Anticipation...

As fall darkens into winter, the bleakness increases, drawing me down. It is easy to think that months must pass before there are any signs of life and newness reappearing in my garden. But I have noticed, if I look carefully, I find niches of hope for the coming warmth. Even as the leaves of a hydrangea are falling, the beginnings of young ones are emerging.




New leaves of Iris pallida are forming.




Hidden bulbs are starting to show, telling me to hang in there, that spring will come.




The tendrils of sweet peas show the promises of a much larger vine and of the fragrance of the blooms to come in spring, while the little Johnnies will bolster me through the coming winter.


Have a beautiful day!

Next year...

In “From the editor” of the December 2009/January 2010 issue of Horticulture magazine, the question is asked “What are you planning to do in your garden in 2010?” The layout box titled “new year’s resolutions” offers these ideas, linked to articles in the magazine: conquer dry shade, start a terrarium, plant something native, something honored and something new and/or choose the right mulch.




What am I planning to do in my garden next year? That started me thinking and here is what I came up with. I am planning to do better. I’d like to stay on top of the weeds, get stuff planted on time, keep things watered and fertilized when they need to be, get the nemesia out of the ground and into containers and into the greenhouse BEFORE the first frost so they don’t have to live in my kitchen for a week. I guess that amounts to spending more time in my garden; making it more of a priority in my life and not a guilty pleasure.




And conquering dry shade, planting something new, and choosing the right mulch are all good, too.




Have a beautiful day!

Purple rain...

For the fall, winter, and spring, I planted this urn with Purple Rain pansies (Viola x wittrockiana) that I purchased from my favorite local nursery, New Garden Nursery. They are supposed to grow so that they will cascade over the edges of the pot, which I think will be quite charming. I have planted grape hyacinth (Muscari, probably armeniacum) with them because I like the contrast of its leaves. And then, of course, in the spring, there will be the beautiful, fragrant blue flowers to enjoy with the purple and yellow pansies.





I bought the urn at a big box store a couple of years ago. It is made of that strange, sorta foamy stuff and was scraped and scratched in places. So, I mixed some paint to be close to the color of the pot and painted the areas that were wearing out and then coated that with polyurethane once the paint had dried.




It all looks so beautiful on top of my "stone" wall, next to the house. It makes part of an ending point for the intersection of the path and the steps that come from the deck and back door.



Have a beautiful day!

A little confused...

This charming little periwinkle vine, flowing over the "stone" wall I put together, is blooming! I double-checked "The Southern Living Garden Book" and was informed that it flowers in early spring. A little confused? I think so. However, Dave's Garden lists Vinca minor 'Illumination' bloom time anywhere from early spring to fall, so maybe my little plant knows what it is doing and I am the one that is confused.



It is a little confused in another way, too, although that is actually my fault. When I bought the vine, it was variegated. There still are a few runners that are variegated, but mostly it has reverted to the solid green. What I should have done, and hopefully still will, is to cut off the new runners that are green to save the variegation.




Have a beautiful day!