Garden Junk After A Long Winter

We had a lot of snow this past winter. More than average. However, March has proved to be a lower than usual snowfall. Nearly all the snow is melted in our yard, so I took a stroll to see how some of my totems did over the winter. This is their second season being left outside and so far, so good.

Some of the totems that are in shade, need a good cleaning as they have a little algae growing on them, but the totems that get a fair amount of sun look like new. The first one you see at the top is one of my favorites. All the pieces go so well together and it looks almost like they were meant to be put together in that manner. I think that is what makes a totem great...if you have a hard time figuring out if they are dishes or an actual art piece, well then you've done your job.

I also really love this totem. This is a good example of how more pieces can help a totem look more finished. I could have removed the smaller plate from above the salad bowl and it would have still fit together fine, but I think it adds something to the overall look of the piece. Once again, I tried to utilized cut class or pressed glass to help hide any condensation that may form inside the totem.

Here's a good example of why I like to use cut glass now. The condensation forming in the top piece can be a little unsightly. If the piece were camouflaged in some way, you wouldn't even notice it. All my totems were put together inside, over the winter, when humidity in the air was at it's lowest, but as you can see, you can still get condensation. You can see how I made my totems by visiting our website.

Here's a photo of our old windmill. Gary has had this thing for years. It's been knocked down, the blades bent and is starting to rust something awful. I had always thought I'd remove the top, sand the blades down and repaint them, but now I kind of like the rusty look. I still think the blades could use a little straightening, but now I don't think it should be painted. What do you think?

Protest Against HGTV and it's Advertisers

Update - If you didn't get a chance to e-mail on April 13th, you still can. The protest has been extended. Thanks for your support!

On April 13th, I urge you to join me in protesting HGTV and it's advertisers. HGTV has been increasingly omitting quality gardening shows (and crafts shows too for that matter) from it's line-up. A fellow blogger has decided to do something about it and is putting together a group effort to let advertisers on HGTV know we won't continue buying their products if they choose to advertise on a gardening channel that continues to omit gardening content.

Please do not write HGTV or it's advertisers until April 13th. To find out more information, please visit the official blog at http://hgtvprotestcampaign.blogspot.com/

Pest Busters #1 - Introduction

Welcome to the first edition of Pest Busters.

So many people get freaked out when they see a critter or bug nibbling on their plants. There really is no need to panic.

The first thing you need to do is identify the pest that is doing the damage. Sometimes this is hard to figure out. You will need to look the plant over carefully. Sometimes the pests stay under the leaves or bury themselves in the stems. Sometimes it's not a bug, but a larger animal like a rabbit nibbling on tender new growth. Sometimes the damage occurs at dawn, dusk or at night, so you may find yourself out stalking your pray with a flashlight. The reason it's so important to figure out what is causing the damage, is because you want to be able to apply the pest control that is most likely going to work. What is the point of spraying something if you don't know if it's going to work, right?

In many cases, a sharp spray of water is all you need to remove the pest that is eating your plant. That is what I suggest you do first. Handpicking them and dunking them in soapy hot water is another very effective method. I can't tell you how satisfying this can be, especially with japanese beetles.

So why do pests attack plants? It could be because you have forced nice tender shoots for them to munch on by over fertilizing. High nitrogen fertilizers force lush green growth on your plants, but at what consequence? Your plants will grow just fine with compost. They may grow a little more slowly, but that means less tender new growth to attract critters.

Many pests attack plants that are already stressed. They could be stressed due to lack of water or because the soil does not have the proper nutrients or organic matter, or maybe it's not planted in the right location (too much light or not the right type of soil). You can solve a lot of problems by adding compost to your soil every year. It's very simple to do. Once a year cover the soil with a 1" layer of compost and work it in lightly with a rake. You can add mulch on top of that to make it look more finished, but as my gardens fill out more, you see less of the exposed soil and mulch, so I find I use less mulch as the years go by.

A healthy soil is full of micro-organisms that help defend your plants from all kinds of pests and diseases and adding organic matter in the form of compost is the best way to encourage their growth and well-being. Well made compost also contains all the nutrients most plants need to survive and grow well. The key is that the nutrients in organic fertilizers and compost are released slowly and don't cause spikes in the plant's growth.

