A Weekend in January

Last week I posted about the Goldfinches flocking to the feeders in my garden.  Well, they're still here :-)

They seem to be roosting in the hedgerow across the street behind our house, but each morning they arrive en masse to gorge themselves at the feeders...

... before resting up in the Crepe Myrtle  ...

... Or in the Vitex tree...

They don't stay with us long, but rather refuel to continue their northward migration.  I have never seen an American Goldfinch in its glorious yellow and black plumage.  I only ever see them in their "olive drab", lol.

I didn't spend all weekend sitting around watching birds - I actually did some work in the garden too. 

The compost bin has been getting very difficult to fit stuff in because it is overflowing.  So I decided it was time to "harvest" some of the compost at the bottom of the bin, which would allow me to turn the rest, water it down and get the lid on properly.

I was sweating like crazy by the time I was done, but it needed to be done and I had a sense of accomplishment.  I got two loads like this and added them to the island bed.  

Before putting the lid back on, I used my secateurs to make sure all the garden waste that was sitting on top was chopped into small pieces that would break down more easily, added a layer of soil and watered it down.

During the week, I spent a long overdue afternoon attacking the front flowerbed.  As I was ripping out the nutsedge which is growing rampant along the back of the bed, I discovered that the milkweed I had trimmed back recently is putting out new growth.

So after admiring it and taking its photo, I set to work trimming back the rest of the milkweed and mulching, so the front bed looks tidy once more... at least for a while.

Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.