Winter's half over!

Well, we've made it this far! I was really grateful for a blanket of snow when the temperatures dipped so low last week. I hope the plants came through it with few fatalities. It was so cold that my border collie, Rudy, didn't want to walk on pavement. We set out for our morning stroll, and he kept hopping along on three legs, taking turns resting one hind foot, then the other. I cut the walk short and spent some time in the garden with him instead.

The catalogues and garden magazine subscription renewals are arriving daily. I'm not sure about renewing my magazines - how many times do I need to read about basic garden tasks and the author's favorite plants? Maybe I'm just in a winter funk. The catalogues are much more exciting - and my garden is FULL. Well, we live to dream. Right now I'm dreaming of a studio in the garden at my parent's house in Kentville. Do you have garden dreams for 2011? Let us know what they are by clicking the comments button and telling us about it.

It's a New Year!

After a monsoonal autumn, the saturated soil has finally started to freeze. I'm bracing myself for lots of dead plants in spring - nothing kills plants like frozen wet soil. I was eyeing the discarded Christmas trees as I walked the dog... to drag them home and cover the garden, or not? So far I haven't done it.
After taking a thoroughly enjoyable pottery class this fall (my creative self was crying to get out), I've decided to spend a day a week with my hands in clay. Happily you don't have to be good at it to have a lot of fun! I guess that's a lot like gardening. Unlike gardening, you can sit down while you do it!!
A few seed catalogues have arrived. I get the 'fever' even though there isn't anywhere to put new plants. I suspect there will be come May! I'm conflicted as to whether that will be awfully exciting, or just awful!