Other ways to add organic matter include using an organic mulch like shredded leaves, untreated grass clippings or shredded pine or cedar. As the mulch breaks down, it adds nutrients to the soil. Using several layers of black/white newspaper under your mulch will help your mulch to work better. The paper blocks the sun so weed seeds can't germinate. You can also use less mulch this way. As the paper breaks down, it attracts earthworms, which is very beneficial to your soil. Worms aerate the soil and also leave castings which enrich the soil. You would need to put down newspaper every year or two depending on your climate, but that is a small price to pay for nearly a season's worth of not having to weed the gardens. You are recycling and adding organic matter at the same time....can't get better than that.

Proper watering is also essential for creating healthy plants. It is usually much more beneficial to plants and grasses if they are watered less frequently, but with more water at those times. This ensures that the water goes down deep into the soil. When the top few inches of the soil begin to dry out, the roots of your plants will grow down deeper into the soil to reach for water. A strong healthy root system means that your plants can withstand drought conditions for longer periods of time. If you water 20 minutes every day, that means the top layer of soil will always be wet and the roots of your plants never need to go below that to find water. Then all of a sudden, you don't water for a day or two. What are the plants to do? They are so used to finding water readily at the surface, that they have not grown long roots that go deep into the soil surface and therefore become stressed and susceptible to pest attacks and could even die.

Now there is always an exception to this rule. Some plants just don't grow roots real deep in the soil, such as lettuce or astilbe, so it's important to educate yourself on the kind of plants that you have and the conditions they prefer, but in general it's much better to water for 1-2 hours once or twice a week than to water every day for 20 minutes each time.

So now you know what it takes to keep plants healthy and less attractive to pests. Thought it was going to be more difficult than that? Well it's not. Simple is usually better (my new philosophy).

Gardening for Wildlife

Many years ago, I made a commitment to myself to garden in a responsible manner so that whatever I did to my own yard and gardens did not impact the environment negatively in any way. Mother Nature has a way of healing herself without our help, but when we add loads of chemicals to her soil and water or negatively impact wildlife by building up all the open land and forests, she has a little tougher time getting over that.

As a general rule, I do not use chemicals in my garden. No synthetic fertilizers like Miracle Grow (nasty stuff), no weed killers, except when it comes to fighting poison ivy, and I encourage wildlife to take up residence in or near our yard. I also don't kill off bad bugs with chemicals as it can harm the good bugs as well. When the good bugs are in abundance, they can take care of the bad bugs, but as soon as you start killing off the bad bugs with chemicals, you remove the good bugs food source, they leave the area and then the bad bugs come back with a vengeance. It's all about balance. In the coming weeks and months, I'll talk more about battling different pest problems, but to be honest, since I stopped using chemicals, I rarely have a problem that requires me to take action against it.

Now, when I say I garden for wildlife, I basically mean that I provide food, water, shelter and a place to raise their young for a variety of animals. Birds being the main one, but also other animals like snakes, frogs, toads, butterflies, bees and even rabbits. Rabbits can be a nuisance in the garden, but we have a lot of clover in our lawn and the rabbits eat that most of the time.

Without birds, we would be bombarded with mosquitoes, slugs, snails and other nasty critters. Without snakes we would be over run with mice and voles. Without toads we'd be bombarded with a multitude of insects, slugs, and snails. Without butterflies, bees and wasps, we would not be able to pollinate our food crops. So you see, every creature has a reason for being on this earth, so we need to do our part to help keep it all in balance.

You also need to be aware that nature has cycles....cycles where some critters might be abundant one year because of the weather or what have you and then other years when their population is down, so don't panic if one year you notice a lot of vole damage. Most likely, in the next year or two the population will be down again.

Now, I do not encourage critters that may not be so fun to have around. We buried chicken wire all along our sheds and outbuildings so that the skunks, woodchucks (groundhogs) and rabbits would not nest right in the yard. Woodchucks will eat nearly everything in site, as will rabbits if the population is too high, and we all know how stinky skunks can be. I keep a brush pile for lizards, toads, snakes and yes, mice. The mice are eaten by the snakes, so it's all good. The pile is away from the house and we have not had any mice get into the house for 4+ years now.

