A statistic last week indicated we have had over 70″ of rain this year, double the usual amount. No wonder we feel inundated. Many local farmers have lost their winter wheat crop as seeds rotted in the ground. Last spring some planted corn three times.
For us home gardeners the rain is a big inconvenience. Lots of leaves still on ground that’s too wet to work on, and piles of tree trash that gets deposited on the lawn with every big blow. But although I have been a gardener for more years than I like to admit, it continues to amaze me that life in the garden goes on. You just have to put on your wading boots and lean in.
- Other SoS gardeners have been showing blooming hellebores. I thought I checked last week and didn’t see anything. Obviously I didn’t lean in far enough. I only saw buds on one plant this morning and I haven’t kept records in the past, but buds the size of Christmas tree lights (not the little ones) are impressive for January 5.
2. Raindrops in the early morning decorated a small leafed maple.
3. In one of my raised beds at home I had transplanted some beet seedlings from my Community garden bed last summer. They never did a thing but I didn’t pull them when fall clean-up was delayed by wet weather. They are showing growth among the fallen leaves. I wonder if I will actually get beet roots in the spring. 
4. Fennel doesn’t surrender to the weather and tends to self seed which can be a problem. This is in a raised bed. I’ll keep it because the Black Swallowtail butterflies pupated on the stalks last year and the foliage is a tasty addition to winter salads. I can see some rabbit damage.
5. Even the dried heads of hydrangea Limelight are beautiful in the early morning mist.
6. In an effort to organize seeds this winter I purchased some half priced Christmas storage. The seeds won’t care that the boxes are red and green. With lidded containers I’ll be able to get the seed box off my work surface.
That’s my Six on Saturday, a meme started by The Propogator, a UK gardener. There’s always something interesting in the garden if you just stop to look and lean in. This is the link to the rules if you’d like to join in.
The dried hydrangea limelight flowers are lovely. Almost metallic looking.
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Loved your “six.” I have some beets still alive and am curious to see what/if they’ll become. There’s still a lot of winter ahead, and we’ve been wet as well. Lots of drowned wheat fields and still some soybeans and corn unharvested…in January!!! No buds on my hellebores. After reading your post I went to check!
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I had to squat to see the hellebore buds. I swear they weren’t there last week.
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Very soggy here too despite the fact it has been dry(ish) for most of a week. But my soil is sodden and I am amazed to see bulbs appearing! I have hellebore buds too, need to keep watching them to see the first one open!
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Hellebores are popular here; but I think it is only because those who are into gardening want to brag about them. They really do not do well. I used to grow them at the farm, and landscapers would buy whatever we made available . . . . no matter how ugly. I eventually discontinued them. I did not feel right about it. I believe that it gets just cool enough for them here. I really do not know why they do not do so well. I give those at work plenty of mulch, and they grow up through it. Their flowers are not worth the effort though. It will cool to see how pretty they are everywhere else.
It is also cool to see maple leaves on the ground, even though I do not know what maple they are from.
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Mostly my silver maples.
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I should recognize those. They were the very first leaves I learned to rake, in the Santa Clara Valley, a very long way from their natural home.
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I also have beetroots outside and, whatever the weather, they will survive the winter. Someof them will be probably chewed by slugs or rabbits, but I guess (and hope for you ) you’ll have something to eat. Beautiful dried hydrangea flowers almost as if they had been sprayed with a hairspray
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My Christmas Roses aren’t looking all that great yet! Great post, as usual!
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So soggy here too. I’ll have to go out and check my hellebores though!!
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Buds might be lurking…
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Fennel is such a sensual, generous and gratifying plant, in all seasons. I love everything about it from its smell to its seed heads. And once you have it, you are never again without it.
And the rain! It seems like bad form to complain, as a gardener, but honestly! Half my garden is in standing water at this moment.
I love your seed boxes! Very smart to shop the after-Christmas sales.
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Mala, I love that you knew the Black Swallowtails pupated on that fennel. That’s what you get for leaning in. Thanks for sharing.
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Mala, when I read “beet” at first what I read was “beef”. Being a red blooded meat-eater, my first thought was WHAT! you can grow beef?! In my defence, I am quite tired…
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LOL
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Yeah, There’s always something interesting in the garden if you just stop to look and lean in. These days we are growing tomatoes in our heated greenhouse, still we can’t go out and grow plants because if the snow. You have a beautiful garden, hope you’ll get beetroots in the spring 🙂
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So many parts of my garden have suffered because of the record rainfall last year. Spring will tell the tale of what has survived and what hasn’t. I’m hoping for beetroots, too.
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