gardening in winter

My second cousin sent me pictures of snowdrops already blooming in Germany.  So lovely!

But here in eastern Canada, although we have had many thaws and the snow has dissappeared so many times this winter, snowstorms have always followed.

Mountain ash berries covered with snow

With the grey skies and freezing weather, I'm getting restless, and I need to get my hands dirty.
I have repotted and divided my rampant aloe vera plants and another little succulent that has cloned itself madly, and I have watched my indoor flowers come to life.

I have coaxed my 5-year old orchid to re-bloom by filling the pot with fertilized water once a week, soaking 20 minutes, and then draining it.

I have a huge old Christmas cactus that blooms faithfully 4 times a year between Thanksgiving and spring, and then takes a well-deserved rest for the summer.  The plant is easy to propagate, and the daughters of the original plant are just as eager to bloom.

Yesterday my husband brought me a package of 3 different types of blight resistant tomato seeds.  I will wait until 8 weeks before the last frost (here that would be about April 10), and then plant them inside.  I'm looking forward to getting dirt under my fingernails!