Gardening and Gardens

Marshmallow trees, cotton ball shrubs and whipped cream covered landscapes. That's what's blooming at my house today. Well, given the extra dumping of snow we got from the recent nor'easter, that's what it looks like anyway. Yes, it's pretty, but I am counting the days until I can see the ground again.  The crape myrtle standing among a sea of snow.  The weeping spruce and Japanese maple look like they are covered with marshmallow fluff. Thankfully they have remained strong through this winter.  A variegated holly or a cotton field?  The holly is not only covered with snow, but there are icicles hanging off the leaves in the front. I'll try to dust off some of the snow if it's not too heavy but the ice I will leave alone. Trying to remove that could cause more harm than good.  On the plus side, however, I have been hearing more song birds outside. A true sound of spring. Maybe they know something we don't?

Long Island just got another dumping of snow yesterday, with more expected over the next few days. Yes, it's lovely, but I am aching for spring to come. I'm anxious to see my bulbs emerge from the ground and the trees come alive with bright green leaves. Thankfully, I have a beautiful blooming amaryllis on my windowsill to brighten my day and remind me that spring will come eventually.  The plants commonly called amaryllis are actually members of the Hippeastrum genus, which consist of many species and hybrids of bulbous, flowering plants. The scientific name Hippeastrum is Greek for "horseman's star" - a reference to the large star-shaped flowers. Most of the species are native to South America. Soon after the bulb is planted, a large flower stalk emerges topped with a cluster of trumpet shaped flowers. As the flowers begin to fade, large strap-like green leaves emerge. The flower stalk is removed and the leaves can remain ornamental for quite some time. These le...

A quick walk this morning to the bus stop took us longer than usual. We kept stopping to look at the beauty of the hibernating plants that were painted with beautiful frost. Discussion then continued whether the frost was painted on by Jack Frost (from the movie Rise of the Guardians) or Elsa, the Snow Queen (from the movie Frozen). Both talented and excellent winter figures, but my money is on Mother Nature... Here are some of the beauties we found:

The temperatures have been downright frigid, the ground frozen solid and everything outside is in a deep hibernation. I know that the days are slowly getting longer and spring will come eventually. But for now, I am so thankful to have the deep green textures of my evergreens to admire out my window. The needle-like leaves of the cryptomeria trees along the fence are a lovely contrast to the deep green and shiny leaves of the cherry laurels in the foreground.   The bright morning sun shines on this mixture of evergreens. The variegated green-yellow liriope and deep green ilex provide a lovely frame for the red tipped leaves of nandina behind them. 

On Christmas Eve, it snowed... just a little bit, but enough to bring a smile to my face and a dusting to the ground. One of my favorite plants in the winter is the Holly. Deep green or variegated, red berries or yellow, their strong beauty in the winter landscape is a welcome sight. Here is my variegated Holly bursting with red berries this time of year, under a dusting of snow. Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and has a very happy new year!

I came across this unique garden in an office building. It is glass enclosed but open at the top and filled with containers holding trees and seasonal plants - which can be changed easily with the seasons. For the fall display, this inside-out garden showcased grasses, mums, kale, autumnal hued croton and pumpkins. There were a few benches placed in front of the glass so visitors could sit and have a quiet, beautiful place to rest. So great!

Not too much is blooming this month, to be honest. After all, it is November. But also, it's Garden Bloggers Bloom Day and so, along with other fellow garden bloggers, I'm here to show you what is going on in my garden this month. Just two weeks ago, my garden and surrounding landscape was a mass of autumn vibrant colors ( take a look here ). Then a cold snap happened earlier this week and we actually got a dusting of snow. Now everything tender has died back and the leaves are almost all gone. Still, there is beauty if you look for it. The pink carpet rose is still going strong with a few blossoms and buds here and there. Never thought I'd enjoy the color pink in November as much as I do now. Speaking of pink, the first blossoms of my Anenome 'Queen Charlotte' plants are starting to fade, but they still have a few more buds on them and we are due for a warm weekend...maybe they will surprise me with one last hurrah.  The variegated Liriope is still...