I write

And capture moments in time

To remember.

Lest I forget.

Winter garden. 2024

It always amazes me how the garden looks in winter. Remnants of Lavender, Russian Sage, Sedum Autumn Joy, and Bobo Hydrangea still standing, other herbaceous perennials asleep underground.

During fall cleanup I left leaf litter and small fallen branches as many insects seek shelter overwintering in the garden.

In the above photo the Rhododendrons by the fence are letting us know how cold it is as their leaves hang down protecting themselves from dehydration.

Spring 2025. The garden is waking up.

Last year I added one of my favorite plants to my cement urn: creeping jenny. Cement containers can stay in the garden all winter; no need to move them inside. The plant is a herbaceous perennial, meaning it dies back to the ground in winter and re-emerges in spring. When I see sprouts of the beautiful chartreuse color I know spring is finally here.

As the plant grows it fills out the pot and can be easily clipped keeping it the length you want it to be.

Virginia Bluebells is another herbaceous perennial. I dug in a few plants to start in an area under a Crape Myrtle tree. Now a few years later the plants have spread and are in drifts. Planting in drifts creates a beautiful natural setting that attracts pollinators.

This is a close up view of the tiny pink buds and blue bells dangling from the foliage.

In the photo above in the left-hand corner is another beautiful, early spring perennial called: Foamflower. This foamflower is a North American native. The tiny pink flowers are star-shaped on slender stems.

I save my plant tags, staple them to an index card and add them to my file box. The plant tag has important information on the front and back that you might want to reference later. I want to add more foamflowers to this garden bed, and the tag will ensure me that I’m buying the same kind of plant.

I made the A-Z colored cards in the box to keep me organized.

I hope you are seeing signs of spring where you live.