Sharing Nature’s Garden

Boy, are we wusses down here. (At least I am – I’ll just speak for myself.) The temperature dropped all day today – it’s supposed to be 33 tonight. It’s been raining and up to 25 mph winds. Just plain miserable if you ask me, but we did get 3/10 of an inch of rain, so that’s good.

The only place I went today after taking my daughter to school was an underground parking garage so I wouldn’t have to brave the elements. Hard to believe that I survived 4 winters in Minnesota in the Twin Cities area!

So, since we are still not quite past the point of freeze danger, my garage is still full o’plants. I miss the greenhouse from our previous house enough this year that I think we’ll put one in here next Fall. But, for now, my greenhouse is the garage with space heaters and a nice window for light. Here’s the tour!

My Duranta pruned to be a tree is sprouting new leaves.
(This is the mystery plant that MSS @ Zanthan Gardens helped me identify.)

The new thornless Mexican lime tree that I bought on Tuesday!

A cluster of half-dead or dormant pots and the Boston Fern
that Mom and Dad gave me for my birthday for Artemis’ head!

A budding Plumeria stalk!

Hmmmmm…this is one of those unusual/exotic specimen plants that
I always buy at the Austin Zilker Garden Fest and can’t remember the name of!
Anyone wanna guess?

Little annuals for window boxes and a Red Maple waiting for permanent homes
…and my fabulous Little Red Wagon that I couldn’t live without!

Ok, this is just plain crazy.

Today it was 47 with 25 mph winds and raining.  It was the kind of day that makes you want to stay inside and curl up with a good book.  

Ok, I cannot remember whose blog it was on (I have a terrible memory – please forgive me — and tell me who it was!), but a few weeks ago I commented on a post about Valentine Garden Geeks. And while I didn’t fit the bill there, I do now!

I celebrated my birthday this week and I wanted to share with you some of my lovely garden-related gifts. You might guess that my five-year-old daughter — the girliest of girls imaginable — picked out the fluorescent pink bird feeder for me (with her Dad’s help.)

They both picked out these terrific little snippers – perfect for deadheading and small plant pruning. I can’t wait to try them out!
And my DH, who always uses knee pads, got me these to ease the bending.

My Mom and Dad got me this little garden fella — he’s a hand carved bird feeder. A tad heavy for the branches we have to hang him on, so he either needs a special mount or we may just leave him leaning against the tree on the ground. He’s kinda cute there!

And here is my “big” birthday gift. Many of you have already met Artemis, who now graces the front of a fedgling new garden bed. Mom and Dad also gave me a huge ferm to put in her head, but she has a tiny little head and it didn’t fit. So, the coral/salmon geraniums will stay there for now. They brighten up that end of the path, anyway, don’t you think?

I’d say this plethora of garden goodies makes me a Garden Geek…don’t you agree?!