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…