grateful for the gifts of nature
These gorgeous Dutch Iris bulbs were a gift from my thoughtful sister-in-law. She knows me so well and has given me so many great plants over the years. Also know as the classic Fleur-de-Lis, I was fascinated by these flowers as a child and am so happy to have them growing in my garden.
These Pansies were too pretty to pass up. It was late for planting them when I did this project-3 weeks or so ago. I got them to fill in and add some color to the bed under the Crabapple Tree. The dark purple/blue color is so rich and the pansy “faces” are very charming. I used a hand trowel and very easily added the flat of 12 plants to the bed. I also filled in the top side of the bed with soil from the backyard and straightened the formed concrete “stones”. Still needs more plants and work, but it’s much better than before.
There are hundreds of Daffodil species and over 25,000 named hybrids. I only have a few different types in my yard, and haven’t taken time to identify them. I plan to divide and replant some crowded clumps of bulbs after the foliage fades this year to encourage more blooms next year.
I took these photos over the last few weeks.
They are all so beautiful and cheerful at this time when little else is happening yet in the landscape. I cut some of the super sweetly fragrant types a few weeks ago and put them on the mantle in the lovely bud vases my sweet sister-in-law gave me a few years ago.
Tiny, bell-shaped, frilly edged clusters of Grape Hyacinth blooms are starting to fill my containers now. I pair them with daffodils for pretty late winter color. I dug the bulbs from under the Crabapple tree just after moving here and put them into containers. The ground under the tree wasn’t ideal. They seem much happier in the containers and have bloomed profusely for years.
This photo was taken before the hyacinths bloomed, but you can see their trailing, green, skinny leaves hanging over the sides of the container. Also in this container, are a variety of miniature Daffodil and fantastically fragrant Freesia-which will bloom this summer. My sweet mother-in-law gave me the container when we moved in and I am so happy it’s finally filled with greenery and blooms.
This Daffodil is blooming early even for Georgia. I can’t remember seeing blooms on these before February. Hoping frost doesn’t kill them. Daffodils, aka Narcissus or Jonquils, have been my favorite flowers since I was a child. I would watch the dull hillsides for their fast growing green tips to burst through the fallen leaves. My Mom called them Easter Lilies, as many people do in the mountains of Western North Carolina, because they usually bloomed there at Easter.
If you get close enough, most have a fantastic sweet smell. I love to cut and bring them inside to enjoy their beauty and scent. Truly a lovely plant, I am excited to get more for my landscape and containers this fall.
My husband brought home cuttings of a mystery plant 5 years ago from a friend’s porch. I had trouble identifying it at first. I found a similar plant called Jewel Leaf Plant in a random indoor gardening book I had from my bookstore employee days. It listed the scientific name Graptopetalum Amethystinum. I think this one is Graptopetalum Paraguayense. I have heard it called many things, but most commonly the scientific name Graptopetalum, Mother-of-Pearl Plant and Ghost Plant.
Those few have grown, and I have transplanted cuttings from this mother plant for my friend. I cut the longest pieces with scissors, put them in this cup of water for a few months-adding more water as necessary, and planted them in the new pot after they grew roots.
An amazingly hardy plant, roots will even sprout from fallen petals. A member of the Jade family, the petals are soft, but don’t like to be rubbed too hard. Pale green will turn to dusty purple coloring this summer. It lives on the shady back deck until temps. drop below freezing, then moves to a south facing window inside. I think it needs more sun this season, as it’s never bloomed. I hope to see flowers this year.
My friend is coming to visit this weekend. I have been promising to transplant cuttings for her for years. Mission finally accomplished.
I hope it will do as well on her front porch in Raleigh.
I was shocked to see my huge, 10 ft tall by 6 ft wide, Loropetalum in full bloom so early. The extra warm weather a few weeks ago may have brought this about. I jogged back up the driveway to get my camera and captured this.
Also called Fringe Flower, this beauty is related to Witch Hazel. There are many shapes, sizes and varieties of this great plant. On the left, the 10 ft. monster, badly needing a pruning when finished blooming. The other is a 10 inch tall dwarf, weeping variety. One of my few purchases, I planted it under the Crabapple Tree this past spring. It should only get 2-3 ft. tall.
The drab landscape is spotted with bright color thanks to red-berried Nandina.
No maintenance, deer resistance, and drought tolerance allow Nandina to thrive in Georgia. Commonly and misleadingly called “heavenly bamboo”, it’s not a bamboo. The only member of it’s own genus, Nandina, the plant is toxic to some animals. While “generally classified as non-toxic to humans”, care should be taken to keep them away from high traffic areas where pets or children could ingest them.
This plant is super invasive in Georgia and should never be planted. I pull every one of them I can find in my woods. They are sold in nurseries and stores, but I have found over the years they have little value in the woods or garden, due to their prolific spread into the native forests. Maybe a variety without seeds that does not spread?
This beautiful Snake Plant was passed down to me and I shared it with a friend. It has grown amazingly well by the front door window, with little care. Mine has bloomed before, but not this year. I visited my friend a few weeks ago and her plant was blooming. The tiny white flowers along upright stalks remind me of honeysuckle blooms.
Now about 4 ft. tall, it was started from a small bunch of cuttings 8 years ago. Steadily multiplying blades have filled the clay pot. Many older blades have been cut off at the base to keep the plant looking new and compact.
Leatherleaf Mahonia is considered invasive. Looking around, there are several more-birds love to eat the dark purple berries and have distributed the seeds nearby. Don’t plant this in your yard, and get rid of any you see, they will spread. This one was already here, and I have cut some down since.