Garden Friday

Welcome back to a (frozen) Garden Friday!
Autumn color surrounds us,
but winter temperatures have been sneaking in.

 The poor birds can't even get a decent drink of water,
with the birdbath iced over.
We have been vigilant in keeping the seed and suet feeders full
for our fine feathered friends.

Black-eyed Susan vine

 Some of the flowers we've been enjoying for weeks
have bowed out for the season.
With temperatures plunging overnight
into the 20's, they didn't stand a chance.

The loofah has seen better days.
It's a champion at enduring the scorching heat of summer,
but the cold knocks it for a loop.

Thankfully, there are a handful of crops that don't mind the cold one bit.
The garlic is still doing fine
with its thick bed of straw to insulate it.

 The strawberries are planted in the straw bales,
so they are as snug as bugs in a rug.

 I was a bit worried about the snap peas,
but so far, so good.
Straw was also used here to help keep them a bit warmer.

 The alyssum just keeps on blooming,
taking me by total surprise.
I'm grateful that any pollinators that may still be around
have something wonderful to visit.

 The camelia on the north side of our house
(our backyard of sorts),
is just about to burst into bloom.
What a treat to have color in the dead of winter.

One of our dearest neighbors has been busy raking her drive
and gifting us with the leaves.
These will be mulched with the mower 
and added to our leaf mulch pile.

There isn't a whole lot going on in the garden right now.
Sometimes I wonder what happened to fall?
Next week is supposed to warm up a bit,
and it will lend itself well to getting a few projects started.

Here's hoping for sunny skies and 60 degree days!