Texas winter...

Dear friends,

Our winter here has been very hard on my achy joints and muscles, and all the rain and almost constant grey skies have taken a toll on my mood. That's why, when plants went on clearance around Thanksiving, I splurged on a wild ginger. I've wanted one for years and knew that they might not make it through our winters.

I was gifted with a few blooms soon after buying the plant. Of course, the photo doesn't do them justice. I expected an exotic scent. Not so much.

Photo copyright ©2016 by Bobbi A. Chukran. All Rights Reserved.

 They did well for a while. Actually, they did well until the first cold snap we had. It wasn't quite freezing, only in the 40s. But there's a reason these plants are known as "tender tropicals." Right now the pot of dead leaves is sitting in my makeshift "faux greenhouse" which is a sheet of plastic across my garden shed porch alcove. Will they survive? We shall see.

Indoors, we're starting another phase of our old house remodeling--turning the back laundry/junk room (with seven huge windows) into a dedicated garden/plant room. Hopefully. We have a lot of constraints--no walls to put walls on, those pesky windows, plumbing that has to be moved, etc. etc. I'll share pics as they become available.

Today it's warmer and the sun is shining. And for that, I'm grateful.

Happy trails!

bobbi a. chukran