February in the garden! Today I can report in my garden bullet journal that there is indeed rain today! Hallelujia. Those who live around here know already that we didn’t get much of any rain in January, I think maybe one day we received a slight drizzle. Folks I ran into this morning seemed happy to be wearing their rain jackets once more.
For the month of February I will be finishing the pruning that didn’t get done last month. In January I finished all the roses in back and this month I must tackle the roses in front along with a creeping, crawling vine that will indeed swallow the front of our house if I don’t prune it this year. (I still don’t know the name of it, this year when it leafs out I will post a picture and see if any of you know what it is.)
My raspberries must also be reclaimed. They are growing in a mess of weeds without support and I intend to do something about that. Scott finished pruning back the blackberries. Not a fun job! You may be able to see them in that last photo, behind the raised beds. We are leaving quite a hedge of dead brambles because the quail as well as other birds call it home during the summer. Having them as summer tenants has their pluses and minuses. The benefit being that we enjoy watching them, however they think the adjacent garden is their own personal farmers market. Hence the hoops over the beds to net them out.
The asparagus patch has mostly been weeded, but I’d like to finish that and add a layer of compost over the top before they make their spring appearance.
We planted six new apple trees over the course of fall, with the last two going in last weekend. We learned the hard way that gophers love fresh fruit tree roots a few years ago, so this year we built big cages out of gopher wire and planted the trees in those to keep the pesky varmints out.
I need to take a morning and watch over our chickens because I think we may have an egg eater. Or two or three. Hmm…
We also worked hard over the course of January to polish up a corner of our garage to make it feel more like a laundry room. Previously it was just a washer and dryer in a dirty, dusty, spider filled garage. Now with the addition of finished drywall, a coat of bright white paint, a scrubbed out sink, and a few pretty things it feels like a nicer place to wash our clothes.
What’s on your February To-Do List?
Oh I yearn for blossoms and green-ness. Nothing but cold and snow in our parts. You are lucky. Thank you for sharing your pictures. Brightens up the day for sure.
Thanks for the comment Lisa! You know, this past weekend Scott and I were actually wishing we got snow in the winter. It’s so overwhelming to maintain a garden that grows all year long. I wish for some hibernation!
Such beautiful flowering quince ! Spring won’t be long now …
Honestly Lorrie, I feel like we skipped over winter all together. It feels very spring like out there already!
Wow! Daffodils already? We won’t see those for a few more weeks.
I’m in the middle of my annual deep cleaning. Every other week, I clean one room from top to bottom. This week I finished the living room; in 2 weeks, I’ll tackle my guest/sewing room.
I work on a variety of sewing projects when I’m not cleaning. Next project: denim cargo pants for my husband. He really likes them, but I cannot find ready made anywhere.
I find that I don’t get overwhelmed when I split up the housework with hobbies. I do it in the winter because as soon as the world here warms up, I’ll be in the garden.
Thank you for sharing your pictures; they are delightful!
Jody, I like the idea of your annual deep cleaning. That’s a massive job! Those are the first four daffodils, I’m expecting more in the next two weeks, hopefully!
I eagerly await the pictures!
Isn’t the the rain wonderful! And I love that soap holder, is that a vintage find?
If you’re talking about the vine by your office door, it’s an Ampelopsis brevipendunculata “Elegans,” or Porcelain Berry to be common. I have a couple plants from it, and it’s definitely a hardy vine -you can cut it to the ground in winter and still get berries the same year. I like it for summer shade on my pigeon aviary and chicken coop.
Ah ha Michelle! I should have just asked you. I love it, the berries are so beautiful, but seriously if I don’t cut it back this year, one morning we’ll wake and won’t be able to open the doors anymore!
Oh and Michelle, no it’s not a vintage soap holder. It came from Fat Pilgrim a few years ago (love that store!!)
I hope to decide and start the beds for vegetables in our new house-raised or in the ground? I love your galvanized tub idea. Also, I hope to finish the cowl I’m working in the round, a first for me. It’s baby alpaca, my first yarn splurge. I’ve felt like I should be more skilled and do something fancy with such luscious yarn, then I thought what the heck! It’s a season of firsts!
Hi maryanne, you know I have found with luxurious yarns sometimes the best thing to do is keep the design very simple. Especially alpaca, with all it’s fuzziness, it would cover up any design work you put in, so enjoy your simple cowl! It will feel so cozy!
I think I’ve got an egg eater as well. I can’t figure out which one, so I was thinking of putting in a game camera, in hopes to catch the culprit. Except I don’t want to buy one, so I’m hoping someone will turn up who will let me borrow it.