Skip to main content

Featured

Japanese Maples Fall Color

'Skeeter's Broom' is the most colorful maple in our garden. I have just returned from a 2-week trip to Japan. This was my first ever trip outside the United States. It was an amazing experience and one I will never forget. Japan was wonderful - they really have their act together and I think the U.S. could learn a few things from them. There was one disappointment on the trip - the fall color had barely begun there and was really just beginning as we left. That is okay because the gardens were still spectacular, and I got a nice shot of fall color when I got back. 'Ryusen' I missed a few things - our ginkgo had just turned a glorious color the day before I left, and the leaves were gone by the time I got back.  'Sango-Kaku' I came home to many leaves on the ground but still a lot on the trees. 'Osakazuki', a beautiful red maple always changed color very late and therefore doesn't usually last long. When I left there was no color but a few remaini

March Bloom Day

We've had a rainy weekend, getting around 3" - it started raining on Friday and didn't stop until late Saturday night. It was a long slow rain, the kind that is great for the garden. It was wet today but I managed to get out and take some photos (although I should have been weeding!)

Saucer Magnolia (Magnolia x soulangiana) is still a young tree but the blooms are increasing year by year.




Star Magnolia (Magnolia stellata) has bloomed the longest that I've ever seen. It blooms so early that the frost usually gets it.




Alabama Snow Wreath (Neviusia alabamensis) is a great shrub.



Another great shrub, Winter Honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima) - it is hard to see the blooms in the photo. Fantastic fragrance!



Right now, the star of the show is the camellia. There are so many blooming that I plan to do a post on them later in the week. The following photo is of the oldest camellia in our garden. This is 'C.M. Wilson' and the pink blooms are the true color. The red mysteriously started appearing last year. I'm wondering if the growth is coming from the rootstock, like roses sometimes do?




An unidentified camellia that I rescued from the Unitarian Church. It was dying there and I think it was planted too close to the foundation of the building and the extreme alkalinity was killing it. When I dug the plant up, there were chunks of powdered concrete all in the ground. Camellias do not like this! It seems to be on the rebound.



Chinese Witch Hazel (Loropetalum chinense) - I hope I can get a full shot of the entire plant later - it is massive.




Epimedium (aka Fairy Wings) (Epimedium versicolor 'Sulphureum') is a great plant for dry shade.




Euphorbia Despina




Carolina Jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens)





Last, but not least, the hellebores are still going strong.






Carol at May Dreams blog invites us to show what is blooming in our gardens on the 15th of every month. Visit her blog for links to more blooms.

Comments

  1. Wow Phillip, you have some beauties showing off this spring. It looks like that garden man is screaming his displeasure at the rose that is blooming red. Ha... We saw lots of that Jessemine Vine blooming when we were driving through the southern states toward TX. I just love it. I wish I could grow it. Great photos.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You have a lot of beautiful flowers. Love the magnolias and camellias. Both of those have awhile before they bloom here! I think I'm going to try the epimedium under my trees.

    ReplyDelete
  3. You really have a lot of blooms already!

    We're still getting rain. Three days so far. Two more to go.

    Cameron

    ReplyDelete
  4. Beautiful photos Phillip. You have a lot blooming in the garden so early in the year.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ahhh, the hellebores are taking center stage in many photos but your camellias are beautiful and a plant I can appreciate but not grow. Love the shiny foliage.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Some very cool plants, several that I don't know at all. Your Alabama snow wreath looks remarkably like one of our west coast clematis species, though the plants are totally different--I'm not sure what ours would do with three inches of rain in a weekend. Enjoy the green.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Those camellias look really something.

    I'm guessing your soil is slightly acid. Yor roses obviously love it.

    Lovely photos.

    Rob

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your yard must smell heavenly. Love the camellia and the honeysuckle.
    Marnie

    ReplyDelete
  9. Your plants are always lovely Phillip! My eye was also caught be the Alabama Snow wreath, such a delicate looking native shrub!

    Your Loropetalum is green! With creamy white flowers? All the Loropetalums that I've seen here were burgundy/pink so had to go look yours up...are the white flowers fragrant? |

    Happy GBBD!

    Annie at the Transplantable Rose

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow, you've got a lot going on! I love that you saved the camellia. And now I know what has been blooming around the neighborhoods here - Star Magnolia (although they're almost over their bloom period). Thanks for the great tour as usual!

    ReplyDelete
  11. My Hellebores are just starting to send up buds. Your pics make me anxious!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Not only did you get good rain, but the soft light made for great photos, and your garden looks great too. Bless you for rescuing the camellia, I would have thought Unitarians to be more compassionate. Your CM Wilson is sporting a red branch, I don't think it is coming from the roots, and if you don't want it just cut that branch off.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Lostlandscape, welcome! Thank you for visiting!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Ooh, ahh! What a glorious show! The honeysuckle blossoms put me vaguely in mind of fothergilla flowers... oh I'm impatient for spring here!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Your photos are a great testament to what is so wonderful about spring in the South! I'm originally from New England and am clear there are great things about spring in every region, but it's hard to beat the look and fragrance of March in the South!

    ReplyDelete
  16. You are so far ahead of us. Alabama Snow Wreath looks coll. Hadn't seen that before.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts