Spring on a Winter's Day

I WALKED THROUGH THE OPENED sliding glass door and was pleasantly surprised. How unusual to feel warmth and see sunshine and blue sky on a Saturday morning in December. Sipping my coffee, I made my way around the garden, familiarizing myself with its many nuances, plants dormant yet clearly still alive. 

And plants weren't the only thing. As I stood like a statue, chickadees, wrens, towhees and even a little titmouse could be heard cheep, cheep, cheeping as they took a drink from the pond and splashed in the birdbath. I could hear the flutter of their little wing feathers as they skittered from one bush to another. Even a hummingbird buzzed in, landed on a branch, then buzzed off again. It was as if they were celebrating spring--blessed, warm and wonderful spring. It was a teaser day, of course but who cares? It was joyful. 

Here are some of the highlights of my garden today.   

Look! Bulb foliage!
Spring can't be far off. 

Chimonanthus praecox or Wintersweet is getting closer to blooming! 

Blushing chicks! 

I think my Cordy is a casualty.  

But my Phormium 'Jester' survived the cold

And so did Phormium 'Wings of Gold' 

I can never remember the name of this tender perennial.
It's got waxy leaves and bright pink flowers in spring and summer.
Fearing its demise, I brought it in during the cold snap.
Aptenia cordifolia variegata
Thank you Kris. 

I also took my Tree Fern indoors. Of all my tenders,
losing this one would be the most heartbreaking. 

It's apparently quite happy. 

  I started Geranium pyrenaicum from seed last spring. The seed was quick to
germinate and by August I had flowers. During the cold snap the leaves
on my 10 or so plants stayed green and fresh-looking.
And now, this protected plant has flower buds! 

My Pelargonium also has buds. But, yes it went indoors during the ice age.

Speaking of buds, Viburnum b. 'Pink Dawn'
has lots of new buds forming 

Because Mexican Feather Grass likes to be lazy
I'm thinking a pot is the best way to display it. 

This Agastache clump is looking no worse for the wear. 

Hebe 'Red Edge' looks nice too.

My Ugni molinae “Chilean Guava” looks really good and I"m really happy. 

Epimedium is happy too but the pot isn't in very good shape. 

Rosemary is okay but the Phygelius leaves look really sad. 

'Mars Midget' Knautia looks amazing. 

Check out the Lady Bug sunning herself. 

I'm glad she survived the cold too. 

Look what my sister Laura sent me for Christmas.
This really cool rusty star! I love it.  

Wishing all of you a joyous Christmas. 

The Big Thaw!

ALL OF THE LOCALS ARE HEAVING A sigh of relief as the big thaw has come and restored order once more. We're not used to extended snow and ice and temperatures that rival Alaska or at least Canada. We don't do serious cold. People wear shorts all winter around here. With temperatures dipping to record lows, (-9 in Eugene forty miles south of here) it was a 30 year event. 

I strolled along my garden's paths and unwrapped the plants I had wrapped for extra protection. The findings look surprisingly positive, I'm happy to report. The worst casualty, this: 

A two year old hanging pot of white-flowered Bacopa is pretty much toast.

Don't you love my pink blanket? The box covered 'Frost Proof' Gardenina.
Then the blanket covered the box. Then the snow covered the blanket. 

Voila, post the arctic blast, here is 'Frost Proof' Gardenia looking no worse for the weather.
It's supposed to be hardy to approximately 5 degrees  but I covered it just in case it got colder.
I don't think it went much below 15. 

Not such a pretty blanket, this one went over my
Melianthus major to protect it from the winter woes. 

Check it out post frigid temps. It doesn't look too shabby, does it?
The yellow-leaved Cistus beside it looks okay too. 

My Pineapple Guava (Feijoa sellowiana) did fine with a six-inch pile of mulch. However, my Tetrapanax looked sad and my Cyperus papyrus was (and is) questionable.  

I'm happy to be on this side of the storm and I'm praying that the rest of the winter is as normal as rain. 

Now I'll have to go see how your plants are doing. 

Please, Indulge My Narcissism

This is the time of year to think about giving. A time when we open our hearts and our wallets and think of those less fortunate and do something that makes a difference in people's lives. 

But, come on, let's get real. It's also the time to think about getting. If you're one of those people who doesn't like to receive gifts because you've already got everything and you feel so richly blessed and all, you might not be interested in wasting your time with the rest of my post. For those of you who like to waste time, this post is for you. 

