The pond and garden in January.

Our January so far has been very wet!  We've had snow and we've had lots and lots of rain.  On some of the recent rainy days our temperatures made it up around 50 degrees and it seems that quite a few plants are deciding to start sending out some new growth.  As excited as I am to see new growth I have to keep reminding myself that we are only half way through January with the potential for snow and freezing again before the winter is over, and there's no question that we'll see lots more rain too. 

I was able to take this picture at almost 4 pm the other day.  The days are definitely getting longer now, as of about a month ago it was practically dark at 4:30.  This is a very exciting change!  The garden behind the pond is pretty young since about a year and a half ago I took almost everything out and started over.  I have been trying to stick to a plan and color scheme since and doing pretty well with it.  So right now what is there is still on the small side.

 

Quite a few of the fish were swimming around, I was happy to find so many of our favorites still there.  I know that at least a few are missing, another two were found dead in the pond the other day which seems strange.  I'm not sure what has been  happening with them.  After all the years of having this pond it's extremely rare to just find a fish dead in the pond.  There have been no signs of raccoons or any other wildlife in the pond.  Very strange.

The Marsh Marigold has lots of new growth coming up.  This usually blooms very early in spring.

Heuchera 'Autumn Bride' is looking great now.  For being such a light colored Heuchera it has handled the sun very well.

This is looking out from the shed garden.  This was all brand new last summer.  There are quite a few evergreen plants in this area, although they are still quite small.  I found many bulbs beginning to pop up in here.  Now is the time I give my daughters warnings about where they are stepping while playing in the garden, "Lookout for bulbs!"  I say as I see them running around.  Somehow I doubt they remember and that's okay, they should enjoy the yard too ☺

Last fall I planted a deciduous Azalea 'Pink and Sweet' near the front of the shed, it's supposed to be very fragrant with pink flowers.  I'm hoping it has some blooms this year.  I can't wait to see how this all fills in as the year progresses.

The forecast calls for a sunny day tomorrow and I'm hoping I can finally get out in the garden and do some clean up.  The winter interest isn't looking very interesting anymore and I think I may cut the butterfly bush back.  Spring can't come soon enough!

The pond in December.

The kids are out on winter break and Christmas is less than a week away.  It seems as if this year has flown by!  We still have some candy making to do and presents to buy, but other than that we're excited and ready for the holidays.
After all the rain we had last week, we've enjoyed some nice dry days, even saw a good amount of sun outside!  It's been feeling cold again lately, although nowhere near as cold as it is in other places.  I planted a few Violas in some containers yesterday and once again my deck is clear of plants waiting to go in the ground.  I wonder how long that will last?  I've also been reading through my seed catalogs, my favorite right now being the Botanical Interests one.  I think I love their artwork on the seed packets as much as the seeds.  (I'm not being paid to mention them, just truly love their products from personal experience.)  I've been circling lots of seeds that I want to try even though last spring I thought I wouldn't be starting much from seeds this year.  It was a wet and frustrating spring and summer and I didn't have much luck.  But, once Christmas is over I will be putting my order in.  There isn't much more rewarding than flowers blooming that were started from seed in your own garden.

There's not much activity in the pond right now, the fish swim around on warmer days, but mostly rest near the bottom.  Little flocks of birds come by to to bathe.  I love watching how some will balance on the edge of one of the submerged pots to get a drink while others like to roll around in the waterfall.

 I'm trying to figure out how to get some more evergreen plants in the pond area.  At the back of the pond and to the left towards the shed there's quite a bit, but from this angle almost everything has died back for winter.  It's difficult to find space because once spring is here, there will be so much filling in.  This might be the year that I redo the right side of the pond and organize it a little better.

 Right now I'm depending on the Heucheras to add color.  This is 'Autumn Bride'.  It takes quite a bit of afternoon sun which surprised me.  Most Heucheras, especially the lighter ones, seem to like part shade for the afternoon.

 Another Heuchera (can't remember it's name now)  which grows in a group with Heuchera 'Petite Pearl Fairy', 'Marmalade' and near Japanese Blood Grass.

 I think this is a tassel fern.  I planted it a long time ago and it does great right by the pond.  The new growth has a fuzzy texture which adds a lot of interest too.

The Littlest Gardener has her winter ballet performance today which we're looking forward to seeing.   She's been my biggest helper with Christmas this year, being only 4 she's just beyond excited about it.