There is work to be done if flowers of hellebores and snowdrops are to be seen as milder temperatures return. The largest piles of leaves were removed from hellebores before the recent, extended period of cold, when swelling buds were first noticed. While flower buds were not injured by temperatures that dropped to zero, foliage…
Category: landscaping
Impatient for spring
Is mid January too early to be impatient for spring? In fact, I don’t wish to scoot the calendar forward, but anxiously await milder temperatures after several weeks of cold that has dragged on far too long. Winter flowers are a partial remedy for seemingly interminable winters, but many blooms curl for protection as temperatures…
The return of milder temperatures, and then…..
The vagaries of weather seldom stray from the gardener’s thoughts, and sometimes inhabit his restless sleep. January is often discomforting, bundling against the chill, but also with apprehension that survival of treasures exposed in the garden is beyond his control. The return of milder temperatures in recent days was most welcome after a two week…
A brown leafed gordlinia
Six spindly gordinias (x Gordlinia grandiflora) were planted into clumps of three when it became sadly apparent that a long established Franklinia (Franklinia alatamaha, flowers below) was nearing its demise. Over three years, a rejuvenated spring drenched the surrounding soil (also killing a large witch hazel and holly), and though Franklinia was found in the…
Zone 7, or not?
Evaluating the cold hardiness of plants seems an inexact science, better than guessing, but a process prone to inaccuracies. Many gardeners accurately tell stories of a plant, or several that should have been sufficiently tolerant of cold, but failed in temperatures that should not have been a problem. No doubt, there are a number of…
Adding a fothergilla
Funny how things pop into your head out of nowhere. For no particular reason, it suddenly occurs to me that I must plant a fothergilla into a more prominent spot. Already, there are two in the garden, but in areas where they are least likely to be seen. Why does there have to be a…
Cold and colder
In this frigid, snow dusted garden, large leafed evergreens (aucubas, daphniphyllum, and rhododendron, below) curl for protection as temperatures approach zero. Leaves will return to form once temperatures rise nearer the freezing point, and it is likely that there is no long term harm, though Daphniphylum is only marginally cold hardy for this zone, so…
A chilly week
No doubt, there will be few treks through the garden over the the next week. While unpleasant, overnight temperatures forecast to fall into single digits should not be much of a problem, though cold over an extended period following a dry autumn is reason for concern. With long established plants in this garden, desiccation and…
Time to head south?
Despite daily pleadings by my wife that we head south, we will not be going anywhere as an extended period of cold moves in. Certainly, it’s tempting, but one cannot drop everything each time nighttime temperatures drop into the teens. Very likely, this will not be our winter’s low, and the worst of it is…
Ready to flower, or not
Several hellebores with Christmas rose (Helleborus niger) genetics appear ready to flower this third week of December, but experience tells that these could bloom next week, or remain in this state for another ten weeks. In recent years, this group has flowered as early as late December, or more typically sometime in February, only a…
More than flowers
While flowers of mahonias, witch hazels, and a variety of bulbs capture attention through the winter months, more matters of interest can be discovered by the curious gardener. In this garden, no more than a few hours are spent in winter labor, but regular afternoon strolls are rewarded with more treasures than only flowers.
Not too cold
No doubt, readers to the north are amused when Virginians talk about cold. Of course, this is relative. I’m certain Virginians scoff upon seeing Floridians in winter jackets on a cool day in Orlando. I sympathize with northerners who must endure longer, colder winters than ours, but I’m only a bit envious of residents of…
Ramblin' through Dave's Garden 