Bloom Day: January 2012

Well, it's finally here--winter has arrived!  After weeks of an unusually mild winter, Mother Nature has decided it was time to get down to business. On Thursday a few inches of snow fell and the wind began to blow, causing slick roads and numerous drivers to land in the ditch.  The temperature plummeted with wind chills below zero one night.  Just two days before, I was hanging up bedding on the clothesline in the warm breeze and noticing surprising spots of green here and there in the garden.

The ruffled kale and pansies in a container outside the patio door were looking so good for January.  I had intended to run out and take a photo Thursday morning when the first snowflakes began to fall . . .

 . . . Oops!  I guess I waited too long.

While the kale may be in hiding, the snow does add some appeal, helping to create that much-desired winter interest in the garden.  Sedum 'Autumn Joy' always looks good with a little frosting of snow.

'Morning Light' Miscanthus in a sea of white makes me realize I really should add more grasses to my garden.

My favorite, though, is the still the beautyberry, adding some swirling accents in the snow.

There are still berries clinging to its branches.

The only real color outside is not found in my garden, however.  If you look very, very closely, you'll see a spot of red in this photo.  The cats were enjoying their early morning bird-watching through the picture window and were excited to see this cardinal at the bird feeder.  Naturally, the minute I grabbed my camera he decided he would fly off to safer ground.

This year I'm not going to complain about the snow or even the cold . . . at least not for awhile.  This is what winter should be like here in Illinois, and the garden can use the moisture and insulation of the snow cover.  The change in seasons always makes me that much more appreciative of spring.

In the meantime, I'm bringing a little spring indoors--my first attempt at forcing paperwhites. Hopefully, they will bloom about the time I'm finally get tired of winter.

This post is part of the monthly celebration of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, hosted the 15th of each month by Carol of May Dreams Gardens.  Carol is a colleague of such noted experts as Hortense Hoelove (see previous post) and Dr. Hortfreud.  If you haven't already done so, be sure to visit her for a look at blooms--some without snow!--from all over the world.