We had a winter storm and Burrrrr, it is cold here in Georgia! We only had about 2 inches of snow which is beautiful but, 
on top of that snow, we had ice! Ice is good to me when added to a drink during the summer time but not welcome on our roads...This storm pretty much closed our entire town! Schools, all Government to include Ft Gordon closed on Monday. Tuesday, schools and other county facilities remained closed.
Yep, to be expected when you live in the Deep South. You visitors from the North laugh at us during these times with some of you calling us Wussies. What you don't understand is, we do not usually see such stuff this far south. Therefore, we do not have the equipment to clear the roads of such mess quickly. Some may think that our county should invest in a few more plows and stockpiles of salt. In the 11 years I have called Georgia home, I can only recall 3 snowfalls and two ice storms so I am not so sure that would be money well spent. Also another good reason to stay off the roads during such mess, not many people here have experience driving in such conditions, thus, many fender benders. Normally, Snow and Ice are gone within hours of falling here but this one is still melting after 3 days of arriving. Yes, it is cold down here!
During times such as this I cannot help but ask about Global Warming. I am seeing a Global Freeze in places where we normally do not see Freezing weather. Hum, Who is going to jump on this bandwagon? 
We knew this storm was on the way so we made sure to have plenty of supplies on hand. Winter supplies include bird seed for our wild friends. The Finches love their new Thistle Sock! 
Black Oil Sunflower seed is a favorite as well at the large feeder.
The Peanut butter nugget feeder's top was frozen. This is why we have a top on the feeder as it kept the food dry and ready to nibble. 
Even though the squirrels are pest in my Georgia Garden at times, I do feel for them in the winter months. I made sure they had food to nibble as well. In the Spring, I will be chasing them around the yard out of my plants. Yes, a Love-Hate relationship with these critters...
Seeing these prints tells me the deer were at the corn bucket.
And Peter Rabbit was here for a visit as well.
As a Gardener, I cannot help but worry about my beloved gardens during such horrible weather. The Japanese Maples have endured ice in the past and survived so I believe they will once again jump back to life once the ice melts. 
The Rock Garden looks more like a Snow Garden right now.
This Pot full of Winter creeper and Arrows Rush is a new addition to my Rock Garden so this will be a "Wait and See" for me. 
Another "Wait and See" will be this Fan Palm (Silver European) in the Beach Planter. The tag states she will be okay to temps as low as 0-degrees once established. I planted her last spring so we will see if she had time to establish or not...
Iris (Tina passed along to me) are still green nestled within the freezing snow and ice.
The Semi-Formal Garden did not look too inviting to me with its frozen pathways. Sigh...
This Dogwood says something to me. "I am okay and will be back in Spring" That is what I am hearing anyway. Hey, my story and I am sticking to it okay....
I also think the Vinca will be fine as it has endured much worse. 
And I do not worry about the Butterfly Bushes either. They may be laying down right now with a heavy ice coating but with the melt down, they will pop back up, be pruned this spring and once again bring butterflies into my life. See how they are still green for me? 
Of course we have to add a pretty Red Berry (Nandina) picture in this mix! I just love the way they glow through the ice... 
Even though we are burning the fireplace as if we were living in the Pioneer Days, we have plenty of wood ready to keep us toasty this winter. 
And more wood remains to be split for next winter as well. Yep, we are prepared for this GLOBAL WARMING??? NOT, In the Garden...
Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden
