Already thinking of Spring

Soon the garden stores will have out their spring bulbs and seed displays, and seed catalogs will start arriving in the mail. It's a wonderful time to dream....

I need a new project like I need a hole in the head, but I just can't help it! During the wee hours of the night shifts I work, there is usually a lull between 2am - 4am. Lately I've been brewing a cup of hot tea and sketching out plans for a hummingbird garden.
Last summer I had set out a few feeders in hopes of seeing one or two of the buggers. We saw some alright....en masse:

And now I'm obsessed with them! They leave yearly in October and migrate to South America. They make their way back to the U.S. in March, and I'm going to be ready! I have several feeders cleaned and ready but I wanted a habitat for them...I want hummingbird babies! So I'm planning a garden island in the middle of the backyard for them. During January I will be preparing the soil and starting seeds. In February, I'm going to work on a water feature and some garden art (not that hummingbirds need any garden art, but I want it to be pretty!) and then we should be ready to plant after the last frost date in March.

I'm really excited about this little project and I even think it will take precedence over my vegetable gardening this year...we'll see!
So fire up that tiller, Doug, we've got some work to do!