Dreaming of the garden

One of the best things I ever find waiting in my mailbox in winter is a new garden catalog. So far, I've received catalogs from Totally Tomatoes, John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, and Daddy passed along his Burpee catalog as well. This is some of my favorite reading material in the cold, gray days of winter—and it's just so lovely to be reminded that spring is just around the corner. This year, I think I'm going to concentrate on teatime herbs since I seem to have better luck with them than some of the flowers I've tried to grow.

Of course half the fun of working in the garden is accessorizing the garden, so I was quite happy when several friends and family gave me garden goodies with a tea theme as Christmas gifts. My friend Deberah got our mutual friend and garden club member, Charlotte, to make this great teacup bird feeder, which is somehow glued and mounted on top of a glass vase. I've had a similar piece before and erected it in the garden using some of the bamboo which grows so abundantly near our creek. I'll be doing that again this year, I hope!

Deberah joked that she had a "glue theme" with my gift this year, because she also gave me a pedestal plate she made herself using a candlestick and a rose design plate she found at Goodwill. I love this—and because it's clear in color, I know I will get lots of use from it!

Deberah also carried out her "glue theme" with this rose-design piece she found on Etsy. You can use it this way or turn it upside down. I will probably use it both ways as the years go by. Pretty!

I was already dreaming of my 2013 tea garden when my friend Susan gave me these windchimes. Perfect!

Then my friend Liz gave me a "tea set" that I am already envisioning planted with moss. I spotted a pretty patch of moss out in the yard just the other day, and I can just picture that pretty green color peeking through the wire of this set.

Then on Christmas day, my mom said, "If you have one of these already, feel free to take it back to Hobby Lobby." I didn't bother to tell her that in fact I did have one, because I think I rather like the idea of having two, and in different colors. Are any of you thinking about the garden just yet? I'd love to know what seeds you'll be planting this year!