2013 has arrived cold and wet in Arkansas.

Last night, we celebrated with a bottle

and our sweet, little 3 week old grandson.

A good time was had by all. 

Being a grandma is THE BEST!

♥♥♥

A new year, though, brings plans for spring.  I can now concentrate on my reading material for the winter.

Seed catalogs!

If you’ve ever signed up to receive a seed catalog, you’ve probably gotten at least ten by the end of December.  I love to look and read about all the new cultivars developed and even though I save the majority of seed from year to year, I usually end up ordering a few unusual seeds to try.  Who wouldn’t be intrigued by seeds such as Peppermint Stick Celery? Outhouse Hollyhocks? or Mr. Wrinkles Pumpkin seed?

Before you order though, I would like to share a resource of reviews for several thousand seed and plant companies.  It’s called the Garden WatchDog and can be found on Dave’s Garden website http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd  I have personally used many of the top 30 seed companies listed but,  if I do order from a different company, I always check this site first.

Very soon, it will be time to start my perennials under the grow light.  The seeds I saved from the fall have been cold stratifying (usually a must for perennials) since they were collected.   All this means is that the seeds harvested must be stored in a place that mimics their natural environment.  For me, this is done in my unheated garage.

I went a little crazy last fall and collected an enormous amount of seed.  If you are interested in starting some of these seeds, please check back in a few days as I will be giving some of these seeds away.  I will have some unusual perennials and annual seeds ready to go as soon as I get my Christmas deco put away so stay tuned!

In the meantime though,  I’m looking forward to going through each one of my seed catalogs–dreaming and planning for the warmer days of spring…..