Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day January 2025

Greenhouse in January

This is one of the very few postings where there are no GBBD photos of flowers on the outside.  The reason being extreme cold and snow blanketing the hillside.

Snowy hillside in January

The best I can offer are flowers in the greenhouse that are actually quite nice and well worth bringing in the house.

Cyclamen graecum

There are actually some orchids that I am keeping in the greenhouse at the moment.  And some lovely Cyrtanthus on the way.

Orchid and Cyrthanthus in the greenhouse

Meanwhile outside all you can see are some early daffodils patiently awaiting their turn.

Rinjveld’s Early Sensation showing tips.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day November 2024

Camellia x ‘Yume’

Well I have to say that camellias dominate the local flower landscape for this GBBD.  We had a dry and very warm Fall.  All of the Camellia sansanquas and hybrids are in bloom as shown above and below.

Camellia sasanqua red

Camellia sasanqua red

Camellia sasanqua ‘Double Rainbow’

Camellia sasanqua ‘October Magic’

But in addition several of the Spring blooming camellias are showing flowers.

Camellia japonica red

Camellia japonica double pink

As I said it’s been unusually warm.  One of the surprising things I’ve noticed is that the Loropetalum, which is only marginally hardy in this area has grown substantially this year.  It is literally creeping up the house.

Loropetalum almost ten feet tall

And even more amazing it has flowers showing already.

Loropetalum chinese var. rubrum ‘Zhuzhou fuschia’ in flower

Elsewhere in the yard there are seasonal signs

Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)

Corydalis lutea flowers until frost

Daphne × transatlantica ‘Eternal Fragrance’

This Daphne flowers almost all the time.  

We were threatened with frost this week but it didn’t really happen.  We ended up moving most of the fragile items into the greenhouse, but to make room we had to take a very large Elephant Ear out.

Alocasia ‘Sumo’

And then we ended up putting it in the entryway to the house where it makes a definite statement.

Alocasia ‘Sumo’ in the entryway

Also in the greenhouse is a nicely flowering Nerine

Nerine undulata

and a very early Freesia

Freesia fucata

Thinking of Winter

Late Afternoon Light

A very good friend, Marianne Willburn, wrote an article in the latest American Gardener (Nov/Dec 2024) entitled ‘Rethinking the Winter Garden’.  Reading her lovely article made me revisit what I have experienced in the winters on Ball Rd.  Fortunately I have 15 years of this Posting which lets me go back and remind myself what I enjoy about winter.  The snow that I pictured above is from 2010 and it rarely happens anymore.   I can’t even remember when I’ve had to plow the driveway.  Nonetheless winter is a different season when many of the flowers and fruits have gone away to rest or reseed.  

“No matter how unprepared I am, I always imagine preparing for a winter you can’t muddle through. It’s a deep, wooded season. Time pauses and then pauses again. The sun winks over the horizon, glinting on a snow-swept lake — just enough light to wake the chickadees.” — Verlyn Klinkenborg

In going back over just the past year I saw plenty that makes me look forward to the coming months.

Camellia sasanqua red (Dec 2023)

 

Krarmer’s Rote Heather (Erica x darleyensis) (Dec 2023)

 

Japanese Quince (Dec 2023)

 

Daffodil ‘Rinjveldt’s Early Sensation’ (Jan 2024)

 

Galanthus elwesii (Jan 2024)

 

Camellia Sasanqua October Magic Orchid (Jan 2024)

 

Adonis amurensis ‘Fukujukai’ (Jan 2024)

 

Winter Aconite (Feb 2024)

 

Camellia japonica red (Feb 2024)

 

Helleborus x hybridus ‘Cotton Candy’ (Feb 2024)

But to be fair, Marianne’s article was not just about finding delights in the garden over the winter months but also about creating structures that give you pleasure as you watch it evolve.  Among the many evergreens we’ve planted on our hillside are the Christmas trees that mark the season every year.

Backyard Christmas Trees

And without a doubt the single most enjoyable viewpoint for us has always been the hillside leading down to the pasture.

February Snow (Feb 2024)

That line of White Pines was planted in 1976 with baby trees donated by the state of Maryland and the hillside is adorned with wildflowers in other seasons.  It has been a delight to watch the White Pines grown year by year…

Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day June 2024

The pasture at sunset

I’m going to lead off this edition of the Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day with a picture of our pasture at sunset featuring the wildflowers that son Josh planted last year.  They really exploded into flower this year with no extra labor at all.

Wildflowers in the pasture

He created this field by laying down a tarp to kill off the existing plants before seeding and it has really come into fruition (literally) this year.  There has been one series of flowers after another since early spring.

Looking the other way on that same sunset evening shows the wonderful light off of our larger trees.

Pin Oak over the house at sunset

Another tree well worth sharing is the Stewartia japonica in the front yard.

Stewartia japonica

I have never seen so many flowers on this tree.

Stewartia japonica in full bud stage

The buds from the top of the tree are covering the lawn below

Stewartia japonica blossoms in the grass

Another plant worthy of particular attention is the Princess Flower which spent the winter in the greenhouse.

