This time of year I begin to think about the garden. Recognizing my inability to kneel on concrete anymore, I did not start seeds in the basement this month. I’ll just buy some plants after our final frost date if I want to do tomatoes in the brick planter again. My luck with squash has been dismal, so I think I’ll just go to my favorite local farmer’s market produce stand for those. Last fall, I ordered some bleeding hearts and a few other plants online with plan to convert the front flower bed into all perennials. Due to the hurricane, they arrived in November instead of October. They were supposed to arrive dormant, but some had sprouted. I put them in pots in the Carolina room as I was afraid to put them in the garden. I need to clean out the parsley pot. The two pots on the iron stand on the left are the bleeding hearts.
I need to tidy up the geraniums too. This one is about to bloom.
These three little pots have dormant Great White Trilliums. You all know how I love white flowers. I can’t put anything in the flowerbeds until late April when our last frost date passes.
I had planted these two little herb garden kits in the kitchen, but they were a failure. They didn’t sprout much at all, just a couple of anemic seedlings in each one. Plus the one on the left has a weird kind of likely fungus on it. I dumped out the contents and will wash the pots to try again with some herb seeds I have.
The violet is blooming profusely on the kitchen pie safe. I’ve never had one bloom like this before. It is full of pretty flowers again, after doing a gorgeous show just about a month ago. I guess it makes sense since this is February’s flower.
Around the other side, you can see the number of buds coming up for even more blossoms to come.
The orchid may be preparing a flower stalk. It teases me most years with this and doesn’t bloom. But I am ever hopeful.
I noticed the bluebird going to the house recently. It hung on the side there long enough for me to get the camera and take some pictures. Sorry for the blurriness, but I was so far away it was hard to get good ones.
A moment later, it went inside, and the birdhouse was swinging a bit on its line. I figured the bird was nest building. Then it poked its head out.
A moment later, the bird came out and sat on the top of the house, looking down. I waited to see what it might do next.
Surprise, its mate was inside! I think we will have baby bluebirds later this year.
On the feeder, titmouses and a chickadee took advantage of the newly filled feeder. My Sweet Babboo got them the seed they like, so no more tossing away the ones nobody wants.
A pair of cardinals has been coming by almost everyday. This day, only the female was enjoying the seed. I know the male is nearby, but I couldn’t wait around for him to appear.
In the front flowerbed, we cleaned out all the bulbs, iris rhizomes and half dead daisies last fall. Last November, I planted a group of foxgloves, and this may be them coming up.
The daffodil bed is coming to life, I am looking forward to a nice show again this year. I haven’t looked around for the other spots where I have bulbs yet, but I am sure they are peeking up here and there.
A bit more cleanup is in store for outside when the weather warms up. But snow is forecast for later this week! I have some crocus bulbs in the garden around the big oak in the front, but I haven’t seen any green shoots there yet. Maybe this year I can get the forsythia I’ve been wanting for years, but keep missing the plant dates for it. What is happening in your garden?
*************************
Today and Monday, see the President’s Day Sale at Milk Street for up to 30% OFF sitewide with Code PRESIDENTSDAY30 at the Milk Street Store! Look for some new ideas in seasonings, and sales on cookbooks and knives.
February deals at Fat Quarter Shop – 20% off the Basic of the Month Thatched by Robin Pickens for Moda Fabrics, 30% Off the Notions of the Month from Dritz, 30% off Patterns of the Month from Camille Roskelley, and see the Book of the Month also by Camille Roskelley. Check out Today’s Flash Sale and see the Precuts of the Week, plus The Cross Stitch Sale of the Month will be on Fabric Flair.
Sulky Sewing Is My Jam specials are here, and see the mugs on the Sulky website including Christmas themes and fun sewing themes, including the monster 20-ounce size mugs shown on my last post. Have a look, there are pages of them! Get Free shipping when you get over $60 in products!!
February 14-16: Save 20% on EQ8 with code BEMINE at ElectricQuilt.com! The Dear Jane add-on is on sale too along with the new Kaleidoscope Two collection! Sale ends 11:59pm ET on 2/16/25.
From My Carolina Home 
My garden is sleeping under an ice cap topped by snow. Some of the tiers in my terraces have been hoofed up by deer dining on the ground cover. Evergreens add some color to the snow covered bare trees in the woods. Squirrels looked like miniature snow plows barreling down branches during yesterday’s snowfall. A pretty bouquet of mixed flowers from Valentine’s Day is adding a pleasant flower fragrance to the indoors. Last frost here is in May, we’ll start our seeds on the 1st day of spring. Enjoyed seeing your pretty purple banner.
the daffodils here are slowly opening or barely – just as they start we get another cold couple days and it slows them down and we are getting more cold this week – that is ok I would rather they open when I can go outside more to enjoy them.
It is so lovely to see your garden coming to life and the bluebirds nesting. I think next week we actually have daytime temps in the 30s for a full week. Another snow and ice storm has arrived in Maine. I would have been a good bear, hibernating all winter, but being a quilter is as close as I get.
Carole,
Snow with a frosting of ice is coating the ground, trees and plants.
We’ve ordered vegetable seeds and looking forward to gardening. We will be buying tomato and pepper plants from the local greenhouse as they take much coddling to grow from seed.
We’re feeding the birds as the ice storm has made it difficult for them to find food. It’s relaxing to watch them!
Like you Sewing Machine mug rugs! What a nice gift!
Jo Anne
I do miss my birds but with all these outside cats I just can’t encourage them to fly back in. It is so much fun to watch the little ones de ide to take the first jump into to big world outside their cozy but crowded home. NOt much blooming here yet ..just the daffodils but they promise Spring is out there.
Your Carolina room looks like a place where the plants are happy! It’s nice to see green – we are in full on winter here – everything covered in white. It would be wonderful to have some baby bluebirds hatch in your birdhouse! I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.
We’ve got snow here and we’re supposed to have single digit temps this week. I do have a Christmas cactus that is starting another round of blooms. I also have several amaryllis buds but they’re slow blooming this year. The geraniums in the chilly shop are still green, hopefully they will spring to life and bud out in April.
Our garden is chilled to the bone! 😆 However, we did start our list of which vegetables to check in the pantry and freezer and started a list of possibles. We are expecting a late spring because the fall was so late, and it is feeling more like Early January than mid February at the moment. I do hope you get some baby blue birds, that would be so marvelous!
Your resident bluebirds are beautiful, such lovely colours. So nice to think that their is a little family inside the bird house.
Still pushing aside the late snow we had. Neighbor did the heavy lifting this year – best neighbors! So we really love all the bird pictures, reminds me that spring is on it’s way! But lots more time for quilting and got 7 done for the charities, Homeward Bound Kids and K9’s for Veterans, both local. Thanks for all the wonderful pictures!
How exciting to have a bluebird couple in your house! Oh, I hope you see babies. Bleeding hearts are one of my favorites. They remind me of my grandmother. I don’t do concrete kneeling, either! Pots are fine by me — and portable, too!
I love Bleeding Hearts plants. They remind me of my grandmother. I have one planted – if I haven’t already killed it. I think I might get some more this year and see if I can get several of them going.
I’m afraid that there will be no action in my gardens for several months yet. We had over 7” of snow last night.
It’s so nice to see your bluebirds are getting ready for nesting season.
just sitting here waiting for spring!!!