Before The Cold Arrives

It rained all night before another cloudy 56 degree day. In the absence of falling water I headed into the garden for a little chop and drop of the standing sticks of the former Lush. There hasn't been any snow of late to help squash things. With three plus acres to chop down, I can't wait on the weathers to help.

It may look pretty barren out there, but there is life to be found. Another fairly common native orchid, Goodyera pubescens is tiny and evergreen. These are the kinds of native offerings I will be looking for in the new path and forest tidying I have planned.

The newly planted Witch Hazel 'Jelena' is looking good. I have a feeling the coming cold is going to put an abrupt end to this year's flowering.

Last year they were bought while in bloom the first week of March. My reading says 'Jelena' is one of the earlier bloomers. This is a bit too early. I do look forward to the five Witch Hazels I have planted growing into sizable shrubs and providing some of the first blooms of the season. Even now at their small size, the amount of bloom is profuse. I'll just have to expect that some years things can go awry. And that is nothing new at all.

The rare native Oconee Bell, Shortia galacifoli, is also an evergreen. In time it should make a nice patch of ground cover. It has settled in well, even putting out a few blooms its first year in the garden. Slow and steady looks to be the case with the Shortia.

The other 'Jelena' in the garden is also starting to bloom. It is a few days behind the other. They bloom in winter and can certainly handle some cold. The low of six in the diagnosis to be followed one expects by two more months of winter will probably be a bit too much.

The Witch Hazels 'Diane' and 'Arnold's Promise' are waiting. I saw a couple stray petals sticking out, but most of the flowers buds are still closed. Hopefully I will get a nice bloom from them at the proper time in late February to early March.

The sun made an attempt to come out this afternoon. When all the conditions are just right, the dry stack wall beneath the cozy cabin lights up like a beacon, shining out towards the scenic byway.

This is the time of year when I am most apt to notice some cars slowing to a crawl or just plain stopping to gawk. My tiny little house and garden is the stuff of other people's fantasies.

I get to live it. Creating this visual little fairy tale involves more work than most people would imagine. But most people think gardening is work. That's why they're not gardeners.