And yes, I’m still stalking the robins:

Danced on the kitchen table with their green painted tiny shoes and even painted a rainbow for kicks:

I can’t even describe some of the other stuff those heathens were responsible for. Let’s just say one disgusting joke involved a sock puppet, a toilet and a plunger. Need I say more?

After we all recovered from the inhumanity, we calmed things down a bit by resorting back to one of our safe go-to St. Pat’s breakfast of green bagels:   

We could feel the sense of normalcy return and all was good.

Later on, while the kids were bouncing off the walls on a sugar high and my wife was making sure the f’n leprechauns didn’t steal any valuables, I ventured outside to my happy place. Those little green bastards can TP my house, turn my milk green or even swing from the chandeliers, but they better not have touched any of my plants.

All looked OK upon further inspection, except it was damn frigid outisde and there was still a decent amount of snow lingering around. Enough already!

I did observe that some of the daffodil blooms are further along than others:        

And I jumped for joy when I saw that the bulbs I planted on a whim back in the fall, in a super soggy part of the garden, made it through:

But then again, look whose bulbs I planted in that spot

Martha knows best.

Quick aside – There is no better comedy on the radio today than Martha Stewat taking callers questions over the phone on her radio show. Her inability to relate to the “common folk” or to even try to put herself in their shoes is hilarious. I honestly believe she thinks every single one of us has a few maids and laborers at our beck and call or have access to French batards we can have flown in overnight. Genius radio. Oh yeah, she also clearly eats while she is taking these calls. Total Gangster.

And we’re back.

A few additional observations from my walk in the garden today:           
This is one of maybe five buds that has survived the deer on my Viburnum ‘Aurora’ (Maybe I should call Martha for advice):

The Dappled Willow (Salix) has managed to hide from the deer to date (and of course I just jinxed myself):

I think the Rosemary has managed to make it through the winter; a bit beaten up but still alive and kicking:

Welcome back Geranium ‘Karmina’. We expect big things in year two:

Two weeks ago the grasses were cut down and now they are covered in snow. C’mon man:

And the bulbs further along in growth and beginning to truly shield the dormant ornamental grass:

Eventually, the daffodils are in full bloom and the ornamental grass is pushed out of mind:

Another example is here where the daffodils are hiding a hydrangea that has only begun to leaf out:

When I walk up my front walkway, I don’t even notice the hydrangea:

Eventually, those bulbs are a distant memory as the sedums take center stage and hide the hole left by the now dead and gone daffodils:

And that once dormant grass is now the show-stopper:

As mentioned earlier, change in the garden can also be seen when comparing how plants look as they are in their growing stage.

The photo below shows a catmint (in front) and an astilbe (in back) in spring after they just started growing:   

A pretty cool color combo with nice contrast for a week or two.

But soon after, by early summer, the true combo appears when both are in full bloom:

After the blooms on the Catmint are spent, they are cut back by a 1/3 and the spent blooms on the Astilbe remain, still attractive and ornamental.

Even one plant can impress like mad as they change throughout the season. Take the red sedum below.

They offer much welcomed color in winter:

And look fantastic in late spring, albeit in a different color shade and much fuller:

Times they are a changin … and let’s celebrate the hell out of it.

John

As this moves to the rearview?

Today is February 1st and you know what is within shouting distance now?  

Note: I originally posted this as “photo only” and then realized it may appear that these were all taken current day. That couldn’t be further from the truth. These pics are all from last year. I was just daydreaming of a better day on this arctic-like morning.

John   

 

• I am sick of hearing myself complain about all of the deer damage out in the garden so I can only imagine how y’all feel.
• It couldn’t be uglier outdoors of late. Nothing but fog and drenched soil. “Soupy” is the perfect description. I’d kill for snow cover to hide it all.
• It is the 15th of the month, AKA “Garden Bloggers Bloom Day” and I ain’t got squat going on right now. Of course I wouldn’t expect to have anything this time of year, but you get the point.
• The flu and other ailments are all around us as it is a cacophony of moans and coughs and sneezes. Pretend the prior sentence isn’t there as my family has been relatively healthy to date and I don’t want to jinx that.

So in the spirit of … raising spirits … here is a … spirited series of bloom pics from the past year that will hopefully serve as inspiration as we churn through the heart of the winter.

Joe Pye Weed

Catmint

Geranium ‘Brookside’

Catmint

Geranium ‘Karmina’

Bugleweed ‘Chocolate Chip’

Viburnum ‘Aurora’

Candytuft ‘Snowflake’

Viburnum ‘Shoshoni’

Bellflower ‘Joan Elliot’

Eastern Bluestar

Iris sibirica ‘Snow Queen’

Iris versicolor

Iris sibirica ‘Ruffled Velvet’

Penstemon ‘Husker’s Red’

Viburnum ‘Emerald Lustre’

Catmint and Astilbe ‘Amethyst’

Astilbe ‘Deutschland’ and Catmint

Yarrow ‘Moonwalker’

Coneflower ‘Fragrant Angel’

Rose of Sharon ‘Lavender Chiffon’

Summersweet ‘Ruby Spice’

And once the shrub is in full bloom, it is an absolute bee magnet:

And if you get closer to the computer screen, I swear to God, you can smell the clove-like awesomeness:

Some other tidbits for your reading pleasure:

• Survives zones 3-9
• Typical size is a compact 3′ x 3′
• Works well for me in full sun but can also bloom in abundance in almost full shade
• Adapts to most soil types including my aforementioned wet clay
• I’ve noticed it has become a staple of many commercial landscapes in my area which would lead one to believe they are quite low maintenance

By mid to late August, the blooms transform to brown seed capsules and stay that way all through the Winter giving the shrub just a bit more interest:

Contrary to what has been written about this shrub, I have yet to see any great fall color. It is “decent” at best:

But that’s OK, I can live with that.

Oh yeah, back to my original point at the beginning of this post. Why I own only one of these is beyond me. They beg to be massed and that is my plan for this year. Add a bunch more and get some serious impact out of it. Enough of the onesies and twosies; let’s do this right.

On top of that, these shrubs are known to “sucker” so a few can go a long way.

May the spring come soon before I forget all of my good ideas.

John  

Blooms that were left on the plants for winter are always a welcome sight this time of year:

As are the colorful stems of the Willow and the Red Twig Dogwood:

And if you’ve read this blog before, you know my love of ornamental grasses:

Even old,dying foliage is appealing now:

As is the subtle changing color on many of the evergreens:

Or the fabulous peeling bark on the River Birch trees:

Even the sign of anything “green” is welcoming with brown dominating the landscape right now:

Of course, it wouldn’t be my yard without those wonderful pools of water that are so common winter into spring:

Oh well, I can ignore those for now and focus on what looks good.

Good to be back and good to be back in the garden as well.

John