Today is my first contribution to "Garden Bloggers Bloom Day". A great big thank you to Carol at http://maydreamsgardens.com for letting me know about this event. As I understand it, on the 15th of each month garden bloggers photograph what is blooming for them that day.
I thought for sure that I would not find any blooms as I walked around our chilly garden this morning. While I didn't find anything actually blooming, I was pleasantly surprised to find some plant material worth photographing.
While the crocuses and the snowdrops still have a chance to sneak up and surprise me, the first flower bud visible is on the stand of Hellebores out front. This one clump of Hellebores gives me the most wonderful bunch of seedlings each year. Two years ago it was almost decimated when the oil delivery truck backed up through this bed (OUCH) but it is finally starting to fill in that spot again.
Here you can see lots of little black berries still on the Liriope. These berries must taste awful or must be poisonous because we have tons of birds and bunnies look for nibbles around here.
More Hellebores, this one looked so nice with the sun shining through and the crispy brown oak leaves. I also love the way the Hellebore foliage looks in the summer when they are finished blooming.
Lots of Sempervivum (Hens & chicks) in the garden. They look so frozen right now. This one here turns a deep red once the season warms up but for now almost all the varieties have this grayish greenish coloration.
Here's another Sempervivum, I didn't bother to copy down the names for this post as they don't look like they will during growing season. While their fuzzy webs aren't visible in the winter, the light frost gives them a similar appearance.
More buds here on the Pieris japonica by the back shed. I can't wait to smell them when they begin to bloom.
The Silene armeria seedlings are everywhere, just carpeting the ground. This year I think I will have to pot them up and share them with friends. They're not at all invasive, one year I almost lost them. Now I leave them be so they can seed about to their hearts content. A simple pass with a cultivator pulls them out any undesired location. To see what they look like in bloom you only have to scroll down to my Valentine Pink post and see them combined with the Edelweiss.
So, no pretty eye candy today but who cares...my daughter Lauren is coming home for the weekend! Homesickness has struck again and she's taking a bus and a train to get here. I've got to stock up on some of her favorites and hang her bedding outside so it smells like "home".
What's blooming for you today?
I thought for sure that I would not find any blooms as I walked around our chilly garden this morning. While I didn't find anything actually blooming, I was pleasantly surprised to find some plant material worth photographing.
While the crocuses and the snowdrops still have a chance to sneak up and surprise me, the first flower bud visible is on the stand of Hellebores out front. This one clump of Hellebores gives me the most wonderful bunch of seedlings each year. Two years ago it was almost decimated when the oil delivery truck backed up through this bed (OUCH) but it is finally starting to fill in that spot again.
Here you can see lots of little black berries still on the Liriope. These berries must taste awful or must be poisonous because we have tons of birds and bunnies look for nibbles around here.
More Hellebores, this one looked so nice with the sun shining through and the crispy brown oak leaves. I also love the way the Hellebore foliage looks in the summer when they are finished blooming.
Lots of Sempervivum (Hens & chicks) in the garden. They look so frozen right now. This one here turns a deep red once the season warms up but for now almost all the varieties have this grayish greenish coloration.
Here's another Sempervivum, I didn't bother to copy down the names for this post as they don't look like they will during growing season. While their fuzzy webs aren't visible in the winter, the light frost gives them a similar appearance.
More buds here on the Pieris japonica by the back shed. I can't wait to smell them when they begin to bloom.
The Silene armeria seedlings are everywhere, just carpeting the ground. This year I think I will have to pot them up and share them with friends. They're not at all invasive, one year I almost lost them. Now I leave them be so they can seed about to their hearts content. A simple pass with a cultivator pulls them out any undesired location. To see what they look like in bloom you only have to scroll down to my Valentine Pink post and see them combined with the Edelweiss.So, no pretty eye candy today but who cares...my daughter Lauren is coming home for the weekend! Homesickness has struck again and she's taking a bus and a train to get here. I've got to stock up on some of her favorites and hang her bedding outside so it smells like "home".
What's blooming for you today?
7 comments:
Melanie
I'll have to go look up this type of posting too .. although I have so much "STINKING" snow (as the 'hood boys have MUMBLED under 3 feet of it even on the deck!) I would have nothing in bloom except my "Hens & Chicks" ? I have the Cobweb one that I really like .. Halloweeny ?
Hellebore Orientalis ? is what I have and it is very hardy .. the new cultivars that have the flowers upturned ? .. now that is what I would like to get !
We are due for 30 more centimeters (about 14 inches) on Sunday .. so sick of snow .. BIG sigh !
Dave and the boys say hi to Claus ! LOL
Joy : ) "stuck-in-snow"
Welcome to Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. It looks like your garden is poised to start blooming any time, so maybe March 15th will be a big bloom day for you? I'm hoping it is for me.
Thanks for joining in!
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
Welcome to the Bloom Day tradition, Melanie! One thing Carol's site *doesn't* tell you is that it's very addictive, but you may guess it is by the number of participants. How great that you were find anything for today, and there's obviously lots of potential for next month. Thanks for sharing!
Congrats on your first GBBD post, Melanie...you've started off with some glorious plants, that's for sure. Excuse me while I snivel a little...hellebores have defeated me almost as much as hollyhocks--yes, hollyhocks--have in the past. So I have a bit of hellebore envy but also joy in such beautiful plants--especially their foliage!
I didn't know about the bloom day.I'll have to check that out. I did notice as I went to get the mail today that my rose bush is putting out new growth. You know what--I love to pull up your blog and see your house. It is very striking. Loved your Hens and Chicks too! It was a nice visit to your gardens as usual.
Joy, stay tuned, I'm feeling like I need to do an "adventures of Claus the garden gnome" theme :-)
Carol, thanks for the welcome, I'm so glad to be here!
Nan, I think you are right, this is going to be very addictive, kind of like chocolate...
Jodi, Hellebores are good but I too have never had luck yet with those darn Hollyhocks and still I put them on my wish list this year! Gardeners must be optimistic as we just plod along and try try again.
flowergardengirl (Anna?) thanks so much for the wonderful compliment on our house. It didn't have anything on our wish list...no master bath room, only three bedrooms, 50 year old kitchen and yet we stood on the front stoop and knew it was ours before we ever stepped through the front door. (Still doesn't have any of those things after 11 years here!)
Hey, Melanie :-)
Lovely garden! I love your plants - they all have great winter interest especially for your first GBBD :-D
I did have crocusus in flower for GBBD but I am now feeling a little guilty that I have been taking them for granted. However, after my snowdrop walk I have bought three small plants to add to my garden to remember my trip by :-D
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