New year, new resolutions

January 7, 2016

Although it's a necessary part of gardening, I tend not to post when things get messy or boring. I resolve to overcome that habit and endeavor to post a photo once a week from the same vantage point so that changes in the garden will be better documented.

I didn't do as much as usual in terms of fall planting, partially because my freezer is full and partially because of laziness. Only one of these raised beds is currently deliberately planted, the one directly in front of the upper pond waterfall. It contains broccoli, which is coming along nicely, and spinach, which is rather sparse.We are also growing snap peas and lettuce in another part of the yard, but they aren't visible from this angle.

Artichokes have made an appearance in the largest raised bed in front of the gazebo. The large one you can see in the picture above is several years old, and there's also a smaller one planted last year. They die back to the ground in the heat of the summer, but are resurrected when temperatures begin to fade and are absolutely gorgeous in the spring when they bloom. Although I haven't eaten any of them yet, I plan to add a couple more plants so that that the area along the streambed is lined with them. I allowed the frost-ravaged eggplant and tomato fruits to lie where they fell while removing their bushes, which should result in some interesting volunteer vegetable plants later this year. Already I can see a number of larkspur seedlings, and I haven't planted larkspur for several years.

There are some pretty pathetic-looking poinsettias in the bed nearest the patio, which had the misfortune of being planted shortly before a cold snap. This bed, too, is dormant. We are planning to build a pergola over the patio, which will probably mean reshaping the bed, so I haven't planted anything here either.

The first week in January has been unusually rainy, so I haven't yet cut back the roses, which are still blooming. We're always appreciative of any amount of rain we get. And of course, there are lots of weeds in gravel, further proof of my gardening inactivity...along with a nice head of romaine lettuce and more than a few hollyhock, larkspur, and nasturtium seedlings.