The Long Goodbye

Today was that day. The day that the real frost arrived. I was out early to take some pictures. I never want to miss the garden with that first glisten.

Last week I was making bokays of roses — the latest I ever remember! I was thinking I was going to be like my Cali and southern garden freinds who always talk (brag) about having roses for their Thanksgiving table. I ALMOST MADE IT. One week out!

But, the roses are yawning and saying, “good night.” Time for a long winter’s nap. They were amazing this year, so I will “allow” them this time.

Last rose “glamour shots” of 2016…

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Thanks for stopping by!

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The Lion…

March is coming in like a lion! But, it is beautifully peaceful in the garden and the birds are loving it. So, I guess if you can’t beat them, you join them! Today I will enjoy the snow we have and the snow we continue to get for the rest of the day. Mr. G says it is a church, soup, movie and brownie day – in that order.

Hearing the happy birds chirping…

Yesterday I saw pictures of my friends in the south pruning their roses. No roses are being pruned here!

How are things in your neck of the woods today?

Winter Came to the Rose Garden

This morning I woke up to 16 degrees and today was a day I had set again to do more winterizing in the garden. So, I donned my dad’s hunting coat and one of his old flannel shirts (and my thermals) grabbed my pruners and headed out to prune some of those extra long rose canes and to add some mulch to those that I know to be a little more tender. Most of my roses can take most any weather that winter dishes out. (You can read more about that here.)

All it took was to just “be” in my garden for more than a few minutes stolen here and there and I was transformed. The birds were singing, the frost added an enchanting sparkle and God showed up. Just as he always does when I am in the garden. I cast all my cares on him … and he takes them as his own and I am different for it. The greatest peace I have ever known is in the quiet peacefulness of mornings in my garden. It doesn’t matter the chore, it simply is all that for me. And, if you throw in some potting shed time … well you have the fixings of a perfect day. I hope that you have someplace in your life where you are at peace and God shows up. We know he is always with us and he doesn’t just “show up,” but in the stillness of a special place we “know it’ more.

Here are a few images of the winter roses … 


Gated Community Dressed in White…

ThaIMG_0191nks to Mr. G’s superb handiwork, my roses and their companions live in a gated community. In no way are these gates opening today! We have had 15″ on fluffy snow and it is packed. With the extreme temperatures (-37 windchill / -8 real temp), this snow isn’t going anywhere.

But, the gates are still pretty…

Gate # 1...
Gate # 1…
Gate # 2
Gate # 2
Gate # 3
Gate # 3
Gate going into the herb garden...
Gate going into the herb garden…

Here are some other shots I took this morning as I waded into snow up to my knees — but, man, was it good to be outside!

Beautiful trellis Mr. G built. Peggy Martin rose and Francis E. Lester rose will be beautiful out there--- in a few months!
Beautiful trellis Mr. G built. Peggy Martin rose and Francis E. Lester rose will be beautiful out there— in a few months!
Bird bath in herb garden...
Bird bath in herb garden…
View of the "gated community."
View of the “gated community.”

Hard to believe that in a few months we will be back to this…

Oh, the miracles that gardeners get to see…

Dust and Dawn combination...
Dust and Dawn combination…

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The Queen with her neighbors...
The Queen with her neighbors…
New arbor is across from another rose arbor with New Dawns. They'll be good neighbors I think!
New arbor is across from another rose arbor with New Dawns. They’ll be good neighbors I think!

How about you?

What’s going on in your garden today? Are you like my California rose friend, Baldo Villegas (pictures of his process are here.) and you are pruning your roses this week, OR are you more like me … waiting on spring while you slip and slide through winter?

Blurring the Lines

At our house we like to blur the lines between inside and outside as much as possible. No we don’t have terra ferma for floors … yet. Did I just say that. Let’s just keep that between us. Mr. G need not know.

Today is one of those rare days in Indiana where it is sunny and even though it is 34 degrees, to me it feels like 70 and I just have to be outside! So, I spent the day “decorating” outside. Through the long winter months I love to look outside my window and see pretty things!

I’ve been on a scavenger hunt today to find things in the garden to add to the vignettes we will enjoy out our windows through the long Indiana winter…

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Treat for the hard-working gardener. ; )
Treat for the hard-working gardener. ; )

Happy New Year from our Snow Globe

The snow just keeps coming!

So far this week we have had 12″ of snow and the way it is coming down today, it looks like we will accumulate 2 or 3 more. My roses and their companions look like they are in the middle of a snow globe.

Happy New Year from our snowy home to yours!

To see other videos of our garden throughout the year, click here.

Winter Garden: First Snow

Today we have our first snow and this morning it looks fresh and beautiful and boy is it cold… windchill factor is 7 degrees! Burrrrrr…. wasn’t it in the 50s a couple of days ago?

Here’s my view today in and around The Potting Shed

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As you know I spend a lot of time dreaming of spring but for today, I am enjoying the pretty snow.

By the way… it is only 88 days until spring! If you want to see how the garden looks in the spring, check out these posts…

Dogwood Trees in Bloom…

Spring Day…

November Garden

Spent today getting the roses and their companions ready for a long winter’s nap and decorating the potting shed porch. Now we wait for snow!

We have had a beautiful fall and I AM excited about Christmas and I do LIKE snow, but  I LOVE spring and that comes in 113 days!

CONFESSION:  I told myself I would wait until after Christmas to order new roses, BUT I have already ordered a “few.” I’ll share my list–after Christmas. 🙂

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Roses in my garden…

Bloom Thyme Friday: This One is for the Birds

When words gets out that Mr. G (my resident BirdNerd) has been to Wild Birds Unlimited for the “good stuff”, birds from several counties find their way to us!

This week we’ve had cardinals, crows, grackles, downy woodpeckers, one huge pileated woodpecker, blue jays, house finches, yellow finches and MY FAV … chickadees! Do you have a favorite bird?

It is hard to get really good pictures as no matter how long we feed them, they always run away from us! Here are some of the feathered friends that visited this week…

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Do you feed the birds in winter? Do you have or know anyone who has a bird cam? I think Mr. G would love to have one. Might be fun to see who visits when no one is around!