Princess Flower (Tibouchina urvilleana)

It is becoming big enough that we will have to think about the best plans for it over this next winter.

Full size picture of the Princess Flower

Zooming in on Princess Flower

The porch gets a few tropicals in this season

Brugmansia (Angel’s Trumpet)

The other item worth mentioning at this season is the beginning of the lilies.

Trumpet Lily

Red Asiatic Hybrid Lily

Yellow Asiatic Lily in the Herb bed

Lily ‘Pink Perfection’ in the grapes

Lily ‘Pink Perfection’

There are many other flowers happening now but here are a few that I should single out.

Gentiana septemfida (Summer Gentian)

Cestrum ‘Orange Peel’

Alstroemeria ‘Sweet Laura’

Arisaema candidissimum

And let me end with our contribution to the food supply for Monarch Butterflies.

Orange Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)

Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day February 2024

Adonis amurensis ‘Fukujukai’

As usual for a February GBBD the Adonis is the most striking flower in our garden.  They always begin even when snow may be falling and they shake off the cold days.  Good luck finding any because nurseries seldom carry Adonis any more.  If you find them scoop them up in a hurry.

Adonis amurensis ‘Fukujukai’

Elsewhere there a lot of winter aconite, hellebores, and snowdrops.  The snowdrops are showing an increasing ability to propagate into the lawn and are multiplying every year.

Galanthus nivalis ‘Blewbury Tart’

And the winter aconite are everywhere, both where I’ve put them and where they are now spreading.

Winter Aconite happily spreading

There are even a couple of unusual cultivars that are spreading as well.

Eranthis hyemalis ‘Schwefelglanz’

Eranthis hyemalis ‘Orange Glow’

The Hellebores are just getting started but their flowers are always arresting and we usually cut some for display in the house.

Helleborus x nigercors ‘HGC Green Corsican’

Helleborus x hybridus PDN Yellow

Helleborus x hybridus PDN double bicolor

Helleborus x ericsmithii ‘Winter Sunshine’

Helleborus x hybridus ‘Cotton Candy’

And out in the woods the Helleborus foetidus has continued to put out its flowers.

Helleborus foetidus

Of course it’s also worth noting that the early daffodils are just finishing.  Many more to come.

Narcissus ‘Rinjveldt’s Early Sensation’

And the first of the Camellia japonicas putting out their wonderful flowers.

Camellia japonica red

Of course in the midst of everything the crocus are doing their usual springtime thing.

Crocus tommasinianus

Sometimes when you walk about the yard you go just to inspect the things that you expect to be blooming.  I almost missed the first ot the small Iris sticking up its little flag.

Iris histroides ‘George’

And over in the alpine bed I found this little polygala putting it’s first flowers out.

Polygala chamaebuxus

It’s worth pointing out the greenhouse also has flowers to share with us.

Cyrtanthus breviflorus

Cyrtanthus hybrid

Geissorhiza inaequalis

There’s also a tiny thalictrum that needs to be planted outside

Thalictrum urbanii

We recently returned from California with its flowers galore so I was very pleased to see how many things were in flower here in Maryland.  I put together a little SLIDE SHOW to share the general effect of my first walk around the yard last weekend.

 

Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day July 2023

Orienpet Lilium ‘Scheherazade’

 

Well, for mid-summer it’s got to be all about the lilies for Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day.

Each time the wind begins to chime,
And end begins to near
A whisper of the softest sort
Flows gently to the ear

The scent and sight enough are great
Yet lilies live for more
The lilies whisper poetry
As none have heard before 

— The Lilies Whisper Poetry by Deborah Amar

Orienpet Lilium ‘Scheherazade’

Lilies are definitely the most striking flower in the yard right now.  They come in all shapes and sizes.

Orienpet Lily ‘Anastasia’

Lilium oriental ‘Muscadet’

Lilium oriental hybrid ‘Casa Blanca’

Lilium ‘Madame Butterfly’

Oriental Lily ‘Stargazer’

Orienpet Lily Conca d’Or

Of course, the lilies also work on the inside of the house.

Showy lilies on the mantle

However, there are other things happening on our hillside.  I notice, for example that the Corydalis are doing there usual magic in the front yard where they just gently spread over any vacant space.

Corydalis lutea

Similarly, the echinacea are everywhere in the perennial beds.

Echinacea purpurea

I should also share the Cestrum which is just now flowering for the first time this year and they will go on like this for the next 5 months.

Cestrum ‘Orange Peel’

The Hydrangea are just now flowering for the first time this year as well and they will also have any extended flowering.

Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’

One of the real delights for us is the Bishop of Llandaff Dahlia which has once again survived a winter in the ground.

Dahlia ‘Bishop of Llandaff’

In the middle of the backyard there are some allium also showing up for the first time this year.

Allium ‘Millenium’

If we go back beside the greenhouse the alpine bed has some Daphne that are flowering once again this year.

Daphne collina x cneorum

Nearby in the troughs there is one with a little potentilla that flowers for a long time.

