A Hellebore Garden

We took a few days to visit family and friends in Georgia. 

Blooming in gardens along the way were star magnolias and camellias. In the northeast corner of Georgia in the higher elevations around Dillard,  wild rhododendrons were everywhere budded and ready to bloom. Just seeing them makes me want to go back when they bloom sometime in May I was told. Oh, there is a place called Dillard House where the restaurant has no menu but serves you all you can eat of everything they have for the day including two or three meats, rolls and cornbread, lots of vegetables, and desert. You will have to take some home with you because it is impossible to eat it all.

This large camellia has a beautiful color similar to Kramer's Supreme and a big boss of anthers.

My sister-in-law's garden in Atlanta is filled with hellebores which means there is a host of flowers for several months of the year. They are quite happy growing around a blue stone patio and paths on a red clay hill with mature deciduous trees overhead. The hellebores in my garden are due to her generosity.

As the season progresses the hellebores are interspersed with seasonal delights: pansy, hosta, hydrangea, spirea, annuals, etc.

You don't often see snow drops/galanthus in the south but you do see snow flakes/Leucojum aestivum with their little bells of white dotted with green. There is a hybrid with larger blooms called 'Gravetye'.

Carolina jessamine/Gelsemium sempervirens beautifies the utility area.

A bathtub and bed frame add a touch of whimsey to Betty Jane's garden.

She uses lots of solor lighting to highlight the garden at night.

Narcissus 'Ice Follies'

When we returned home Narcissus  'Ice Follies' and 'Thalia' were blooming. Also blinding red tulips were blooming...what few the squirrels didn't eat.

Tulipa fosteriana 'Red Emperor'

I always bring home plant souvenirs. This time it was blue-eyed daisies/Osteospermum.

March Flowers

You can find out what's blooming around the world in March if you visit May Dreams Garden for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day which is the 15th of each month.  Take a look and see what can be added to your flower parade.

Wine Helleborus x hybridus

 The hellebores have been blooming since February and the flowers will last for many months.

Helebore x hybridus

Many gardeners are complaining of their losses this year due to the harsh winter; but, the hellebores have been unaffected and are flourishing.

White Helleborus x hybridus

For some reason, I favor the white ones.

Helleborus x hybridus

Narcissus 'Tete a Tete'

Short in stature but color intense, mini Narcissus 'Tete a Tete' can command your attention. Tete a tete means head to head and there are two flowers per stem seemingly in a conversation. This fact may help identify them if they get lost among other minis.

A mulch of leaves remains in the beds until April when it will be removed and added to the compost bin.

Jonquils 

Unlike other narcissus, jonquils have tubular rather than flattened foliage.

Forsythia

You can always count on forsythia for a big splash of color.

Lycoris squamigera/Naked Ladies

Lycoris adds a lot of green to the garden as early as February. They will soon be covered with daylilies. Then after the daylilies bloom like a big surprise out will pop the naked ladies.

Texas Red Flowering Quince

For color as intense as any azalea but earlier,  plant quince.

Pond

The plants have started growing in the pond but, the fishes are the main attraction now.

Bradford Pear

Fruit trees are the showiest elements of the early spring garden. 

Confederate Violet

Lastly, the violet is lifting its pretty head from the beneath the woodland leaves.

Tiny Evergreens

I attended the Nashville Lawn and Garden Show on the last day. Wouldn't you know, my phone/camera was needing a charge. So, here is one floral arrangement that caught my eye. 

As far as the plants were concerned, I found the miniature evergreens of interest and added three new ones to my collection. They grow very slowly and take many years to reach their mature diminutive size making them perfect for trough gardens. These were purchased in 4" pots. 

The source of  miniatures are witches brooms. Normal size trees due to disease, insect damage, etc. sometimes form growths/witches brooms that are more compact. The branches can be grafted to normal rootstock or they can be started from seed of the broom and reproduce the miniaturized form.

Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Rimpelaar' is a miniature conifer with blueish gray foliage that is hardy in zones 5-9. In ten years it will be a foot tall and wide. Mature Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Rimpelaar'

Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Spiralis' is a slow growing narrow upright evergreen reaching a height of three to five feet in ten years and is hardy to -30°F. It has a loose irregular upright habit. Mature Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Spiralis'

Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Snowkist' is a white variegated conifer that matures at 24"x18''.

I collected Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Golden Sprite' a few years ago and it can be seen here.  I found my previously purchased mini's to not be as hardy as expected in a tiny pot, but in the ground much more hardy.

Learn more about witches' brooms.

Oh, So Hardy!

Moss

There is a lot going on in the so-called dead of winter.  My January garden is a tiny thing.  Although it looks lush and tender, the fern moss is hardy to -5° F. It is completely happy outside in this 3"x 4" bonsai pot. I brought it inside to photograph because I'm not completely happy outside in the cold!  A high fired pot is impervious to freezing temps as well.

Fern Moss

Mosses are non vascular and reproduce by spores. You can read more about moss here.

Other Mosses

Lichens

Lichen on Wood

A woodpecker probably dislodged this little piece of wood with a lichen growing on it.  I found it on the ground and added it to a bed of moss.  The little shiny black bug near the top (I only noticed when processing the photo) may have been his target. 

Lichen and Sedum

A lichen is a symbiotic relationship between a fungus for structure and algae for photosynthesis. More about lichens here.

Birds

It is quite common to see beautiful cardinals at the feeders but the mockingbird usually hangs out in the front where there is a utility pole, one of their favorite haunts. However, freezing temperatures and snow-covered conditions brings him to the feeders. Most all the birds love the sunflower hearts and pieces. I've added chopped dried cranberries to their diet as well.

Mockingbird

The red-bellied woodpecker does have a red belly though it  cannot compare with his head. They are fond of the suet formulated for woodpeckers.  All the birds love it.  

Red-bellied Woodpecker

The feeders have been brought closer to the house for convenience but they will not remain. Too messy!  I'm always amazed how the birds endure the harsh winter.

Front View

Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing but to turn it into glory.  William Barclay

Christmastime is Here

Christmas Cat

2009

Who knows why I stopped by Pet Smart last Christmas Eve, noticed an openly loving, white cat with big blue eyes, and adopted him. I immediately, named him Christmas; since, Eve would not have been gender appropriate. Soon, he began to work his holiday magic and transform non-cat persons into cat lovers.

 Although Christmas is a mouser, he is very social and gentle with people. He made friends with the children next door and their Jack Russell terrier.  They all play chase; and, Christmas has a turn as IT, chasing after the kids and the dog.  He made friends with the military retiree to the east of us.  He goes in and watches TV with him and usually has a snack.

After a number of ear infections, Christmas had surgery to clear the problem. It took about three months for his hair to grow back.

2010

All in all, Christmas has been good for us; and, I think we have been good for him, as well.

Jingle bell, jingle bells, jingle all the way.
2010

Merry Christmas

Wildlife Fare

Everything is attracted to the screech owl box but the screech owl. The bluebirds are always checking it out, but the squirrels usually win the right to spend the night in it.

Mr. Squirrel is having supper. No need to sully the sleeping quarters. He lets the shells drop on the ground.

I was noticing all the food for wildlife while out taking a walk.  As well as the squirrels, deer come and eat the acorns.

Beautyberries are still available, and the birds will eat them when other things are depleted.

There are plenty of goldenrod seeds. Goldfinches eat those.  

Nandina berries remain for a long time and provide, if not food, a feast for the eyes  Nature provides bountifully and beautifully.