Water is an important thing for all life whether it be humans, animals, or plants. Without water, the earth and everything on it would die. I provide a birdbath for the birds to bathe in and drink out of. This bath is off the ground at least 4' feet so that the birds do not get attacked by neighborhood cats and other predators. I also provide water on the ground for other animals. Mud puddles provide butterflies with the water and nutrients they need to survive.

Food can be in the form of plants that provide seeds or berries that the birds can eat, or can mean that you feed the birds yourself with birdseed. Planting a variety of trees and shrubs, both deciduous and evergreen will provide ample shelter and places to raise young.

To prove my commitment, I registered my yard as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat with the National Wildlife Federation. You don't need to register to show your commitment, but it's a worthy cause. Check out there website for more information on what you can do to turn your yard into a Backyard Wildlife Habitat.

Pussywillows in Bloom

The pussywillows I planted two years ago really seem to like their home and have really taken off this year. I purchased the Giant variety and the black variety. The black variety seems to be a little slower to grow than the Giant variety and that's OK by me. I imagine next year their little toes will be even fuller on the plant (it didn't even bloom last year).

Pussywillows always seem to remind me of the south. Maybe because I spent my early years in Virginia. We moved to New York State when I was just entering high school. I'm pretty sure we had these shrubs then too, although mom also had them planted in our yard up north as well.

This one is going to need a little more corrective pruning this year. It's a little wider than I'd like it to be, so I need to cut off some of those shoots to make it appear more of an upright shrub. This was a mail order addition and it did not have the best form when it arrived, but it will be fine in time.

And I also need to be a little more diligent about keeping the japanese beetles off it. We don't have too many in the yard since I use Milky Spore to kill off the grubs, but the few I get attack this shrub as well as the rose bushes. It might be time to apply more Milky Spore this summer.

It also appears that I have some Elfin violas that have survived the winter quite nicely. Now if I can keep the rabbits from eating them, I'll be batting 1000. I should have blooms next week if the weather cooperates.

Win this Necklace!!

Do you consider yourself to be a Queen of Junk, like I do. How about winning this awesome necklace? To do so, visit the Junk Revolution blog and comment on this official post.

Contest closes at 5 PM Central on Tuesday March 31 and they will announce the winner by 7 PM.

You will need to sign-up with a free membership to be able to enter and win this necklace, but it is well worth it as there are so many great people over there with tons of ideas.

So join us, won't you?

Free Printable Gift Tags

I've added a few more printable gift tags to the website. You can view them here or you can go to the home page and click on the Printables tab to see all the free printables that are available. If you have visited our site before, you may have to click your fresh or reload button to get the new page to show up.

If you have any requests of something you would like to see on the site, e-mail me anytime. I will do my best to honor your request. I am also looking for new graphics geared towards gardening and nature, so if you would like to donate a few to be used in one of my free printable designs, let me know.

Have a great day everyone!

Vole Damage

A little over a week ago, the snow was melting off a temporary holding bed I had prepared for some co-op plants I purchased last year. Many of these plants need to be grown in pots for a year or two before being planted, so I gathered them all together neatly in a 4'x 6' bed, covered them with leaves to protect them from the harsh winter cold and winds, until the snow arrived, and felt pretty good about their survival rate until last week.

I hadn't even thought that the voles would hop the 6" high wooden barrier and have a field day eating my precious new plants. They have destroyed probably 75% of the plants in this bed. I have not tallied all the damage yet, as frankly I just don't have the heart to do it, but I am hoping that by some kind of miracle, maybe something will be left of the roots and some might re-sprout.

They were not picky about what they ate either, although they only ate one of the garden phlox and I know I had at least three in this holding bed. Lilacs, clematis, weigelias and many other perennials, shrubs and precious hostas, for my collection, are completely gone. I ran out of room in the bed and had some sitting on the deck next to it, and they appear to be OK. I believe that many of the miniature hostas I had ordered are in that group.

In this first photo, I think only one of the ten clematis will survive.

If you have never seen vole runs, they look a little something like this when you don't have any snow cover.

And then they can look like this when they tunnel under the snow in the winter.

