I have flipped the calendar page and am ready for a new year.
I have raised a glass to the past, and now I look to the future.
The new year’s weather has been all over the place. Today was chilly but sunny. I took the opportunity to visit the car wash and gather boxes that had been tossed in the garage during the bitter cold.
While I was driving this afternoon, I noticed several folks out raking and fussing in their yards. It has been that kind of day. Although I didn’t rake, I did take a walk through the back and was happy to see that the high winds of the last few weeks hadn't caused any damage.
Oh, there were a few small branches here and there, but so far, the little house on the big hill has survived the winter holidays.
Back inside with the fire crackling -- or at least in my imagination, it is crackling because I have gas logs -- I warm up with a cup of tea and leftover holiday cherry pie. Grabbing my garden journal, I make a few notes.
A few years ago, I received a lovely, 10-year garden journal. It is a beautiful book with heavy paper and room to doodle and make notes year after year. The 10-year span lets me compare past dates and conditions.
I use the pages to mark when and what variety of shrubs I plant. I track major weather events and temperature swings. This year, I wrote of adding a back-garden water bath for the birds and other pollinators; 2024 was so hot and dry, this year I wanted to provide a respite for them.
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It worked! During the extreme heat of the summer, it was a busy place. I often saw creatures, big and small, having a drink or a dip in the water.
The forsythia I planted in the late spring looks iffy. I am hoping the young, tender shrubs will bounce back in the spring. It has been my goal to create a golden cover along the fence line. They were mulched in the fall, and the deer seem to have no interest, so, with a little luck, they will green up in the spring.
I was late planting my garlic, but it is in the ground, and I expect it to be ready by summer. I’ll make a note in the journal about the late planting and maturity date.
I did not cut and dry herbs this year. I have several that come back each year, and despite the extended cold snaps, I expect them to appear in the spring.
The old-fashioned lamb’s ear will be OK. It has slender leaves and shoots tall blooms. It is from my aunt’s Upsher County border garden, and has been in my back beds for years. It moves a bit from year to year, but thankfully, it comes back every year.
I have the wide-leaf lamb’s ear around the lamppost out front. It is very happy there and spreads each year. Oh, the leaves can look weathered at times, but it is lovely, and I enjoy the contrast of the two plants even though they are in two different areas.
Other areas of the garden are sleeping and storing energy for their spring arrival. I will dream about new plants and make notes in my journal about where to add them to the beds. I even tear out pages and add tags to the book.
It is so much more than a listing of days and temperatures; it is the history and a look into the future dreams for the garden areas of the little house on a big hill.
