Gardening Magazine

Back to the Garden

By John Markowski @jmarkowski0
It has been a while since I spent any significant time out in the garden. Truth is, it hasn't been since the end of October when I planted the last of the spring bulbs. 
We had the devastating Hurricane Sandy, we were on vacation for a week in November, it got cold quick at the end of November and then there was the tragedy in Newtown, CT. Collectively, these events kept me indoors and admittedly, a bit disinterested in all that was going on outside. 
But that all changed today. I woke up this morning (after a day of illness for both me and my wife which was a lot of fun - but that's a story for another day) with the sun shining bright and I felt an energy for the outdoors like I hadn't felt in a while. It was a mix of enjoying what the garden holds this time of year and the excitement of what is to come in a few short months. With the holidays behind us for the most part, it was time to get back to garden planning and dreaming for 2013. Woo f'n hoo.
So I grabbed the camera, my trusty gray hoodie and wandered aimlessly through the garden. And it felt awesome! Cold and crisp, but beautiful. Invigorating. 
And here are some pics from my little journey:
Blooms that were left on the plants for winter are always a welcome sight this time of year: Back to the garden
Back to the garden
Back to the garden
As are the colorful stems of the Willow and the Red Twig Dogwood:
Back to the garden
Back to the garden
And if you've read this blog before, you know my love of ornamental grasses:
Back to the garden
Back to the garden
Even old,dying foliage is appealing now:
Back to the garden
As is the subtle changing color on many of the evergreens:
Back to the garden
Or the fabulous peeling bark on the River Birch trees:
Back to the garden
Even the sign of anything "green" is welcoming with brown dominating the landscape right now:
Back to the garden
Of course, it wouldn't be my yard without those wonderful pools of water that are so common winter into spring:
Back to the garden
Oh well, I can ignore those for now and focus on what looks good.
Good to be back and good to be back in the garden as well.
John

Back to Featured Articles on Logo Paperblog

Paperblog Hot Topics

Magazines