I hope the holiday season finds you well!  So far so good here, with plenty to do and get done but also plenty of couch sitting.  We’ve had cold and we’ve had snow and to be honest I’m bored with the frozen, sleeping garden.  Things haven’t changed much in the past month and I haven’t either, and by that I mean things haven’t shifted to indoor mode at all.  The dormant gardener should be cleaning tools, sorting seeds, reading, planning and relaxing and this one just isn’t there yet.  Solstice came and went and the days are barely longer again, Christmas rushed by with gifts, food and family (sadly less than usual when the weather interfered with our holiday visit to Long Island) and now more snow, and more looking out the window wondering what everyone else does when the cold settles in.

Beautiful sunshine and warm air greeted us on Christmas Eve and the fall blooming snowdrops were again in full bloom.  These are ‘Barnes’ in front and a Montrose elwesii in back.

Until recently skiing would take over when the garden closed down but prices have nearly doubled over the last couple years and my enthusiasm has not.  I’m considering passing the torch to the youngsters and exploring other winter options such as online shopping and tv watching.  So far results have been mixed.  The only shopping I know I need to look into is buying a new batch of hens and chicks.  The new rock garden seems to produce the most delicious and tender plant growth and our local rabbits do not hold back.  Hens and chicks (sempervivum) are listed all over as easy to grow and only eaten as a last resort but here they take the top menu spot in spite of the lush weed-filled lawn surrounding the rockery.  Nearly everything has been gnawed down to the roots.  Dianthus and daphne as well but oddly enough the pink dandelions have been untouched.  It’s almost as if they’re doing it out of spite.  During the latest snow event the smelly and spicy artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ was chewed up and I can’t imagine any artemisia being something a rabbit would eat but there you go.  I imagine I have a bunch of black-licorice loving rabbits roaming the garden.  They would probably eat Haggis and liver if I left it out for them.

The decimated rock garden.  Just a few egg shells remain from the hens and chicks, the only ones which might survive are a few tucked in elsewhere between the rocks.  

Spray was helping but I’m just not motivated enough to keep up a spray routine when I’m spraying snow drifts.  Fencing would work but I just can’t convince myself to look at some fence and cage setup all year, so I guess we are at a standoff.  Maybe I’ll get some more sensible rabbits again, one which read the books and raid the vegetable garden rather than the medicine cabinet… we will see.

But I digress.  I hope you’re rounding out 2025 and looking forward to the new year while still enjoying the old, and I hope winter is treating you well.  A little downtime isn’t the worst thing!