Brrr! It's December!

I'm afraid it's going to be one of those winters--cold and foggy. I haven't counted but I bet we've had at least twenty foggy days since October and it isn't even winter yet. We've had several frosts, none below about 25 degrees though so it could be worse and I shouldn't complain. 

One of the ways I can tell how cold it's gotten is by the looks of my hardy banana. I'd say it could and probably will get colder before spring. 

Musa basjoo (Hardy Banana)

Yes, the garden is a mess but there are still a few flowers and foliage to keep things interesting. 

The below Correa (and the white flowered one that I forgot to photograph) have been blooming since September. They're so pretty, sitting in my covered patio.

Correa x 'Dusky Bells'

On the cold nights I've been covering my patio potted plants with blankets. This Impatiens is continuing to bloom. In fact it's blooming more now than it did all summer which leads me to believe that it prefers cooler weather. 

Impatiens sodenii 'La Vida Rosa'

The same thing can be said for this Bacopa. In summer I was constantly watering and fertilizing it and although it thanked me with pretty blooms, it didn't look nearly as nice as it does now! 

Bacopa 'Rosea'

I'm hoping the temps don't drop too low because these flowers really do help stave off the winter blues.

Bacopa 'Rosea'

This Abutilon is situated in a sheltered spot and continues to pump out blooms.

Abutilon

Check out this winter-blooming Clematis 'Freckles'! The weather hasn't discouraged it in the slightest!

Clematis cirrhosa var. purpurscens 'Freckles'

Aren't these the cutest flowers?

Clematis cirrhosa var. purpurscens 'Freckles'

Clematis cirrhosa var. purpurscens 'Freckles'

Clematis cirrhosa var. purpurscens 'Freckles'

I even trained a few of its stems to cling to this makeshift trellis thingy on my patio's ceiling.

Clematis cirrhosa var. purpurscens 'Freckles'

Another winter blooming Clematis is a species called urophylla. I think it is a bit more temperature-sensitive though because the blooms haven't opened. They just sit there teasing. Yes. It has really gorgeous foliage too!

Clematis aff. urophylla

These tough, easy to grow Daphne are the best! They bloom almost continually and seem to be impervious to the temperatures.

Daphne transylvanica 'Summer Ice'

The one drawback, however, is that they don't really have much fragrance when the temps are in the 30s or 40s. 

Daphne transylvanica 'Eternal Fragrance'

Daphne transylvanica 'Eternal Fragrance'

The Mexican Orange has also been blooming off and on since early fall.

Choisya ternata (Mexican Orange)

Choisya ternata  (Mexican Orange)

This little Callirhoe flower is a pleasant anomaly. 

Callihroe involucrata var. tenuissima

Neil Bell is happy and that is good  because I don't have a hummingbird feeder proper. Just flowers like these for the hummers.

Grevillea 'Neil Bell'

Reliable both in its winter-blooming and in its inability to photograph well, (Okay, maybe it's the photographer.) this Viburnum has a few blooms and tons of buds. Clematis 'Freckles' clamors up its mossy branches.

Viburnum bodnantense 'Dawn'

Viburnum bodnantense 'Dawn'

Here's another tender plant that I have been covering with a blanket. I really hope I'm successful in keeping it alive.

Anisodontea x 'Tara's Pink'

Reseeders like this Feverfew are tougher than they look!

Tanacetum parthenium aureum

There is an interesting story about how I came by the rosebush (below) but I won't share it here. Suffice it to say that it is a winner! I've moved it around so many times and it still rewards me with this... even in December!

Rosa 'Adelaide Hoodless'

Rosa 'Adelaide Hoodless'

Who doesn't love a tough and long blooming Penstemon?

Penstemon 'Garnet'

Speaking of tough, my Gardenia apparently didn't get the winter commencement memo and is trying to bloom!  See that fat, white bud there?

Gardenia 'Frostproof'

A few surprise blooms on this Armeria too. 

Armeria juniperfolius

And check out my Sarracenia. I know you're supposed to cut them back, but why?

Saracenia sp.

Sarracenia sp.

I'm going to have tons of baby Nicotiana seedlings next year. This plant is a blooming fool!

Nicotiana 'Mutabilis'

 I was surprised the Crinum wasn't killed back by the cold.

Crinum x powelli

Seriously, I'm not kidding. The cold weather is preserving these Clematis blossoms. They've looked like this for over a week. 

Clematis viticella 'Venosa Violacea'

More hummingbird food!

Mahonia x media 'Charity'

And this:

Arbutus enedo 'Compacata'

And lastly, I was so happy today when I saw tiny flowers appearing AGAIN on this Osmanthus. This is another plant that blooms intermittently throughout the year and it's quickly becoming a favorite. Hopefully the weather will allow me to get a whiff of its fragrance.

Osmanthus fragrans aurantiacus 'Apricolt Echo'

Winter foliage:

Hebe albicans 'Pink Elephant'

Hebe albicans 'Pink Elephant'

This Geranium, so far so great!

Geranium harveyi

With a Japanese maple towering above my patio, you can see what I have to contend with every November.

Leaves!

Pathway leaves!

Patio leaves!

Most of the leaves are now where they belong, in the beds where they will break down and feed the soil and its critters. 

Patio leaves gone!

That's the update for now. Keep warm, peeps. Spring is right around the corner.

My Pond was a Mucky Mess

Happy 2019 to everyone. 

As weather and time permit, I've been able to putter in the garden, tackling the few winter projects that really need doing. For instance, the outer pond in early January needs an overhaul now because soon the newt and frogs will be laying their eggs and I don't want to disturb them.  

For reference, here are a few summer photos of this pond. As you can see it is swallowed up in plants which means I'll need to do some thinning out as well as refresh the stagnant water.

The water is completely covered with waterlily pads.

I was so pleased with the flowers on my pitcher plant.

Parrot's Feather, shiny Water lily leaves, and a ridiculously large and expanding clump of Juncus patens.

What is the point of growing Water lily plants if you can barely see the flowers when they bloom?

The pond is to the left of the Japanese Blood Grass.

Finally, my clump of Pickerel Weed was happily blooming last summer. (Pontaderia dilatata)

Now for the muddy winter mess. This was yesterday after I had already gotten rid of the Juncus, cut many of the edging plants back and scooped about half of the water out.

Mud and roots must be a foot deep!

On the right is my scooping bucket. I've gotten most of the gunk out and I'm refilling it with fresh water.

I wanted to leave some muck in there so it will remain a wildlife habitat. Such a fine balance.

I used this net to gather up the free floating leaves and such.

Here, the water is full. I purposefully left some of the green Juncus blades because the frogs attach their egg sacks to them.

So much better!

In other news, here's a few highlights of the rest of the garden. 

'Sunshine Blue' Blueberry plant.

Geranium palmatum foliage, looking lovely despite several light frosts.

Arbutus enedo flowers, hummingbird food!

Dwarf Nandina looks so lush and vibrant, a stalwart winter interest plant.

A Gardenia flower ready for spring.

Clematis cirhossa var. purpurescens 'Freckles' still going strong

Viburnum bodnantense 'Dawn'

Melianthus is looking so good this year.

Pelargonium 'Filbert' is still blooming. I've covered it with a blanket three times so far during cold nights.

Fuchsia 'Neon Tricolor' also covered during the brief cold snaps.

One of my favorite new containers.

Look at all the little flowers on my Chimonanthus praecox!

So fragrant!

Daphne 'Eternal Fragrance'

Daphne odora

Helleborus getting ready to bloom.

Oxalis crassipes 'Rosea' fixing to bloom.

And there you have it. It's winter but so far it's mild. Let's hope it stays that way.