I hear no objections to the mild temperatures this winter, and in fact most everyone seems quite pleased by the absence of snow and extreme cold. Equally mild winters in recent years have enjoyed a similar reception. With less chill, there have been many more flowers in the garden through February, partly due to the…

The start of the garden’s spring cleanup has been intentionally delayed, though the late winter weather has been perfectly suitable for outdoor labor. A considerable amount of fill in planting will be done early, and leaving the faded foliage is helpful so that new plantings aren’t dug into the same spot as something else. There’s…

Yes, I know. I should not celebrate this mild winter. The planet is doomed unless we change the error of our ways, but how can a gardener be blamed for enjoying the occasional winter when snow doesn’t cover the garden, and when the chill is mild enough that there are blooms everyday? And, not just…

Today is a bad day to be snooping beneath the Japanese cedars (Crytomeria japonica ‘Sekkan sugi’), looking for early signs of plume poppies (Macleaya cordata) that have nearly disappeared in the shade in recent years. It is too early for the poppies, I find, and every rub against the cedar releases a brown cloud of…

A hellebore appears to have flowers of varying colors, one nearly white. the other noticeably darker (below). Of course, this is not a single plant but two seedlings growing so close as to appear as one. Many of the most vigorous of the garden’s hellebores produce abundant seedlings. Some grow a distance away, where rainwater…

With a few cold days in the forecast, it’s comforting to know that the worst is past, at least it should be, and this winter there’s not been much to complain about. Still, have I whined? Of course, yes. Every day, I count the days (hours and minutes) until March. If it turns cold then,…

From this garden’s beginnings, I’ve planted for winter blooms, though at little sacrifice to the other seasons, I think. The winter months stretch forever, it seems, and even with mild temperatures we’ve experienced this year, the scattered flowers are required to pacify the restless soul. While winter flowering snowdrops (above) and witch hazels are treasured,…

I fear that the end is near for the variegated Winter daphne (Daphne odora ‘Aureomarginata’, below). Leaves wilt, then this moves to the next branch and the next, and though I prune each as soon as wilting is seen, it seems that the problem has probably started in the roots. And, it’s one I can’t…

When I scroll through photos from the previous year, I can’t wait for winter to end. Below, you’ll see a few spring photos that test my patience waiting for winter to end.