Late Winter is Looking Like Spring

I have been publishing this blog for over ten years, and sometimes I think I am running out of things to say. I wonder if people are tired of seeing pictures of the same scenes, after all these years.Here is the February 2020 edition of my woodland garden moss path. It is lush after all the winter rain we have had. Last year I added the blue bottle tree.Then I wander out into the garden and feel the pulse of the turning seasons. Every year I am thrilled at subtle changes, with the same familiar plants doing well or new ones settling in. I never grow tired of my garden. I always find some little surprise, like these fern shadows on my moss path:

Or this cluster of trident maple seed pods; I think they are fascinating!

So here we are with a new year, and late winter is looking like spring, just as it does every year about this time. Occasionally we may have a few inches of snow dumped on all my late winter bloomers, just to keep things a little exciting. No snow yet this winter, but it could still happen. Probably not. Here in the Deep South it really is feeling like spring.

So here are some familiar plants, my reliable late winter bloomers. They make me happy. I hope you enjoy seeing them, too!

Hellebores, also called lenten roses, will bloom for months. They eventually fade to white, then green. I have an assortment. Over the years, many have intermingled and produced assorted offspring:

Daffodils began to bloom this past week:

Variegated winter daphne (Daphne odora 'Marginata') has been blooming a while. The waxy blooms are fragrant. Good drainage is critical for this plant, and I grow mine in a large pot:

Flowering quince (Chaenomeles) is another reliable, long-blooming plant. These flowers are from the original shrubs that were here when we moved to this property in 1985:

Here are a few more images from my late winter garden. First is Deodar cedar 'Feelin' Blue.' It was a few inches tall when I planted it more than a decade ago. It has always been one of my favorites:

This is another woodland garden view I have featured before. I like how the tree shadow points to the gazing ball:

And finally, I am particularly pleased with a resurrection fern growing in the crack of a large boulder:

May all of you find joy in a garden!  Deb

Best of the Rest: Leftovers from 2019

2020 is here! It is a fun year to say and write, and surely it is full of potential. But first, one look back to 2019. About this time each year I select photos from each month that for various reasons did not make it onto my blog, but may deserve a chance to get out of the leftover pile. So - drumroll - here they are: 2019 Best of the Rest!

January:

Lancinato kale is also known as Dinosaur Kale. I love to include it with my winter vegetables. It is tasty and grows huge, making quite a statement in the winter vegetable patch. It produces striking yellow blooms later in the year when it goes to seed.

February:

This is a close-up of the crystal gazing ball that rests amidst moss in an old birdbath in the woodland garden. The image on the left is what you normally see, and the one on the right is the inverted view.

March:

We usually have lots of rain in winter and spring, and the woodland garden paths grow lush with moss.

April:

Rhododendron austrinum is a native azalea commonly called the Florida Flame Azalea. It has brilliant blooms with lovely fragrance.

May:

Clematis 'Niobe' was a new addition to my garden in 2019. It is growing well, and I am looking forward to seeing it bloom in 2020.

June:

This is the entrance to the vegetable and work area of my garden. A lot of non-glamorous stuff goes on behind the fence. A little fairy garden is in the wheelbarrow.

July:

This is my son Sam giving thumbs-up to his first 'Orange Crush' watermelon. He gave me several of his seedlings, and they almost took over my vegetable area. They were delicious!

August:

It is always a challenge capturing photos of hummers. It took a lot of patience to get these young ruby-throated hummingbirds to pose for me!

September:

Here is a view of the stone stairway leading from our drive down into the woodland garden. The large tree is a Southern Magnolia.

October:

'SkyRocket' Salvia is an annual that grew over three feet tall and wide and bloomed prolifically until hard frost.

November:

These mums are not fancy. They originally were a single pot bought for a few dollars at the grocery store. I have had them for many years, and they have spread to form a satisfying ground cover around a crepe myrtle tree.

December:

One of the last sunsets of the year is seen through a screen of woodland tree trunks.

Did you have a favorite month in 2019? 

Now on to 2020. Best wishes and happy gardening to you all!  Deb