It's all about getting. 

From Santa. I like to go right to The Source. 

Actually, I'll be honest. The idea didn't originate from me or the TV. I stole it. 

Christine of Last Frontier Garden, witty writer extraordinaire, compiled her own list for Santa with full consideration of the idiosyncrasies of an Alaskan Gardener. If you haven't read it yet, be sure to click on the link. It's very thought-provoking prose. 

Because I'm toiling the soil in western Oregon's semi-balmy Zone 8, my "needs" (idiosyncrasies) are slightly different than Christine's. I'm not wont for moose or bear patrol or a hybrid tomato that ripens itself in 4 weeks, (but I'd take it). No, my list to Santa goes something like this: 

Dear Santa, I've been good. All year. Mostly. I've whittled my list down to five simple requests because I know you're busy. 

1. Three fast growing replacement trees that look exactly like the existing Sweet Gums but lose their leaves in three weeks instead of three months. If this is outside your budget dear Santa, I'll gladly permit a perpetual wind to send the fallen detritus into the neighbors' yards or better yet, down the hill into oblivion. 

2. On the subject of "replacement," I'd like for you to replace my 50-something body with that of say, a healthy 18 year old. One who can bustle through garden chores with nary a muscle ache to be felt. One caveat though, if I may. Please, only from the neck down. I still want my head (gray hair, wrinkles and all) because going through the School of Hard Knocks twice in one lifetime is more than I care to consider. 

3. A slight re-zoning (expansion) of the backyard boundaries. I need more room for all those plants you're going to bless me with in 2012. 

4. And on the subject of "zones," another slight Zone-tweak, please: Zone 9 instead of 8. No problem, right? 

5. And on the subject of "tweaks," a few itty-bitty improvement tweaks to the plants I love, pretty please. For example: Heucheras that don't dissolve into nothingness. Ornamental grasses that don't re-seed all over the (confounded) place. Lawn that stays green all summer. Japanese maples that hold their spring color a wee bit longer. Ivy that gets 6 inches long, then stops growing. Hostas that are the bane of slugs. Roses that are anathema to aphids.... 

Okay that's all for now, Santa. I'll be sure to clean the chimney and leave you your milk and cookies, a fair enough trade, right? 

Kidding aside, I hope you all have

 a 

joyous 

Christmas! 

Encore Presentation

'Twas one year ago that I crafted a Christmas centerpiece for my dining room table. Keeping with tradition, [the only tradition I've kept so far besides waiting until the last minute to start my shopping] I created another centerpiece this year. Because the weather has been an anathema to inspiration and photo-taking [fog!] I thought I'd post last year's photos in case you're thinking about trying this and you need a wee push to get you motivated. It's really quite simple. 

Like any good recipe, it starts with gathering your ingredients. Most of mine came from the garden. You can vary them based on what's available or what look you're going for, as you'll see below.

Every arrangement is slightly different. The above photo is from last year's rendition. Below is this year's. I purchased noble fir and carnations for a more "professional" look since it was bound for my desk at work. 

And there you have it. If you make/made a Christmas arrangement, I hope you'll post a photo. I'd love to see it.

PS I was recently alerted that Blotanical is going to release a new version in February 2012. I don't have a lot of the details but I just wanted to offer my support to administrator Stuart. If it weren't for Blotanical I wouldn't "know" so many of you my dear garden buddies. If you're a garden blogger and you're not familiar with Blotanical, please click on the link. It's easy to sign up and the rewards are worth it. 

As always,

Trees, Birds & Babies

Hi Everybody, There isn't a whole lot to report in the gardening department. This week's weather is sunny but cool. Unfortunately I haven't been home to enjoy it. However, the other day while driving I captured this pretty tree.

Last Sunday a bunch of us garden gals went to our local ultra-cool nursery to see all the winter and Christmas stuff. Although I didn't buy anything, I couldn't resist grabbing a photo of this sweet mini-garden. 

Below is another drive-by. Despite the fact that I live 50 miles from the ocean, sea gulls seem to like it here. Three of them had perched themselves upon these lamp posts, just begging me to take their picture. I know, I'm easily amused. 

Finally I wanted to share a photo I took of my darling, sweet grand niece, Summer. She is 5 months old and was the youngest member of our Thanksgiving gathering. Check out those dimples.