We haven't had too many problems in the past, but this year, the evidence is much greater. We have some neighborhood cats that like to stalk them, but I guess they didn't catch enough of them last summer and autumn. I will have to be more diligent about applying some repellent and try to corral them in an area so that they can be trapped and killed.

Signs of Spring

A quick walk around the yard on Sunday was still pretty depressing. The snow is nearly melted, but not much happening except some of the bulbs coming up. But I did see a bright spot of yellow in the Rose of Sharon garden. I had planted a whole bunch of these little winter aconites as they are supposed to be good naturalizers, but I only see one so far. This is their third year I believe. If no more come up, I think I will consider trying another early sprouting bulb in it's place. Either the voles are eating them, or they are not surviving our winters. This area is fairly dry, so I don't think the soil is too wet for them.

I just love the red tinge to the tulip leaves on the upper left hand side of this photo.

I really love this next plant called Arum Italicum. This plant is evergreen most of the year. The leaves fade in the summer and little stalks with orange "berries" on the end form. I'm thinking of planting it in some of my hypertufa containers with some miniature hostas as they might be a nice compliment to one another. I'm told this plant ca be invasive in warmer climates, but I have not had that problem in zone 5. In fact, I would like to encourage it to spread more. It has such a pretty leaf.

The two little concrete chickens were my grandmother's. When she moved into an apartment, she gave me a couple of things. I will share a picture with you later in the year of my three legged turtle.

Gardening Quiz

Someone posted this quiz on a gardening forum I frequent and thought it was cute. It's from the writers of Reader's Digest.

http://www.rd.com/advice-and-know-how/are-you-a-gardening-whiz/article29786.html

Are you a gardening Whiz? I got a 9 out of 10. How did you do?

New Junkie Acquisitions

After visiting Gardenscape on Saturday, Gary and I stopped at Ontario Mall Antiques to see if we could find any more treasures for our collection. I found this blue insulator. I don't have one this color and the price was very reasonable. Not sure if it will stay indoors or be put to use outdoors. For now, it's staying inside. I'd like to do a fairy garden with a bunch of my larger insulators. I could arrange them to look like a little village or something.

I've been looking for a set of bookends for my cookbooks, but couldn't find any traditional ones that I liked. I'd been storing the cookbooks inside a cabinet that had doors, and it was so cumbersome to get into the cabinet and find the book I needed, so I wanted to store them on top of the cabinet to make it easier to retrieve the book I wanted. I think they are working out just perfectly. And at 9 lbs. each, these books aren't going anywhere.

These aren't old, but I thought they were pretty darn cute. They are iron, so I won't have to worry about them holding up outside. The frogs can be attached to a wall or fence and the little iron bugs will probably sit in and around our conversation area.

Two weeks ago, we had a Hobby Lobby open in our area. I had always heard such great things about this store. If you have never been to one, it's like a craft store and a home decorating store in one. They not only have fabric, but metal furniture and accessories, stained glass supplies jewelry making supplies and pretty much anything else you'd think of at a craft store. We purchased some metal items to use in the garden and to add to some birdhouses.

So you see, junk doesn't have to be old. I usually prefer that it be, but sometimes the price is too good on new items. Just make sure that what you are buying is really metal. They have some new materials out there now that appear to be metal but are in fact some sort of resin based product.

Pictures from Gardenscape 2009

Today's post will concentrate on all the water features that were at the show. Some of these would be easy for a homeowner to put in themselves, but I must say that the majority of what I saw looked so complex and labor intensive that it might just be better to higher a professional to tackle it.
Like this waterfall for example.

And this one. It almost looks like a stone bench you could sit on.

Now this one would be a little easier to pull off. This honeycomb urn is so unique and since there is no open water container, it would be safe to have around children. I've seen them make these types of fountains on HGTV. It's basically a bowl, filled with rocks and the pump is housed within the urn. You fill up the basin with water and you are done. You will need to watch this one more closely to make sure it doesn't run dry, but other than that, very easy to put together. They had another similar fountain that looked like a round stone bowling ball that you can see if you view all the photos from the show.

This must have been backbreaking work, bringing in all this stone for the show. Wow...I can't believe how much money and time went into these displays, can you?

