The sunny, warm, 53-degree day made it seem imperative to accomplish some chores in the garden today. Having missed, well ignored, the fall cleanup tasks lists that gardening columnists wisely reissue annually, it must be acknowledged that the garden’s many plants are begging to be trimmed and tidied. It had been nice though to leave some things for the birds to enjoy and for adding extra visual interest when December brought unusual amounts of snow.

Trimmed back both an English Lavender and an artemisia (‘Powis Castle’) that overrun the stepping stones each year (shown here in June 2006). A few sections of lavender that had a good root system were optimistically tucked gently into some pots on the patio.
 
 

 

 

Cut back a stand of shasta daisies and several echinacea (purple coneflower). Removed the browned stalks and leaves of both the canna and the wild ginger that live along the southern garden path.  The canna and echinacea are shown here as they looked in June 2006.

 

 

The wild ginger blooms were significant during September-October 2009, but not this past year, nor the preceding three or four years. Its flowers though were so fragrant and strikingly beautiful during that one time, there are no plans to abandon the wild ginger.
  

 

 

Daffodils are shooting up out of the earth today. When did that happen? Actually, seeing the inch or two of green pushing though the soil this morning was the impetus it took to push this garden’s caretaker outdoors this mid-January day.  The temperature made it up to 60 degrees by late afternoon.

 

 

Winter gardening projects, some light (as today’s were), some serious, offer opportunities to assess the garden’s strengths and weaknesses. Assessment is a valuable exercise if this garden truly is to be redesigned and rejuvenated this year.