In the Wet Garden

I went to sleep last night to the heavy beat of rain and the wind blowing against the windows. While northern parts of the country are buried under deep drifts of snow, here we have only persistent rain. Early today there was a brief break in the clouds. Don't be fooled. That bit of blue sky was only a tease.I hurried out with my camera. I walked on spongy earth, and I am grateful we do not live in a flood plain.This is no flood. It is water in a birdbath!

It was a bejeweled morning, a short respite from the gloom, as dripping branches glistened in the soft light, though I could see black clouds gathering for another surge.

Flowers were sodden, some full blooms lying helpless on the ground where they had been carried by the storms:

I often kneel or lie down to get better views of the hellebores, but not today!

Sometimes the tiniest things are the most interesting. This hydrangea 'Lady in Red' bud is pushing out even as last year's dried blooms still cling nearby to the same shrub. I can't decide if the new bud looks more like a candle or an arrow head!

It was a good morning to admire freshly washed foliage. Anything variegated is my favorite!

A couple of years ago I went on a rampage and tried to eliminate all of the wild nandinas growing throughout my garden, nearly an impossible task, and here is one I missed. I need to get rid of those berries soon, but I couldn't bring myself to do it today.Nandina is invasive, but I love the bright berries!

I was grateful to get these few photos of the garden, for chilling rain soon returned and continued the rest of the day. My poor bones never did get warm. Sunshine is predicted for later in the week. If that happens and we also get some warmer temperatures, I think spring will gain too much momentum to stop, but one never knows for sure. Here one day is winter, the next day spring, around and around again until we are all confused, but eventually it works out!

New Woodland Entrance

Gardens change just as the seasons come and go. Ever since there was a woodland garden in the little valley on the other side of the drive leading to our house, its entrance trail was marked by several ancient dogwood trees.Colorful fall foliage of dogwood trees marks the entrance to the woodland garden in this fall, 2009 photo.

Some of the same trees are on the lower right in this March 2011 photo of the woodland garden.I have known for several years that the ones leading directly into the main part of the woodland garden were slowly dying of old age and accumulated years of stress, but I still hated when Lou sawed the last one down this winter. Though I am comforted by the three small ones that have sprouted nearby, it will be years before they grow as tall as their parents.

So what is to take their place? Can anything take their place? I ruled out another tree because I want to give the preexisting baby dogwoods room to grow, but I needed some vertical accent here. 

Here is my solution:

After Lou installed this new birdhouse for me, I thought the post was not substantial enough for the space, so I moved the stone rabbit from the other side of the path. The winter woodlands look so bare, but I know that soon the new birdhouse will be surrounded by foliage and flowers. I am eager to dress up the post, but, because it is pressure treated, I have to wait several weeks before painting or staining it. Patience! I am also thinking about putting a decorative bracket on the post with some sort of garden sign hanging from it.

The woodland entrance looks different now, but I am happy with it. At the front of the entrance trail, there still remain three of the oldest dogwoods, their curving trunks joined at the base. They are seen in the lower left photo above. They look healthy for now, but I know they too are probably beyond their life expectancy. I can't imagine how I could replace them, but that is a problem for another day.

Meanwhile, since I was in the redecorating mood, I also moved several pots to make a grouping across from the entrance. These are frost proof pots, which stay out all winter. I probably will put plants in a couple of them when spring arrives, but I like their empty appearance:

Before I close, how about some February flowers? Above left: Camellia 'Taylor's Perfection' is growing in the woodland garden. It is young but already appears to be a heavy bloomer. Above right: In a January post I showed Daphne odora 'Marginata' when it was covered with buds. Look at the blooms now! Winter daphne needs excellent drainage. I can guarantee its requirements only in the controlled environment of a pot. Usually it sits in the garden at the top of the hydrangea walk. However, because of the amount of rain we have through the winter, I have moved it temporarily to the patio, where it sits under the shelter of the eves next to the glass doors to the kitchen. A bonus is that we get to watch the blooms as we eat breakfast each day.

Have a great week!   Deborah