This water feature had a little cottage display to the right. The water flowed out the barrel, down this long trough of sorts and into this sweet birdbath complete with faux birds and turtles.

You can see a picture of the cottage in my Photobucket account.

Here is the last picture for the day. It's based on the same principal as the honeycomb urn that you saw above, but it still fascinated me how the water was coming down into the walkway and not flooding the whole display. Very cool and unique.

If you'd like to see more from the show, click on this link which will bring you straight to my Photobucket Album for Gardenscape 2009.

Pictures from Gardenscape 2009

Happy St. Patrick's Day everybody!

Here are a few pictures from Gardenscape. As you enter, they had a wonderful display of doors. I could only get a picture of these two as the crowds were pretty large at the entrance and people kept walking in front of me while I was trying to take a picture.

I love how the one on the right had garden scene painted on it. The one on the left could easily be displayed against a wall in the garden or against a garden shed or the back of a house. In the right setting, doors can look especially inviting in the garden.

Immediately upon entering, there was a lovely display of bonsai. I am always amazed at how they can get these plants to grow in such tiny pots and be so lush with growth and blooms. I was pleased to see that this display was out in the open this year. In the past, they had the bonsai display in a hallway leading to the Marketplace instead of out in the open with the rest of the garden displays.

This next display was of an old rail car and I just loved their use of old barrels and milk cans, a truly garden junk display if I ever saw one...LOL.

There was even a little desert display this year. I don't know if these are all hardy to this area, but I do know that there are several cacti and succulents that are hardy to zone 5. Cactus do not interest me at all, but I do like many succulents, sedum being one of them and do incorporate those in my gardens.

The last picture for today is of a little garden junk birdhouse display. I love everything about this display. I need to work on making some of my items look more aged.

Tomorrow's post will focus on all the water features that they had at the show. There are quite a few. I will also post a link to my Photobucket album so that you can view all 82 pictures from the show.

Finds from Gardenscape 2009

Saturday, Gary and I went to Rochester for the annual garden show called Gardenscape. It's a fabulous show. I decided to splurge and buy a few items from some local artists from this area. I cannot be happier with my purchases.

The first two items are from The Salvage Gallery in Macedon, NY. He makes art for the garden out of old utensils, metal steamers, etc. I fell in love with this little butterfly sun catcher made from a metal steamer. The body is the end of a spoon. Be sure to check out Andy and Roses' website to see if they will be at a show near you this summer.



This is a plant hanger. The flower is made from spoons and the leaves are made from a large slotted serving spoon. Andy told me that these utensils actually came from the Oneida factory outlet store before they closed. I think I will hang a glass bird feeder from this when the weather gets warmer.





The last item was purchased from CC Iron. I believe that they are affiliated with Murphy Cottage Crafts as that is what is printed on our receipt. I bought a topiary a couple of years ago and I think it was from the same place. Anyway, this is a metal bird tree and I can't wait to hang more garden junk from it. I imagine I will need to create a new garden bed to put this in as you will likely poke an eye out if you try to mow around this thing....LOL. It should rust to a wonderful orange patina over time.



Isn't it the coolest thing?

Tomorrow I will post pictures from the show. I will likely post them several times over the next week as I took many pictures and I would like to explain a few things about each one.

CNY Home & Garden Magazine

There is a new publication in our local area, and after reviewing the first issue, I thought it deserved a little plug from me. It's so nice to see more garden related publications in the Syracuse Area.

Gardening has not been a high priority in Central New York. If you go to Western NY, the Finger Lakes Region or even southern NY, it is much more prevalent. Gary and I were even discussing possibly moving to Western NY in the future, just because the amount of gardening resources are so much better...LOL. Who knows if that would ever happen, but it's worth thinking about.

If you'd like to check out the first issue, go to www.cnyhomeandgarden.com or you can download the pdf here.

How to - Go Junkin'

I used to hang out with a lady who loved to go junkin'. At least that is what she called it. I had never heard the term before, but basically it's the art of trash picking and shopping at flea markets and finding stuff for free or very cheap. And yes, it is an art, if you ask me. She had the knack for finding all sorts of great things and ended up starting a little business by reselling her finds....or at least the ones she could bring herself to part with.

