Not exactly the frozen tundra!

 It was a beautiful weekend here in the Carolinas. We had highs above 70 with a nice gentle wind. I got the weekend started on Friday by washing my truck. I do this once a year, wether it needs it or not :D. Then I got up early Saturday and started another of my least favorite things to do, cut back the ornamental grasses in the gardens. I have six very large clumps of variegated grass, three at the end of the driveway by the street, and three in the circle in the drive up near the house. If you've looked through the pictures on the blog, I'm sure they are in several backgrounds. They get about 6' tall and about as wide. I also have some smaller grasses in the street bed, one is a zebra grass and the other I honesty don't recall.  I use my electric hedge trimmers to cut them. It does a pretty good job, even on the tougher stalks. The problem being that the end of the driveway is some 225' from the house, so I have to string out three extension cords to get there. I park my truck next to the grasses and pile it all in the bed and take them around back to the compost bins. There I mix them with some barn cleanings and wait.

The camelia japonica, Mr Sam, is blooming on the south side of the house. The blooms have a very tactile sense about them. They are so very smooth and perfect, and so very soft to the touch.  Last year it bloomed at this same time, maybe even earlier as I recall, and I had thought it was fooled by a warm spell. I am starting to think this is it's destined time to bloom. 

The lenten roses are full of buds. They should be opening any day now.

Here you see my small attempts at what is termed 'winter sowing'. I take perrenial seeds and pot them up in these mini greenhouses (I've poked holes in the tops and bottoms of the containers) and set them outdoors. This way they are exposed to the elements and those that require winter chilling, will get it. They will sprout whenever they are ready. I've had some sprout very early in the process, and some not until late March. I will them transplant the seedlings either into individual pots or plant them straigtht out into the gardens. This year I have some echinacea, some oriental lilly, and two varieties of balloon flowers sowed. All of the seeds were harvested from my garden this fall.

As you can see, here in Carolina, the jounquils come up in early winter. They have done this every year we have been here with no ill effects on the flowers. You should plant these near where you will pass by and enjoy their wonderful fragrance. I have these planted below some Burkwood Viburnums which bloom slightly earlier than the jonquils, so I get several weeks of fragrance in the spring as I come in from the driveway.

Here are the two varieties of violas I am growing this winter. I like them better than their more heralded cousins the pansy. Violas are far more easy to care for and more hardy too.

On Sunday I got the garden ready for planting of the snap peas next weekend. I put up a couple stakes and strung some old deer netting between them. The peas I sowed indoors last week have sprouted, and will be ready to go in the ground next weekend. I also decided to try the Alaska pea again this year. I soaked those seeds overnight Friday and sowed them on Saturday, again indoors. I also potted up some more cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and spinach seedlings Saturday. One more sowing should do the trick for this spring.
 It will soon be time to get very busy with the seed starting. I started some datura seeds I collected from the garden this year. They come from a hybrid, so there is no telling what I'll get. One of the fun things about gardening, and growing from seed, is the not knowing.

Dec 19

It is a very slow time in the gardens in December and January, even here in the mild Carolinas. Most of my time in the gardens is spent cleaning up from summer's neglect. Out in the veggie garden I allowed the weeds and tall grass to take over around the asparagus and strawberry raised beds. I think the fact that I was planning on moving the strawberries may have had something to do with that. And the fact that I have gotten more involved with coaching softball in the spring and fall seasons.
 A couple of years ago, a good friend of mine, Jim, invited me to help him coach his daughter's 8 year and under, softball team. I think Jim remembered that I had coached my daughter's (Emily, or Em as we call her) team back when he and I first met some many years ago, and felt that my experience might be of some help. Since then I have helped Jim coach Em on a few 'recreational' teams (open to all players) and a couple of 'challange' teams (tryouts for spots on the team). Last fall the association where Emily plays (and Jim is a coach and board member) found themselves short of a coach for the girls 8 and under softball teams. They asked me if I would coach a team, and I accepted. I can't begin to tell you how rewarding it is to work with these young ladies and their parents. I have asked to be considered for a coaching spot again this spring and am really looking forward to the new season.

 All I really have going on is starting a few broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage plants every other week. I am vowing to get more into succession planting this year so that I will have an extended harvest, rather than everything coming at the same time. We'll see how that works out time wise.