January Garden, herb garden in the winter

Hello New Year! Not much happening here at Shore Side over the holidays. I made a decoration or two, then forgot to post them...some things never change. I was out surveying the garden doings today, so I took a shot of the holiday spray and my super beautiful holly berries that grow here in the garden.

 The holly that grows here is old and happy. It puts out so many red berries in the late fall, that it supplies all of my Christmas decoration needs and those of my family and friends. It's quite a beautiful natural thing with fabulous color. That was one of the few perqs here at Shore Side. According to local lore, the hollies in this area were shipped up to the cities as a winter cash crop, there was even a local holly auction to facilitate sales. Interesting to this northern girl.

While walking I saw a lot of green out in the garden, considering it is January. The Gods of nature have been good to us  this winter. We have had reasonably mild circumstances so far, especially since last year the river was frozen solid by the second week of December. This year it is plenty breezy, but the temperatures have been in the 50s and 60s. What more could you ask for at this latitude? Today it is magnificent outside, quite wispy, but the colors are enough to feed the soul in mid-winter.  I snapped these two shots an hour ago.Those puffy clouds are beautiful and the sunrise this moring was a peachy yellow sky with strong blue clouds in long "corn rows" vanishing to the north. I wished I had my camera while wiping the sleep from eyes, but I couldn't put my hands on it so I can only tell the tale of its beauty....another preq here....soul lifting beauty.

As for what was green in the garden, I will share some photos of it below: primarily think herbs!

petunias potted for summer door decoration, still hardy in the pot

varigated sage, I apologize for the fuzzy pix!

common sage

Oregano

mint

skimpy but still potent thyme

early emerging spring bulbs, daffodils here

Nandina with crimson leaves from frost

Azaleas with crimson winter leaves, come spring coral flowers carpet the bush

  

blooming rosemary, still so fragrant when rubbed!

Happy happy happy lavender, I can't imagine a plant that is more wind tolerant.

Lots and lots of Rosemary, this is a 3 year old recovering from major wind damage from a previous location...flourishing now because the house blocks the wind!

I guess for natives this can all be expected, but coming from the cold north it is all a wonder to me that I have herbs I can harvest and color in the garden. It is a blessing.

I will add in a bit of red in the garden right now, just because it is so pretty. Nandina is not my favorite plant. I was not surprised to find out is a form of American bamboo. I find it a domineering pest! Today I found it beautiful it crimsoned up with the frost and has beautiful winter color. The same beautiful crimson like color adorns the azaeleas, but they are not a pest...ever...they are a star of the spring garden, and I am told that it is an accomplishment to have such verdant ones in this climate. Considering that they were a scraggly sad mess when I came here, I am proud of their coral color come spring....speaking of which...it can't come soon enough for me, even though this has been a kind winter.