A Good Day In January

I remember seeing the sun. It was warm and glowing and lit the morning like blessings from Heaven. But that seems a long time ago. January has been sodden to the core with day after endless days of rain and more on the way. All normal for my part of the country.A typical January skySomewhere to the north, this moisture translates to idylic drifts of snow and winter wonderlands. (I can call it idyllic because I don't have to live with it.) Here we get mush.

Today between rain showers I went for a walk with Autumn the cat. An over exposed photo gives Autumn an angelic look. Talk to the ground squirrels about that!While I admired spots of color in the landscape, Autumn frolicked amidst the wet shrubs and rolled in clumps of moss and batted fallen twigs. She pretended to stalk hidden beasts until she was tired, then finally curled up in my lap as I sat on the arbor swing. It was a good day in January.

The old camellia bush at the top of the hydrangea walk is covered with buds and blooms. The air was warm today, but I fear for the shrub as freezing temperatures are predicited by next week, and I don't know how the flowers will do. For now the camellia is beautiful. I like how the bright red flowers contrast with the persistent dried blooms of the hydrangea 'Limelight'.

The hellebores are also beginning to bloom. These fabulous flowers will persist for months, beginning in purple, pink, and creamy colors, eventually all shading to pale green. For more information about hellebores, see my post, The Underworld of Hellebores.

Pieris japonica 'Cavatine' is growing well down from the patio. This dwarf andromeda grows to about two feet tall by four feet wide. It has lily of the valley type buds which swell over the winter, and they are nearly as pretty as the flowers.

Here are some more colorful accents to the gray January day:Clockwise from top left: I am amazed at this two year old decorative cabbage. It has grown atop a narrow stalk and is nearly two feet tall; Daphne odora 'Aureo marginata' is begiinning to bud; Nandina 'Firepower' is an evergreen shrub with lovely color year round; The first daffodil to bloom in my garden.

I really enjoyed all of these sights, but I was most thrilled when a Cardinal landed in a shrub about five feet from me.

I already had my camera in hand, focused in the direction of the shrub when this redbird arrived and posed for me, for just a few seconds — until he caught sight of Autumn! Could I have appreciated his scarlet vestments so much, if not for the gray background?

Now I'm Famous, Briefly

A stranger was standing in front of our house, taking photographs. My husband, being of suspicious nature, first considered the shotgun. We live inside the city, but our lot is pretty much at the end of the world, and folks don't come snooping without a reason. However, since the stranger was a pleasant-looking lady, he decided to go out and speak to her. I wasn't at home at the time, and later Lou told me she liked our garden and wanted to talk to me. The outcome of all this is that we were awarded Yard of the Month in the Helena News!

I mentioned the coveted Yard of the Month award in a long ago post, An Award No Lizard Can Give. In my mind it's right up there with the Academy Awards, although there is no prestigious ceremony where I get to wear a low-cut gown, nor are there television reporters waiting for my important words, nor monetary gains of any sort. Still. There's a photograph and a nice little article in the local news, recognition of my garden and a brief moment of fame.

So I am feeling happy about my garden, despite the weeds that are taking full advantage of our early spring. Some flowers have been blooming since January and are still putting on a satisfying show.

First are daffodils, including the pink 'Salome':

Other daffodils were planted as part of a naturalizing mixture and are nameless, but still lovely:

Next are hellebores; no other flower lasts longer or ages more gracefully:

Camellias:The top photo is of an old camellia bush that was by our mailbox when we first moved here. We later transplanted it to its current location in the Front Garden. The second row shows a red camellia from that same shrub and a pink camellia which sprouted by the mailbox after we had transplanted the first one. I'm not sure how that happened. The third row is Camellia 'Taylor's Perfection' and the red 'Gunsmoke'.

Some blooms have appeared more recently:Clockwise from top left: Muscari, grape hyacinths; Trollius; Viburnum burkwoodii; Hepatica; Dogwood, just beginning to bloom; the wildflower Trillium; another wildflower - Butterweed, Packera glabella; Azalea, just beginning to bloom.

Early blooming forsythias were beautiful till heavy storms of the past few days stripped many of their flowers. These photos were taken about two weeks ago. There is a secret entrance to the Woodland Garden just to the left of the large forsythia that grows beside the drive. It is down a fairly steep hill, and I have put in a few flat rocks to serve as steps. Someday I hope to have some real stairs here. Look close in the second photo, and you can catch a glimpse of our Dinosaur Egg, perched on a wooden pedestal:

Mr. Rabbit guards the main entrance to the Woodland Garden, and one can see the groundcover indigofera beginning to leaf out next to him:

This shot is from the main entrance. It is comparable to the one I featured in my last post, similar view taken two years ago. The tree in the upper left with purple blooms is 'Jane' magnolia.

Here's another view seen from our driveway. The first photo is the side of a birdhouse, the second one is the front of the same birdhouse. Some bird builds a nest every year here, but I have never seen baby birds being raised in it.

 

This is the old birdhouse in the Woodland Garden. Moss is beginning to grow on its roof:

Speaking of moss, I love the look of this moss, growing in a field:

Finally, redbud trees are in full bloom:

Spring is here! I hope that wherever you are, whatever the season you are in, that you are safe and comfortable and able to enjoy nature's blessings.   Deborah