The days and nights are downright chilling, intensified by high winds, but if it can’t stop flowers from blooming and greens from thriving still, then it won’t stop me from walking over and gardening, dammit!

It was dark and gloomy as I spaded and hand-cultivated and raked a new bed along the whole edge of the woodsy area out back, and planted half the length of it with native flower seeds I had been temporarily stratifying.  I used swamp rose mallow, queen of the prairie, dense blazing star, and Missouri ironweed, all of which can grow 5 feet tall in varying degrees of sunny, wet conditions and eventually produce gorgeous displays of large pink and purple flowers en masse.

It’s one of those situations where you might have to be patient for a few years, but totally worth the wait for pollinator benefits and human enjoyment.  It gives me an “excuse” to keep going.  As long as I’m not freezing to death, I’ll continue planting more natives all around the yard, then let nature take its course all winter.

After wearing myself out, I did my usual cleaning up the house, heating up dinner, and then helping S pack for the kids’ trip to MI to visit their Mom for TG, while Avdi, who was feeling sick, alternated shuttling kids to things and trying to rest.

The huge leaf is sycamore.  The bright orange flowers are calendula.  They just keep getting better.