We grew apart and lost touch with one another. I had recently gotten married and wasn't junkin' as much as I used to, but then I discovered that my new hubby was secretly a junker too and we started hitting the flea markets and antique shows again, and I have even convinced him that trash picking (or curbside shopping as I like to call it) is not so bad after all.

I can't tell you just how many wonderful things I have gotten by picking them up off the side of the road. I used to live in an apartment complex and the stuff that would be put by the dumpster was amazing. I have found like-new baker's racks and wrought iron shelves and Gary even found a barrel near a small horse barn that we turned into a rain barrel. I've even rescued plants that just needed a little water and tender loving care.

Here are some tips that I think make for a successful junkin' trip.

1. Start early. The best finds can be snatched up early in the day. If you are planning an evening of curbside shopping, start at dusk when people are just putting out their trash for the night.

2. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes that you don't mind getting dirty. You never know where you might end up and you don't want to be disappointed if you ruin a good outfit or have to leave something behind because you are afraid to get your clothes stained.

3. Bring water and snacks. Especially if you plan a day of outdoor flea markets. You don't want to start feeling sick because you are dehydrated and you don't want to stop to eat unless it's necessary. If money is tight, why waste it on eating out if you can bring a sandwich along in a cooler.

4. Bring cash and lots of small bills. You will have better leverage on price if you can offer cash. It's kind of hard to ask to pay a $1 for something when all you have is a wad of $20s. If you feel funny about carrying a lot of cash on you, lock part of it in your car in a hidden place.

4. Don't be afraid to haggle on price. Don't be obnoxious or disrespectful about it, but if you honestly think an item is worth less than they are asking, then offer a lower price and try to pay with exact change. They'll feel better about it if they think that is all the money you have. If they say no, thank them and walk away, or if you really want it, try to buy multiple items from the same vendor to entice them into offering you a better combined price for all.

5. Research. If you are looking for a specific item, research how much it may be worth and then scour the area for that item first before making your purchase. Nothing annoys me more than finding an item early in the day, buying it, only to find one exactly like it, cheaper at another booth two feet away. If you've done your homework ahead of time, you will be able to spot a great deal immediately.

6. Bring scrap paper and a pen. You can keep any of your research notes on the paper and jot down the location of a particular booth in case you need to go back to it. Plus, if you are junkin' in a particularly large market or show, you can jot down where you parked. :)

7. Be prepared for weather changes. The weatherman seems to be more wrong than right these days, so be prepared for rain, hot sun or cold temperatures. Always wear sunscreen when at an outdoor show and keep an umbrella at easy reach.

8. If it doesn't fit you must leave it behind. Make sure you have a way of getting all your finds home safely in one piece or can arrange delivery of really large items.

9. When in doubt, ask. Never trespass on someones property to pick up junk and if there is any doubt, ask if they are putting it out for the trash. Same goes true for dumpster diving. Just because it's in the trash in the back of a department store, does not mean it's legal for you to take it. A quick talk with the manager will ease all your worries and you never know, they may have even better junk available than you thought. I've had managers contact me ahead of time when they are going to get rid of anything just to see if I wanted it first. Most of the time they offer it for free or pennies on the dollar.

10. Speak up. If you are interested in a particular type of item and it's not in their booth, ask if they might have something like that at home or in the back. Most vendors bring much more than they can fit on the tables in the hopes that they will be able to sell more. They know that a full table with lots of choices are more likely to attract buyers than a sparse table, so don't be afraid to ask questions.

Well, those are my tips for having a successful day of junkin'. I hope this encourages more people to find bargains at flea markets, antique stores, thrift stores, and curb side boutiques. If you think you are too shy to implement some of these techniques, then I urge you to give it a shot, just once or twice. You'll be hooked in no time once you see the bargains you can come home with.

Happy junkin' y'all!

Mosaic Birdbath #3

Here is another birdbath that is ready for grout. I guess I should really sit down and have a day where I do nothing but grout, otherwise it will never get done...LOL.

I kind of like the way this one looks with the terra cotta, so I just may grout this with a terra cotta colored grout and leave the saucer it's natural color. A few layers of sealer should do fine as well.

