Is Spring of 2013 FINALLY, FINALLY springing? (PART ONE of FIVE) ASK THE SHRUBS!

Because thirty-six days have passed since spring's hesitant arrival, I'm "due" to make a progress report re the comings and goings in my terrace (roof extension) garden thus far this season. I'll do those over a series of five posts so that I can focus on a couple of "stories" within a given entry, and I'll be taking a look back at how things are doing as of a couple of days ago, Wednesday, April the 24th, when Juan V worked with me in my garden for the the third time since we de-winterized on March 9th 2013 (which means we have already worked together four times this growing season)!

"another year over AND a new one just begun . . . " PART TWO-A (January — March 2012)

Happy first full week (ALMOST) of the 2013 year and with that salutation I welcome you to part two (portion A) of my post titled "another year over AND a new one just begun . . . "  

Since tomorrow is January the eighth, which means  the first week of the calendar new year will already be passing, it's high time I complete my garden's year-end review for 2012-2013, as promised in part one of this posting!

And, as I stated in part one, part two will be a quick look back pictorially over the "breaking news" of a given month in my garden from January 5, 2012 through January 5, 2013. However, part two will take place over thirten days, which will include today, where I will cover the events for the months of January-March of 2012; tomorrow, the eighth, where I will cover the events for the month of April 2012; Wednesday, the ninth when I'll cover the events of May 2012; Thursday the tenth when I will cover the events of June of 2012; Friday the eleventh, when I'll cover the events of July 2012; and, Saturday, the twelfth when I will cover the events of August 2012. 

Because the year 2012 brought with it a number of major garden upheavals, including a so-called renovation in September, Hurricane Sandy as well as a nor'easter in October, I will divide the review for those months and cover them over two — three days per month.

On Sunday, January the thirteenth, I will cover the events of September 2012 which occurred between September 1st and September 11th of 2012; then on Monday, January 14th, I'll cover the events from September 12th to September 19th of 2012; and I'll conclude September 2012' s coverage on Tuesday, January the sixteenth.

Then on Wednesday, January the sixteenth, I will cover October 1st 2012 through October 10th 2012; on Thursday the seventeenth, I'll cover October 11th through October 24th; and I'll conclude October of 2012 on Friday the eighteenth of January, when I will cover October 25th through October 31st.

I will cover the month of November 2012, on Saturday the nineteenth; and on Sunday the twentieth, I'll cover the month of December 2012 through January 5th of 2013. 

The numbers of photo-ops (in my Aperture Library) for this particular year in my garden are: 62 for January of 2012; 8 for February of 2012; 1,085 for March of 2012; 983 for April of 2012; 595 for May of 2012; 1,276 for June of 2012; 1,015 for July of 2012; 980 for August of 2012; 7,016 for September of 2012; 5,170 for October of 2012; 1,853 for November of 2012; 220 for December of 2012; and as of January 5th, 2013, there are already thirty-one images. Generally, when a given month has a larger amount of images  it is due to what has bloomed, which is still the case; however because an array of visiting birds came to my garden this year, my image-count for the particular months they spent time here is higher. 

Moreover a number of upheavals occurred in my garden during certain months, and this accounts for varying image quantities per month. And now — if you are not totally confused by my detailed schedule, without further ado, the highly anticipated year in pictures for The Last Leaf Gardener's garden!

It's still very much October: Rites of Autumn, Moon-Lit Skies and soon All Hallow's Eve

Halloween is a week and a day from the date of this posting. I have honored it by placing orange candles and pumpkin decorations in various places in my garden as seen in the photographs above. 

My decorations are subtle, I find the orange colors to be a way of celebrating the hues offered by the Cheerful Cherry Farm's Sweet Autumn Clematis, discussed in previous posts. The orange also compliments the hues of my Strawberry Plants, Thom-Thumb Shrub, Contorted Hazelnut, and English Lavender. 

Fall is a lovely season for gathering in the garden with friends to enjoy rosemary-infused cocktails  and conversation. Or just to simply be alone and sip on a Hot Chocolate (made with Chauo's special blend swirled into Ronny Brook Farm milk -- a find at the Greenmarket in Union Square) while gazing at the stars.