January in the Miss-Lou reminds me of how lucky I am to live in the South. Mild winters make it easy to find reasons to get out in the garden. As usual, my housekeeping suffers due to my love of the outdoors.

Recently I talked to a friend in Massachusetts.

Shoveling snow is the only semi-gardening activity she’s been able to do in the last few weeks to combat cabin fever. I bet her floors look a lot better than mine but I wouldn’t trade anything for southern winters.

Gardening way up there means that you sit still for several months of the year and daydream about feeling the warmth of the summer soil. Starting seed indoors would be a stressful spring gardening challenge for me.

Especially knowing that I was trying to get a jump on a growing season that only lasts a few short months.

Sure, I love the peonies, lilacs, and fancy rhododendrons that bloom in northern summers but I’d hate to miss out on the beauty and fragrance of the paperwhites, camellias, and sweet olives that grace southern winter gardens.

We also get to grow what we know as cool season bedding plants during winter.

Above the Mason-Dixon line, these are referred to as summer bedding plants.

While we are enjoying pansies, dianthus and sweet alyssum, they bundle up and trudge through the snow and slush just looking for the pathway to the garage. Bless their hearts.

The southern winter is nice because the landscape reveals the contrasts of the evergreen and deciduous trees.

Shadows of the crape myrtle branches show up clearly on bright days and look like a work of art against a wall. I find it easy to get caught up in gazing at the beauty of their bare branches.

Winter honeysuckle fills the air with a sweet aroma. Foliage of spring bulbs is breaking through the earth.

Buds are swelling in preparation for our fabulous spring flower pageant.

All we’ve got to do is put on some comfortable shoes, perhaps bundle up a little and get out and enjoy the scenery.

I love that we can cultivate vegetables and herbs each month.

As my northern friend is thumbing through catalogs and day dreaming about which cole crops to grow when the soil thaws, we’ve got gardens full of cabbage, broccoli and much more.

Cilantro, parsley and dill are right outside the back door for fresh use now and basil is queen of the summer garden. Instead my northern friend has to grow all her edibles in a short growing window.

Knowing that even on the coldest days I am able to walk in my garden and see columbine and foxglove waiting to bloom in spring is comforting to me.

I don’t think I could stand not pulling a few weeds and thinning poppy seedlings in winter.

So what, if the house is messy. The garden looks great.