Retro chic!

I hope the squirrells left me some crocus. I planted 500 of the large flowered mix in between my roses in my southside rose garden. Now I see that there are plenty of holes where the squirrels must have dug up the bulbs. Hopefully not all of them. Now there are fall leaves as mulch spread over them so that the squirrels hopefully will no longer notice that they are there.

My garden is totally put to bed for the winter and I am done and waiting for spring. The fall mulching with leaves was the last chore of the year and that is totally finished. Come spring, all the garden work starts again but you all know that I just love my garden.

Bad squirrels! My winter clean-up and pruning work has come to an abrupt halt. It's too cold and the ground's too wet to work out there comfortably. My feet and legs freeze within a few minutes.

My yards been put to sleep for over 2 months and now the weathers finally starting to cooperate and almost feel like winter!! Highs are back the norms of around 40.. Today's a little chilly (I think it's 35deg right now) and completely overcast but still dry as a bone.

The squirels usually leave my bulbs alone. I know I plant lots and lots and lots of tulips and daffodils and they don't bother them. I really think it is because the crocus are small bulbs planted fairly shallow that they dug them up. Plus I put in so many that the ground was really displaced so those squirrells must have really noticed that someone was digging.

Rita, I know what you mean. Bulbs planted one to two inches deep are easy pickins' for squirrels. It's much harder for them to get to the daffs and tulips.

Got a cold front coming in on the mountains.. supposed to get around 5" of snow (that's what's predicted right now) out of it starting tomorrow evening. We need it! But I thought the clouds were just so pretty pre-dawn...





Then, as I was driving to the car dealership (need service done on my van), saw this at the light:

When it snows, he'll hitch up the sleigh.

It's still 60 degrees here today. I have roses from the Palatine order that are patiently waiting to go in the ground, and a 6-ton load of limestone stacked in the yard. Instead of working on taxes, I should be outside planting! Don't know what my stonemason's excuse is--he should be laying stone on the house while the weather is so nice. The roofer has to wait for the stonemason to finish the chimney and I can tell he's really getting anxious to get this job finished.
It's been a long, difficult year. I'm ready to open a new calendar.

I'm dreaming of a White Christmas...and we just may get it!!!
The prospect of snow spurred me to hang several strings of blue and white icicle lights today. I just love the look of blue lights and snow.
Merry Christmas, everyone!

I also love blue lights, much more than the traditional red and green.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, Rita (and everyone else, of course).

Once again, I didn't finish pruning the roses before Christmas. The ground is too wet to stand on for long periods of time in such cold weather. I'm hoping January will be warmer.

Merry Christmas, everyone. Let the cholesterol party begin...or end, depending on your family customs and traditions !

One of my DS's hosted Xmas Eve last night and her neighbor across the street was there with her husband. As is usual when there are 30 plus people at one of these events, people tend to congregate in groups and talk. This "neighbor" approached me at one point and said "I hear you're in to gardening...I need to ask you some questions...about tulip bulbs, specifically."
"Fire away" I said.

She says, "I can't ever get the ones I buy to do ANYTHING. How long do you bake yours in the oven before you plant them ? Do you do 6 hours or 8 ?"
(Yes, she was dead serious.)

Some people just shouldn't garden.

I have heard of pre chilling tulip bulbs but never pre baking.

They might be quite tasty with the proper sauce...

and I thought people asked me weird questions !!!!!! thats the best one I'v heard Merry Christmas and Happy new year every one

I just realized I didn't post pix of my christmas lights.

Nighttime


Daytime

Impressive! We didn't do a lot of decorating this year - but my white Lady Banks has a couple of blooms on it!

very nice Toni !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I haven't seen a rose in bloom for SO long