I am not surprised to see a few flowers on the yellow, threadleafed ‘Ogon’ spirea (Spirea thunbergii ‘Ogon’, below) this second week of January. Temperatures have been very average, not particularly mild, but it’s not unusual to see a few scattered white blooms later in winter. This is a week or two early, and the small numbers of flowers through the winter do not seem to detract from the spirea’s peak flowering in mid-March. Today, any bloom is welcomed, so ‘Ogon’ will be added to the daily tour of the garden.

‘Ogon’ was planted long before it was plugged with the trade name Mellow Yellow, and its early flowers and narrow yellow leaves are marvelous. Still, more than once, I’ve considered chopping out this unruly shrub. I’m not one to keep up with regular shearing to tame such a beast, though finally I gave it chop last year following its March flowering.