Finally it's after the 21st of December where the days gradually get longer and we are heading for spring although it's the first day of Winter. Well this is the time of year where my garden needs a little clean-up before the spring bulbs push up and I need to lose a few pounds that I gained over the holidays. This plan worked last year, I worked an hour a day till Spring in the garden to get my work-out in (and not over do it) and little by little the garden gets ready and I get ready too for Spring, win win!
Only it's cold out there but I need to cover a few plants before we get even colder, supposed to get as low as 29 the rest of this week. I need to cover some of my plants that are marginally hardy like my Dierma (Angels Fishing Rod) that I got a few years ago that was small and have been waiting for it to finally bloom, I think it is finally mature enough to bloom this year so I don't want to lose it now, can't wait to see it bloom. I also planted some antique rose starts that I collected in a very old garden, about 30 of them and I want them to get a little extra protection too. I'm really excited about those, some are very old varieties like the Crested Moss ( Chapeau de Napoleon) and several others.
I have tried many coverings over the years and I find some evergreen boughs cut and laid over the crowns of plants I want to protect works well. In our wet climate here in the Pacific Northwest the boughs are loose and give some good air circulation while giving protection works best.
So it's foggy and wet out there and about 39 degrees but once I get moving I'll be fine, it's just getting all the clothes on and out the door that's the hard part, but if I want any more of these yummy "Dream bars" that my husband made that I have already had 3 of I better get out there. The poor birds need their feeder filled anyway so here goes. Maybe I'll take the camera out and see what I might like to photograph and post for winter interest in the garden.
Happy New Year, one more day of 2012.
This years winter dried flower project is the Rose Heart Grapevine Wreath. These roses are from my sons wedding that was in our backyard this fall. I'll give this to the bride for Christmas this year, it really turned out pretty. I used a grapevine wreath as the base and hot glued lime green Annabelle Hydrangea, Celosia, Baby's Breath, Nigella seed pods, White Roses that were painted red by the bride and one of the ribbons that were tied around the chairs at the wedding. I hope she likes it.
I love Spanish Lavender (lavandula stoechas). It looks like little bees or as one customer came describing the flowers looking like candy wrappers. When they are blooming people just love them , they really stand out in the garden. They also press nicely for pressed flower designing. They can be a little finicky in our wet climate but I have them in the garden in a well drained area under an evergreen tree where it's pretty dry and seems to like it there.
A favorite clematis to cover a chain link fence that are so ugly. This one is clematis montana pale pink and it's a fast grower and makes a thick cover, so pretty when it blooms. They press pretty too!
I have a new Amanita muscaria or commonly called Fly Agaric mushroom photo. This one is much better, what a find. The first time I have ever seen these was last Thanksgiving when we visited family in Oregon. I already have one posted on this blog but the one we found last year was a little mangled and old so I went this year hoping for a perfect one. Wow, these are exactly as I imagined what I wanted, a little group of three of different sizes, how lucky is that? This is the only group we saw on our walk, not so easy to find, I was so excited when I saw these. Actually my husband spotted them in a fenced in field and luckily these were only a foot from the wire fence so I could get some good pics. I always thought these were a fantasy cartoonish thing, I never knew they were a real mushroom. A perfect red and white spotted group, really a fun find!
This is Fatsia or Japanese Arailia and it's on my front porch on the north side of the house in shade which gets an hour or two of light in the morning but that's it. It does beautifully in our pacific northwest. I pull it closer to the house if we get some 25 degree temps. I had some die back last winter but it comes back beautifully. It even bloomed this year. A great plant for the north side.
Great garden combo a happy accident. I love exbury azaleas because they are so shockingly electric. The Darts Gold in the background really sets of the azalea. I love the little dainty blue veronica deltoides in the foreground and the pink pom poms of the polygonun bisorta. Oh and not to forget the Forget me Nots just down in front of the orange azalea, my first favorite flower as a child, they are the sweetest little flower.