Wintersowing

I finally got off my butt and got some containers sowed this past weekend. Even though it was 40 degrees outside, it was still very chilly to be working outside for any length of time. I'd be OK, if my hands didn't get so cold so fast. I can only wear gloves half the time when I am preparing my Wintersown pots.

If you have never heard of Wintersowing, check out my website for more info. Another great source is www.wintersown.org. They will even send you free sends to get you started.

This year, I saved all the clear salsa containers and the produce containers that the grapes, blueberries and grape tomatoes come in at some of the stores. I thought they'd make great wintersowing containers since the produce containers already had holes for drainage and to let water in when it rains. I wished I had thought of this sooner, instead of recycling them. I made the wholes in the salsa containers by using my wood burning tool and lined the produce containers with a coffee filter to keep the soil from falling out.

So far I have sown:
- Snapdragon Antirrhinum Tetra Ruffled Supreme Mix
- Snapdragon Antirrhinum Fordhook Tall Mix
- Primula vulgaris Primrose
- Primula veris Cowslip Primrose
- Digitalis Foxglove Candy Mountain
- Primula Candelabra Hybrid
- Red Castor Bean
- Snapdragon Antirrhinum Bicolor
- Morning Glory Chocolate
- Calendula Pink Surprise
- Datura Purple
- Datura White

Here's what they look like. I have put a little snow on top of them so that the soil will get wet as it melts.

The labels were very hard to get off, so I am hoping that will not be a problem since I decided to leave some of the labels on. Once the weather warms up and the seeds sprout, the tops will be removed anyway. Basically these containers act as a mini greenhouse, so once the temperatures are warm enough on their own, you don't need the lids to help hold in the heat.

I have a bunch more annuals to start, but will wait until April or early May to start them. You can wintersow many vegetables too, but I have not tried that yet. Maybe I will start a few next weekend to give it a try.

Jewelry Cabinet

This jewelry cabinet has been hanging in our bedroom for over a year, but it is just now finished this week. Gary made it for me as a surprise one Christmas, but he didn't really know just how much jewelry I had or what types, so he needed to modify the inside to better accommodate those pieces. A couple of the hooks broke when he was putting them in, so we have those on order and should have them this week, but basically it is finally finished!

When closed, there is a mirror on the outside. I blacked it out in this picture so you don't see our messy bedroom...LOL.

And here is the inside, minus a couple of hooks. This cabinet is much wider than the ones you see in the stores and is a little shorter which makes it fit much better in our space, and the best part is....It cost maybe 1/10th of what it would have cost if it were purchased new from a catalog.

Late Winter in the Garden

So I took a little stroll through the snow and took a few pictures to see if there was any evidence that Spring would be arriving soon. The birds have been singing like it's Spring, but I have not seen any Robins or Red-Winged Blackbirds yet, so I was skeptical.

The first thing I noticed was that the pussy willows are going strong. This is their third year in my garden and the first year that the Black Pussy Willow has bloomed for me.

Giant Pussy Willow

Black Pussy Willow

I continued on my journey and noticed that the False Spirea I purchased last summer had new growth. I belong to an online plant co-op, so I have a whole 4'x6' bed full of potted plants. I need to find a way to protect them once the snow melts as the rabbits will probably munch on all the new tender growth.

False Spirea

Continuing on, I inspected one of my hypertufa containers and was pleased that it seemed to be doing well. The rabbits nearly destroyed it last year by eating most of the plants, but this year I outsmarted them by leaving the container on a stand in the garden. I was a little worried about it not be protected from the cold winter winds, but it seems to be doing well. I wish I could remember the name of this little dwarf evergreen. I have the tag someplace, I am sure.

Hypertufa container with sedum, hens and chicks and a dwarf evergreen.

I'm glad I finally planted some grasses. This Miscanthus, Zebra Grass still looks good. I will be cutting it back later this month to make way for new growth.

Zebra Grass

And then I spotted it...a sure sign of Spring! There is only one tiny patch of melted snow in all of my gardens and this is what I saw!

Daffodils starting to sprout.

So Spring will be arriving someday soon. Maybe not soon enough for me, but soon none the less. Hurray!