I finally planted the last of my bulbs, 80 Muscari aka Grape Hyacinth bulbs that were chilling in the refrigerator. I managed to get them in the ground before February, but we’ll see if they bloom or not. Most had green leaves starting to erupt from the bulbs. Otherwise, cleaned up another planting bed of last year’s perennial debris which leaves just one more bed to clear. Somehow it all gets done before spring!
What’s Blooming:
- Hellebores
- Hepatica Triloba, white, blue and pink
- Crocus
- Snowdrops
- Witch Hazel
- Primula
A reader just recently let me know that Martha Stewart had a segment on her show on January 22, 2010 on how to make an Indoor Fairy Garden. Check it out and have fun with it!
Otherwise, when not working in the yard, I have been busy planning a new theme for an existing planting bed. I’m going to convert a small, square planting bed around my AC unit and next to the patio into a tropical oasis! I’ve been busy selecting and ordering plants that make sense for my planting zone, 7B. The bed already has a nice clumping bamboo which will stay along with some fun purple edged green clover. Otherwise I will be moving the small paperbark birch. Here’s the list of what I am adding and where I have ordered the plants:
- Musa Sikkimensis Indian Banana from Heronswood
- Trachycarpus fortunei Hardy Chusan Palm from Spring Hill Nursery
- Caladium from Costco
- Canna from Costco
I generally try to find the best price for the plants I buy though sometimes it just depends on availability. In addition to the new plants, I’m planning on installing a little water feature, most likely just a simple jar fountain.
I can’t wait for spring!
Just logging in another planting bed has been cleaned of debris and dormant perennial stems. I also relocated a couple plants from the same rear right bed so that large plants are in back and smaller in the front. Just two more planting beds to go and winter clean-up will be complete!
After a couple of dry days, the rain returned today and the garden is grateful. Since my outside hose bibs are turned off for the winter, I wasn’t able to water the relocated plants. Fortunately Mother Nature took care of the watering for me.
The plant of the month for this January is an easy pick based on the blooms. I have 3 Witch Hazel plants and they are blooming wonderfully! I have two yellow Arnold’s Promise witch hazels and an orange Jelena. The plants have a wonderful inverted cone shape that is unique and pleasing in the garden year round, but it is the cheerful January blooms that are welcome after a dreary December.
Otherwise, this weekend I spnd a couple hours in the garden pruning and fertilizing my berry bushes. The cherry tree got a trim, the Japanese Bloodgrass and a couple perennials and grasses were relocated and 30 allium blubs were planted freeing up refrigerator space. I also noted that many perennials are starting to sprout probably due to the unseasonable warm weather. I’m a little concerned about the budding roses and can only hope that we don’t get a late cold spell. Right now cold would still be okay, but soon there may be some budding. I keep checking the Forsythia, the “official” announcer of spring and currently there isn’t too much activity there which is definitely good news being that it is only mid-January.
TIP: If you find yourself delayed in planting your bulbs in the fall, refrigerate them to simulate the winter cold and get them in the ground when you are able. Essentially you are forcing your bulbs artificially.
What’s Blooming:
Witch Hazel
Small yellow crocus
Yellow Primula
Interesting observation; all of my “what’s blooming” have yellow blooms right now.
The plant of the month for this January is an easy pick based on the blooms. I have 3 Witch Hazel plants and they are all blooming! I have two yellow Arnold’s Promise witch hazels and an orange Jelena. The plants have a wonderful inverted cone shape that is unique and pleasing in the garden year round, but it is the cheerful January blooms that are welcome after a dreary December.
Otherwise, this weekend I spent a couple hours in the garden pruning and fertilizing my berry bushes. The cherry tree was pruned, the Japanese Bloodgrass and a couple perennials and grasses were relocated and 30 allium blubs were planted freeing up refrigerator space. I also noted that many perennials are starting to sprout probably due to the unseasonable warm weather. I’m a little concerned about the budding roses and can only hope that we don’t get a late cold spell. Right now cold would still be okay, but soon there may be some bud bursts. I keep checking the Forsythia, the “official” announcer of spring, and currently there isn’t too much activity there which is definitely good news being that it is only mid-January.
TIP: If you find yourself delayed in planting your bulbs in the fall, refrigerate them to simulate the winter cold and get them in the ground when you are able. Essentially you are forcing your bulbs artificially.
What’s Blooming:
- Witch Hazel
- Small yellow crocus
- Yellow Primula
Interesting observation, all of my “what’s blooming” have yellow blooms right now.
As I was outside on Sunday cleaning up the yard from debris compliments of the copiuous wind storms of late December and early January I spied this years first new bloom. My yellow witch hazel is blooming! What a pleasant surprise in an otherwise brown and spindly landscape. Now if only I oculd figure out what I can get to bloom in December in my zone then I could have year round blooms in my garden.
After clean up, I also fertilized all of my trees and shrubs. I had the fertilizer all ready to go in the autumn, but then the rain, then the cold, then the holidays, and here I was finally fertilizing almost 3 months late. But, better late than never!
I was outside on Sunday cleaning up the yard from debris compliments of the copiuous wind storms of late December and early January when I spied this year’s first new bloom. My yellow witch hazel is blooming! What a pleasant surprise in an otherwise brown and spindly landscape. Now if only I could figure out what I can get to bloom in December in my zone then I could have year round blooms in my garden.
After clean up, I also fertilized all of my trees and shrubs. I had the fertilizer all ready to go in the autumn, but then the rain, then the cold, then the holidays, and here I was finally fertilizing almost 3 months late. But, better late than never!
Otherwise, to catch up, the cold spell put an end to the snapdragons and kaffir lilies and anything else that was hanging on into December.
My garden “to do” continues to grow. If only I didn’t mind gardening in the rain. Drizzle not so bad, but cold, windy rain is just not going to get me out there in the garden. I still need to finish fertilizing some shrubs and definitely need to plant the last of the bulbs that I have stored in the refrigerator so that they will at least be chilled for blooms. I hope it works! Perhaps this weekend I will get these tasks done.
Oh, and I just ordered a green tea shrub Camellia sinensis! I am an avid tea drinker and figured I’d try my hand at growing a tea bush. Thank you Territorial Seed Company! I can’t wait to receive my plant!