Potentilla hyparctica ‘Nana’

And in another trough a very tiny thyme that has taken over a good part of the trough.

Thymus serpyllum ‘Elfin’

I should also share the vegetable garden which has a number of flowers.

Vegetable Garden

Although flowers are not the main purpose there are many, many flowers every day in the vegetable garden.

Cucumbers

If you think of corn as a grass, it is the tallest grass we’ve ever grown in our garden this year.

Kandy Korn

We’re just hoping the raccoons don’t come exploring for the corn.  I won’t go into the peaches, pears, and apples — more about those in the future.  But the wildflowers in the pasture are quite striking right now.

Wildflowers in the pasture

We mowed them down once because of the poison ivy, but the flowers seem to be outgrowing the poison ivy at the moment.  And finally, it has rained now and then for which I’m quite grateful.

Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day June 2023

Stewartia malacodendron

Although it’s Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day I am leading off with a flower that finished blooming last month.  It came into bloom at the end of May and I was so frightfully impressed that I have purchased yet another of these trees.  I promise another posting on the Stewartias because they are well worth sharing.

Currently the Stewartia japonica which we’ve had for years is just now coming into bloom

Stewartia japonica

In the meantime the other striking flowers at the moment are the lilies.  Just a few of them are showing right now but they are lovely

Yellow Lily in the Herb bed

Asiatic Lily ‘Forever Susan’

Lililum ‘Istanbul’

Lilium ‘Purple Marble’

There is also a very late and very large Azalea at the front of the house

Xtra Large White Azalea

The rest of flowering is more or less normal roses, penstemon, and annuals.  One exception is the Evening Primrose out on the bank to the pasture.

Evening Primrose (Oenothera speciosa)

This wildflower came along on its own and appears anytime we don’t mow to close or too often on the pasture hillside.

We have been busy picking and eating fruit (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and cherries).  Mostly it’s what we expect but for many of them they are bit on the small side given the extremely dry weather we’ve had (can we say drought?).  The exception is the wild cherry tree at the entrance to our forest.

Wild Cherries in Blossom

This tree is just one of many wild cherry trees in our forest.  Most of them seem to have come from bird-planted seedlings from the original orchard that we planted forty years ago.  They all have reasonable taste and the birds love them.

WaxWing in the Cherry Tree

This gives some idea of the density.

But the really surprising thing is that one of the smaller trees with branches actually close to the ground has absolutely marvelous cherries and they grow without being sprayed.  Just pick them.

Josh picking at the xtrasweet wild cherry

This is one of the bowls he brought in the other night.

Wild Cherries

Of course the other thing we get is as a bonus is all the birds visiting at this time of year.

Waxwings Sharing Mulberry

I’ve even seen the bluebird in the cherry tree, though he spends most of his time harvesting grubs in the grass.

A very blue bluebird

Life is good.  Now if we could just get some rain…

Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day April 2023

Stayman Apple Blossoms

Well of course there are so many flowers for the April Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day that it is difficult to choose what to share.  Let me begin with the apple trees.  Though some of the varieties are definitely showing the biennial bearing effect we still have other trees that are loaded with beautiful blossoms.

Granny Smith Apples in full bloom

The pears and peaches have mostly finished blooming and the cherries are just finishing.  In general flowers are running ahead of the normal flowering cycle as it’s been dry and hot in Maryland.

Other trees in bloom right now are the dogwoods and the redbuds.

Redbud in the front yard

Daffodils are everywhere in bloom.  Even though we’ve have had hundreds of daffodils already, some are still in bud.  Other bulbs showing up right now are the Fritillaria imperials in the front bed

Fritillaria imperialis and Peony in the front bed

and Tulips that I put in the woods with Erythronium last year.

Tulips and Erythronium in the woods

Also in the woods are Shooting Stars that are actually allowed to flower now that the deer are gone.

Shooting Star in the woods

A long-time component of our woods walk are the Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) that have naturalized in abundance.  And some of the bluebells are pink or white.

Pink Bluebell

One strange little bulb that I noticed this year is this little ornithogalum that has taken hold in the back lawn.

Ornithogalum in the back lawn

In terms of strange little plants this little polygala is spreading nicely in the alpine bed.

Polygala chamebuxus

Nearby is one of the Daphnes which contribute to the alpine bed on a regular basis.

Daphne in the Alpine bed

In this same shady Alpine bed there is a small columbine that comes back every year.

Aquilegia flabellata v. nana

And on the sunny side of the alpine bed there is an Asperula doing very well.

Asperula pontica

Along with a delightful Pulsatilla

White Pulsatilla in the Alpine bed

But even more surprising to me is this little Stachys that I planted back in 2017 after seeing it at the Yampa River Botanic Park in Steamboat Springs.  This is the first time it has really poured over the wall in the way I had hoped.

Stachys lavandulifolia

I should also share this double-flowered Quince which provide a particularly striking flower.

Double-flowered Quince

There are many, many other flowers but I think that’s true for everyone at this time of year.