It's the middle of January, the mercury is hovering in the low teens Fahrenheit, and the garden is sleeping beneath a blanket of snow. What's a gardener to do? In addition to reading about gardens and gardening, it's a good time to start thinking about next year's garden. The best way to do that is to review last year's garden. I've immersed myself in all the images I took of Squirrelhaven during 2010, trying to make sense of it all. What needs replacing, what can be tweaked, what didn't work? Clearly, more study is needed.
I've also joined the American Clematis Society (ACS). Every year, it sends its members a Clematis blooming chart, to record when each cultivar blooms. The ACS hopes this data will provide accurate blooming times for each cultivar in each part of the United States. As a new member, I received only the new blooming chart for 2011, to fill in as each of my Clematis blooms. I could just wait and go along with the program, but that would be no fun, so I made a copy of the chart, altered the date, and am now filling it in for last year, with the help of my trusty garden journal.
I made a muck of a start on it, but it's nothing a little correction fluid can't fix. This should keep me busy for a while.
And if you're a fan like me, there's always football. Go Bears!
What are you doing to get through the winter?