Blooming Can Be Hard

The weather has warmed and the ice is retreating. There are still some very icy spots. The UPS man actually did make it up the driveway yesterday. If we get the predicted rain and thunder, the driveway should clear tonight.

So I walked around the garden and looked for something really neat to take a picture of. There it was, a beautiful Johnny Jump Up! Yes, it looks bedraggled, wet, muddy, but remember this plant was encased in ice only yesterday. It has every right to be a little bedraggled. I should look so good after such treatment. Flowers in February are always special. Actually, I love these little guys. They are hardy, fragrant, delicious in salads, and have such cute faces. Once started, these really spread. It tugs at my heart strings a bit to pull them out. Many times I don't!

Frosted Stone

I was all set to go out today, but the driveway is a glare of ice. Actually, the garden is too. I took this picture by opening the bedroom window. Walking out there today is just not a smart move. These particular stone walls lead to the basement of the house. The stone path and the curved stone walls were made of stones from the garden with the addition of some beautiful water-worn stones from a friend with a brook. It's two stones to one dirt in most places here, with some places being three to one. We will never run out of stones.

If you can get past the idea of being stuck here, the iced stones and garden are really quite beautiful. I'm not at all sure that the plants like this sort of weather, but they are brave little survivors.

Stokes seeds and the USPS won the seed race. I ordered from three places on the same day and received the first ones yesterday. The UPS man would never attempt the driveway in this weather. Today I think I'll look at that new catalog with the great sale. Maybe I'll add those tuberose bulbs. I've never tried those and I love fragrant plants.