Cold weather and snow days mean there is not much to do outside, but the garden still has growing going on. I have two garden spots to keep plants over the winter. One is in my kitchen, where I have the Thanksgiving cactus, the orchid, and my eight-year-old amaryllis. That is indeed a flower spike you see!
So exciting to have it bloom for the eighth year. It has five leaves, and is about 18 inches tall now.
My plants in the Carolina room on the back of the house are doing well, protected from the most extreme cold and wind. The dahlias are in full dormancy now, and I am a bit surprised that the little impatiens is still alive. The avocado is getting a bit bigger, and I’ll need to repot it soon.
The geranium is still confused, but this pink flower is a welcome bit of color on a grey day.
The daffodils I put in a pot just to keep them in soil sprouted. They haven’t done much since. Looks like I have at least one hyacinth in the bunch as well.
The landscape view is a constantly changing scene. Dawn on the day before the snow came was beautifully colorful.
Then, another day had the quiet wonder of fog.
Oliver stopped by for a sandwich, but then disappeared. I haven’t seen him in days.
On the suet feeder, a male cardinal brought his family for a meal.
The adult female took her turn.
The a juvenile female landed for a bite or two.
The feeder was shared by a small flock of goldfinches, more coming in then flying off for someone else to have a turn. The downy woodpecker pecks at the suet. The background shows the trees frosted in snow.
Later, several bluebirds came for their turn during the snowy day.
A male and female titmouse share the bounty with two bluebirds.
It is hard not to start dreaming of starting seeds, but I know it is still too early for that. My Sweet Babboo cleaned up the hosta beds, getting all the dried flower spikes pulled up and some of the dried leaves swept away. Seems like most of January gardening is cleaning and planning. I’m going to use the brick planter for vegetables this coming spring, but I shouldn’t start those seeds until late February since our last frost date is in April.
Are you planning your garden yet?
From My Carolina Home 
I love watching the birds during winter. With the gray weather, their plumage appears so bright and colorful. Enjoy your day, Carole!
I’m not much of a gardener, so I will enjoy the fruit of your labor! Thanks for all the picks. Beautiful sunrise.
I started my first garden last spring. The tomatoes did very well but the green beans not so much. I am thinking about taking the next good weather day or weekend to clean out my tomato planters. However, I would truly love to maybe build or buy a nice wooden planter that stands above ground.
The birds of winter are my favorite observations besides the sunrises!
Nature will slowly be waking up……not quite yet up here…..we got about 2″ of snow yesterday……totally melted off the roads now but ground is covered. Much of our ‘forced march’ in the mornings is not on paved surfaces so careful stepping is required.
I enjoyed seeing the wren on the feeder with the juvenile female cardinal!
The birds are beautiful to watch! I hope little O is ok.
I enjoy gardening & bird watching with you(r photos). I trimmed, repotted, & started cuttings in my indoor garden. Our sunroom is too cold over winter so plants moved inside & have taken over limited real estate. The spider plants look happier with their haircuts & seem relieved not to take care of so many babies. The babies are perking up & sending new roots into their tiny pots. My Norfolk Pine is inches away from the ceiling; next year it will probably be touching & I’ll be looking for someone with a cathedral ceiling to adopt it. The ficus is more manageable, pruning keeps it within bounds. The birds & squirrels provide hours of entertainment, commercial free.
Flowers and plants here are very dormant – even the inside ones are sleeping. I’ve had a lot of Cardinals and Jays for a lot of color in the feeders – and the Junkos mix in.
I so enjoy seeing posts of your bird feeder visitors! I just received an order of veggie seeds from Park’s — an early order since I missed out on several varieties last year. Saw a social post from the garden center at our local farmer’s market that they have 2021 seeds in stock, so I may visit them this week. And then, continue plans to expand the “square foot garden” we created in 2020 to accommodate everything I want to plant!
Just like with making quilts, the dreams often exceed the reality of limited space!
You have more snow than we do! Your pot of daffodils has me thinking of spring! I am expecting that our winter is merely late, and we will be “treated” again to blizzards February through May. I am enjoying the amaryllis reports!
Love your bird photos! I’m determined to try an amaryllis next year. I always forget & then admire when others post about them in the middle of winter.
The birds must so enjoy your feeder, I always smile at the garden saying ” Plant after the last frost” if we knew that it would make planting so easy. Last winter I lost one Luculia shrub, and 2 large Federation daisy shrubs,We had several frosts that were mild, then one heavier one that did the damage. Having an indoor room makes great sense for you all up North.
Nothing much growing outside at the moment, although I assume there are buds on the Helleborus. Inside 4 of the orchids are sending out flower spikes. My geraniums , in a south facing window, have flowers sporadically all through the winter months. In about a month, new growth will start at which time I’ll start fertilizing them again. And, of course, the African violets are blooming as well. You have more snow than we do. I hope that doesn’t mean it will snow all of March.
So nice that the animals trust that this is a safe haven and they bring their kids! As we were putting away the last of the holiday stuff, I noticed the pot of geraniums (which normally die before the Boy Scouts leave the porch) are blooming. Very confused. Maybe that’s the rule – ignore them and they bloom! The photos of your view are breath taking. My house looks so bare without all the “stuff!” Time to get out everything red! We need to replace 2 trees that we lost last year (polar vortex) so are starting from scratch, new bulbs, new roses, everything. Azaleas, hibiscus, then who knows!
Wish our retreat were at your house, so I could see some of this beauty in person! =)
You are my “ nature person” as of today. Very refreshing to see all the greenery and pretty skies. I am planning my garden today. Any suggestions?,
There is always something happening in your garden. The birds look so pretty at the feeders!