"Six on Saturday," hosted by Jim at Garden Ruminations, is a great meme! One of its most helpful features is that we must narrow our observations down to six! This week I'm cheating and looking ahead.
The list of anticipated 2026 garden highlights is endless. So, here are my six: one for winter, two each for spring and sumer, and one for autumn.
1. Winter: seed-starting. It's cold outside! It's fun to be outdoors in this Midwestern U.S. climate...but only if you're moving and you're wearing warm gloves. I don't enjoy winter photography. With that said, I do enjoy starting seeds and caring for overwintered plants in the sunroom (more on that in a later post).
2. Spring: flowering bulbs and Hellebores. When these beauties make their appearances after a cold, dark winter...wowza! Pure joy!
3. Spring: native ephemerals. My philosophy in this garden is to nurture a variety of plants near the house, but to dedicate areas further out on the property to native plants. These include ephemerals like Spring Beauties (Claytonia virginica) shown here, along with many more.
4. Summer: Fresh-cut flowers. What a joy it is to arrange flowers using cuttings from one's own garden. The options are plentiful, particularly during the summer.
5. Summer: hummingbirds. These little buddies are magical visitors. They often return to the same location year after year: Banding research has shown they even show up on the same day, or near it, from year to year! I consider the hummers that return to be "old friends."
6. Autumn: Colorful leaves. It's a wistful season, with gardening ending and winter ahead. But it's also a gloriously colorful time. Nothing beats the beauty of autumn leaves—Oaks and many others.
That's my "six" for this week! For more garden observations from around the world, head on over to Garden Ruminations!
Beautiful photos and interesting perspectives for the year 2026!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Fred. I'm trying to stay optimistic about the year ahead--at least in the garden. :)
DeleteThose are some beautiful plans for the new year. I love the photo with the hummingbird.
ReplyDeleteThank you Kathrin. I've made it a personal goal to try to get more hummingbird photos in the spring and summer. They're difficult, of course, to photograph because they move so fast, but it's such a joy to observe them and capture them in photos!
DeleteI think it's always a good thing to look ahead, if for no other reason than to know what to look out for. My own sweet pea seedlings look to be far ahead of those I sowed last year around the same time and I'm looking forward to an earlier flowering as those are a cool season crop here. (Sadly, I don't think I can be as optimistic about the larkspur seedlings.) Your hummer shot is very sweet!
ReplyDeleteHi Kris: Yes, there's so much to look foward to in the garden. :) Sweet Peas are fun to grow! I had some in pots a few years ago--thanks for the reminder! The hummingbirds are definitely a highlight of the spring and summer (and a little bit of fall)!
DeleteA lovely, hopeful six and wow to the hummingbird!
ReplyDeleteThe hummers are so cute, and I love to hear them chirping away. I miss them from October through April.
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