda shop and had banana splits. It was crazy warm here today.

It's a rare day when I don't go out for a little while at least. Yesterday I bundled up and went out in a cold mist to throw handfuls of spare seeds into the freshly plowed firebreak north of the house in hopes of a meadow of sorts.

Any seeds that were more than a year old, those that were too too plentiful, some gathered wildflower seeds from elsewhere on the property and any that I didn't have a better place for, went there. I'm hoping for drifts, with the whole thing tied together with a band of silene across the back.

Nell

This is the 3rd day I have not been out. It has not gotten above 28 degrees. That shine on the street is a solid sheet of ice. This is very unusual for south central TX.
My neighbor just left in his jeep and he was sliding.

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{{gwi:637030}}

Oh Kathy, I never tought I would see your garden like that! Hope your plants are not harmed for such a prolonged cold.

I've continued to do major cleanup in the garden, plus some compost spreading. Today was the day to fight and dig the runners from the rugosa rose that had gone balistic into a no-no area. They had to go, but what a fight, LOL! One task down, still many more to go. Luckily, the weather has been mild and sunny, so it has been a real pleasure to work outside.

Hope all of you caught in the bad weather stay warm and safe.

Eduarda

Kathy,

I can relate to your pictures, because that's what it looked like around here on Monday. Late Monday, the sun came out and melted a lot of the ice, despite the cold temps.

But, last night we got hit again...unexpectedly. It's 27 degrees with sleet, snow and freezing rain. Schools are closed, along with various city offices.

I took another vacation day! At the end of December my boss mentioned that I had some extra vacation days carrying over into 2007, and be sure to take them in the first quarter. I never imagined I would be using some of those days during the first couple weeks of January. lol

I was hoping to use those days for gardening! Oh, well.

Marilyn

Interstate highway 10 is completely shut down 30 miles North of San Antonio, TX to Ozona, TX (about 150 miles) Eduarda, this means that the main southern highway from East coast to West coast across the united states is closed. Major major problem. There are about 1000 semis parked in Boerne, TX.