Under the Snow

We haven't had much snow this year. That's good and bad. Good, because the roads are clear and travel is easy. Bad, because the perennials don't have the insulation to protect them from the cold. Even so, I saw a few frosted violets the other day in a sheltered area that never gets a snow build-up. This is how it looked out the back door just a few days ago....It has been cold though. We lost three guinea hens in the past few days. Not really sure what happened to them. Two cuddled up against the wall of the barn and expired together (odd that they didn't seek shelter and died at the same time...), the third seems to have just disappeared - which probably means it is down in the woods.
More snow is in the forecast, so I took a moment to go outside and see what was going on in the garden. It's interesting to see what happens out there.
Today the snow has melted back from some of the plants.
The horehound is very busy growing. Not as vigorous as it would be in the summer, it still continues to grow, unperturbed by the lack of sun and warmth. That is one stubborn little plant!
The rosemary is still kicking. It remains to be seen whether it will make it through the winter. There are three of them out there, and usually at least one survives. It all depends on which way the wind blows, the amount of snow, and how cold it gets for how long.
Sage leaves are also continuing to grow through the winter. We think these plants are dormant, but as it turns out they are not completely asleep.
The chickweed has made a nice carpet close to the ground under the conifers. There is always plenty of that around here as it seems to really love the climate under the boughs.
It felt good to go out and poke around in the ground. We've been staying pretty busy with indoor pursuits in the past few weeks, and are just about to dive into the next issue of The Essential Herbal (Mar/Apr '11). With more white stuff on the way in the next few days, it was now or never. I think I'm starting to wake up from my mini-hibernation.