Jan 6th – The Real January

There are some things to do about gardening in January, but for the life of me, I can’t yet recommend them.

Until the holiday decorations are put out of my no-longer-tolerant sight, I can’t allow myself to sink into the couch with the catalogs, notepad, planner in hand. While a good way to pass the cold months, this is still work.

So, what do I truly do in the weeks between wrapping on 12/24 to “un-decorating” after 1/6 besides the usual, obligatory holiday stuff?

I read trashy novels. They are mindless and require so little. The winter equivalent of the beach book, they are a vacation in January. And, if I can arrange the quiet time to have Josh or Enrique singing in Italian or Spanish in the background, a glass of wine on the side table, I can survive winter.

How do you make it through?

Advent Wreath

I am WAY behind on my holiday tasks but I did finally get outside, during daylight, to gather holly and pine  boughs for my family’s Advent Wreath.  It has been really cold here  in southern Ohio and we even got a little snow – settled on the grass but left the roads and walk alone. Perfect. We are due to have a little more this weekend which should be just perfect for cutting a tree. Can’t wait but that will just about finish my gardening year until the catalogs show up on 12/26…

Nov 3 – What’s Next

Well, as suspected, I have not been a good fall clean up gardener… I guess this is just not a realistic goal while I have two boys playing multiple sports – each weekend had the minimum of two soccer games and a football game, if not multiples of each for the both of them. There were several weekends with 5-6 games and on those occasions, the games were not local.

 

So, the cornstalks that did not grace the front door, are still in their square although not really standing. Tomato cages, bean teepees, watering vessels DO still need to be put away but the sunflower heads will remain – the birds can surely enjoy the seeds for some time to come.

 

And, guess what – I am not inspired to do any of these things although my husband has been very good at emptying the remaining pots and dumping pumpkins left behind from my Halloween display. He probably knows I am already into “holiday” mode – planning Thanksgiving and then hitting Christmas with full stride. He was pruing boxwood and the berries from our crepe myrtle boxwtoday and all I could focus on was how the box had been pruned too soon to keep for an advent wreath, but the berries would make a great addition. Since Big Garden is also a cutting garden, I do enjoy bringing in flowers and then learned to “branch out” to other areas of my yard for inspiration.

 

I will also be seeking inspiration for next spring – can’t wait for spring already!