Where Have All The Flowers Gone?

Actually, I know where they went. They said, "To heck with this crazy cold weather. I'm outa here!" But eventually that early cold snap got tired of torturing everything in its wake and typical 40-50 degree weather returned. Hallelujah!

And that is how Viburnum bodnantense 'Dawn' got her groove on.  

Pretty little blossoms... 

I love them. 

Even the buds look elegant. 

Despite the cold, a few flowers remain. 

I moved my Hebe diosmofolia 'Raspberry Ripple' to a protected spot during the cold snap.
And it's still blooming! 

Rodochitron is holding on. 

Barely.

(Himalayan Honeysuckle) Leycesteria formosa 'Golden Lantern' is still happy too. 

Look at how the Cyclamen hederafolium foliage is spreading. 

Finally my backyard Japanese Maple is turning. So pretty. 

My Acer palmatum NOID is blushing too. 

Hebe 'Shamrock' also blushes when the weather gets cool. 

As does Sedum spurium 'Dragon's Blood' 

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! 

Signs of Hope

FIRST OF ALL, MY condolences to all of you patient gardening friends who see a carpet of white outside your windows. I hope my post will inspire hope in you. Although it's still only January there are signs that spring is not far off. 

As you know, I've been lamenting the constant fog but last Thursday, the skies opened up and we've had glorious sunshine since. Cold mornings, but sunny days in the low 50s. 

Coral Bark Maple (Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku') 

The plants (as well as the people) have responded favorably to the sunshine. My Wintersweet blossoms are not all that exciting to look at but catching a whiff of scent stops me in my tracks.

Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox) blossoms

Sweet Box (Sarcococca ruscifolia) is also in full bloom and smells delicious.

These early-blooming daffodils are so reliable. Every January I see those plump buds! They're planted beside an Escallonia shrub that lost all its foliage after the December freeze. 

Early Daffs

 And more:

Snow drops (Galanthus ssp.)

And my favorite Daff, Narcissus 'Geranium' is the last to bloom in early April. 

 There are other signs of activity:

Stupid moles! Another reason to do away with the lawn. 

Clematis foliage is alive and sprouting

The flower buds on 'Sunshine Blue' Blueberry are starting to plump up.

My Hebe 'Pink Elephant' is blushing a little.

Hebe 'Pink Elephant'

Little leaves all lined up like soldiers.

I am surprised by the vigor of this golden Feverfew plant. Somehow it survived the single-digit temps of December and looks no worse for the wear. How'd that happen? Probably because it is a volunteer growing in the pathway. Tenacious little thing. 

Golden Feverfew

One of my coworkers brought "Denver" his new golden retriever puppy to work. His fur is downy soft. Isn't he adorable?

And on the subject of pets, I captured a keeper of Taz yesterday. He's such a lover!

Stay warm my friends. Spring is coming! 

I'm Getting Too Old For This S**T

DO YOU REMEMBER THIS line? It was made famous (or infamous) by Danny Glover in the Lethal Weapon movies. I shamelessly admit that it is used with regular frequency around our house. Especially by my husband and me. This past weekend, I uttered it under my breath more times than I can recall. I'll tell you why in a minute. But first, fall colors! 

Acer palmatum 'Seiryu'

I really, really love this lacy Japanese Maple. Liberated from its pot, it is happily rewarding us here in the loamy soil of our revamped patio bed.  

One more little show-off, if I may before we get to the serious stuff. We had some work done on our Sweet Gum trees in the front yard. There are lots of stumps to contend with. When I laid eyes on this one, I knew it was a keeper. 

Check it out now! 

Cool, huh? 

Okay, time to get down to business. 

A few years ago, my neighbors planted bamboo. Running bamboo! 

Isn't it pretty, with an evening sky behind it? 

It grows (or should I say runs) on the other side of the fence. 

But because running bamboo doesn't know the first thing about neighborly etiquette, 

it found its way to my garden. 

No surprise really. I should have known. I should have been out there

digging a trench, putting down a barrier the moment 

my neighbor planted it. But no. 

Here is the largest of the interlopers, a four-foot long monstrosity!
There were several shorter ones that had slithered in unbeknownst to me.  
I'm getting way too old for this shit!

The barrier is down and I filled the gaps with some of the leftover gravel from
the patio paving project. 

I've got one more section of fence, (to the left of the photo) to tackle this weekend. 

My biggest fear despite hours of digging and sweating and cussing
is that I didn't dig deep enough. That somehow those evil monsters will find a way to
breach their barrier and take my garden hostage. 

So henceforth, I'm required to watch this area like a hawk and keep it relatively
free of plants so if it does invade, I can dig it out without killing any plants.
Of course the banana can stay. Isn't it cool? 

 So there you have it. My continuing gardening saga. Sometimes that admonition to "Love thy neighbor" is much more difficult than it needs to be. How 'bout you? Are your neighbors treating you well? 

Excuses For Avoiding the Garden

THIS TIME OF YEAR, I don't get a lot of time in the garden. With a full time job, by the time I get home in the evenings, I'm too tired to venture out. Actually, the truth is, I don't want to see what the rain has done. The other day, I witnessed what was once a perfectly vertical Gaura clump completely flattened. Rain will do that. So now I'm thinking I'd rather not go out there and see a plethora of imperfections when I don't have time or energy to remedy them. I am really quite good at making excuses, aren't I?  

Lavatera

All through September and into October, my Lavatera has been in bloom. Most summers, it's long gone by late August. 

Loropetalum chinensis rubrum in a container

This year I was finally able to discover a way to keep my Loropetalum from looking like leafless sticks--semi -shade and moist soil. Who'd a thunk?

Acer palmatum 'Seiryu' 

My 'Seiryu' Japanese maple is now over 7 feet tall and this year produced a few seed pods! How cool is that? I'm going to keep an eye on them and see if I can them to germinate. 

My patio pond

Leaves are going to start falling soon and make a mess out of my pond so I thought I'd take a photo before it all starts.

Arbutus unedo ‘Compacta’ 

My Arbutus is in full bloom right now. When I took this picture I noticed that the leaves are shiny from aphids. Hopefully the rain will wash them off.

Saffron Crocus bulb package

Have any of you ever grown Saffron Crocus? After seeing an article on them, I thought, what the hay? I'm going to plant them in a container. It will be a full year before they bloom and I can harvest those red filaments that contain all the flavor. Any tips you can offer would be greatly appreciated. 

I hope you're all enjoying your fall gardens.