Hi, Friends,
Amber has such adorable vintage decor in her gorgeous home. This hop features the winter garden and botanicals. Amber shares my love for gardening and collecting so this hop will not disappoint.
If you have been following for a while, you might know that I love to garden. My gardening creativity kicked into high gear last spring, summer, and fall. We had many successes which only fueled the need for more plants and flowers. We're even growing some winter vegetables in our empty summer containers. It won't be enough to feed the two of us but it is fun, none the less. Our bulbs have already started to come up here in North Texas. It won't be long before the succession of late winter/early spring flowers begins. Our
new acreage out in the country has almost weekly surprises as its secrets are revealed with the warming of the soil. Winter is a bit of a break from the labor of gardening but it is still beautiful, brimming with the promise of spring.
It isn't too early to begin planning for and thinking about my 2021 gardens. While I wait somewhat impatiently for that last frost date, our home is sprinkled with dried remnants of last season's garden, appropriate faux seasonal flowers and precious artifacts with a rose motif for a touch of Valentine's Day romance.
A rose painting is one of my favorite pieces of art. It was painted by my grandmother or great grandmother. Dried roses rest in a white iron stone dish. This display sets the theme for the big cupboard in our front hall.
A book of poetry that belonged to my father is graced with gorgeous vintage graphics.
The bird was tucked in the back of a booth at an antique mall in Fort Worth. I adore this sweet little bird. My parents and my step mother all attended Valparaiso University in Indiana. I found the souvenir vase around the corner from my house here in Texas. I had to have it. The color is stunning. The connection is meaningful.
A coordinating glass trinket box echos the floral motif. The glass is cracked on the top but I don't care. The enamel flowers are charming in their faded hues.
Our garden has pansies as the primary winter annual and I adore pansies. I have a vivid memory of weeding with my grandmother in Wisconsin. She had pansies scattered around near her asparagus. I recall the tidbit of information that it takes two years to cultivate asparagus. I have never tried because two years seems a long time to wait. It isn't lost on me that by now, I'd have plenty of it to harvest.
Snipped pansies tucked into tiny vessels tide me over until spring. A few darling pansy dishes echo what is going on in the yard.
Real flowers and pots from the grocery store or nursery typically are brought into the house during winter providing beauty and cheer on a gloomy day. This year we are staying closer to home so these adorable plants are but a memory.
A collection of early faux spring flowers sparks the temptation to take a trip out to the yard to check on bulbs peeking up through the ground.
Winter is a great time to reflect on the season that is past in order to plan for the upcoming garden.
What plants were a success? What were failures? What new plants became favorites?
Resting from the physical aspect of the garden creates time to list some gardening goals and improvements.
Some of my seeds have already been ordered but the surge in back yard gardening has caused some seed shortages and shipping delays. I'm excited because I have a couple of new varieties on the way soon. Empty seed packets used as decor during the winter bring whimsy and a visual reminder that spring and those seeds are on the way. Saved seeds from last year's plants carefully rest in a drawer in the garden room.
It's about time to start seedlings indoors. I'm not presently set up for that but I'd like to make it a gardening objective. I think it would give some things time to get fully acclimated before our intense summer heat arrives. We have a long growing season but flower growth is impeded by the temperatures in July and August. Floral themed art is a must around here but it doesn't always reflect the realities of gardening in Texas.
One of my 2020 goals was to enjoy cutting and drying flowers from the garden so that their enjoyment lasted beyond the season. Seeing them during this season, brings satisfaction that the garden last year was a success and the gardens this year hold such promise.
I love winter. The botanical artifacts dotted about the house charm and remind me that a new season awaits. The earth appears to lie to dormant but in reality it is bursting with energy in order to welcome the spring.
What a spring it will be. I cannot wait to get planting out in East Texas!
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Blessings,
Katie
