The Garden Awakens
Anise 'Woodland Red' ( Illicium floridanum ) A few weeks ago, I thought spring would never arrive, but now the change is astonishing. The nights are still cold (40s and sometimes even 30s) so planting tender annuals and vegetables is unwise although I have already succumbed, but covering and uncovering things gets old quickly. Someone made a wise comment last week and I must agree with them - "Don't plant anything tender until after May 1". Several plants are blooming like never before. One is the Anise shrub (above and below). I don't know if the recent tree pruning, which is allowing more sun into the woodland path, is affecting it or perhaps it is just age, but I've never seen so many blooms. Michael refers to this as "the stinky fish shrub" and I have to admit to smell of the flowers is quite unpleasant. It is so beautiful that I can overlook that. The old pink dogwood tree, which was already here, shades our woodland path and it too is prett
Wow, This forsythia is screaming SPRING!! Love all the blooms. I am with you come on spring. Winter, take the cold wind with you.
ReplyDeleteWith the cold and snow we still have here, it's hard to believe it's spring somewhere.
ReplyDeleteAnd I have what looks like that exact hellebore, and mine is called a stinky hellebore. :-)
And yes, they do smell icky!
I have quite a few pieris - planted 6 in 2 groups of 3 in the front gardens. Four died, from drought, probably. I didn't realize at the time that they don't like the dry. The other 4 are about 5 ft tall now and beautiful in spring, but 1-2 branches dry up and die every summer, it seems. In the back gardens I have a couple with rosy pink flowers, and they are stunning. I also have a dwarf which won't get more than a few feet tall. They're pretty shrubs when they're happy!
ReplyDeleteC.C., I was thinking that they were temperamental. I guess that is why I had never tried them. I'll keep the drought in mind!
ReplyDeleteWayne, I will have to smell it.
Phillip, Sure your pieris will thrive - and they are lovely plants. We keep ours low but they bloom prolifically and the new growth at stems end is often stunning year round. Yes, like C.C. said, branches might die off if they are unhappy, but they continue to thrive after pruning, and I doubt dryness is a problem you have anyway. They love light shade in my geography.
ReplyDeleteThe location for it is shady. I do have some areas of dry shade but this area isn't that bad.
ReplyDeleteThat is a very impressive hellebore! Unfortunately we are still quite far from flowering Pieris around here.
ReplyDeleteI love your hellebore. It makes me miss my old garden in Atlanta, which was full of hellebores of all kinds. They are such great plants because they're small and evergreen and they bloom in winter. I wish I could grow them here in Florida!
ReplyDeleteReally pretty Phillips. I think they call it stinking hellebore because of a skunk smell when you crush the leaves. Now, why would anyone want to crush those pretty leaves do you think?~~Dee
ReplyDeleteHow cool to have the forsytia growing out of the tree stump! Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteWhat would your mother think of your showing pictures of your bloomers to the whole world?:)
Your pieris is lovely. I have a couple but since the deer like them I have never seen them bloom.
ReplyDeleteCount yourself lucky you didn't get any snow! I'm so tired of the cold, especially compared to that mild winter we had last year. Bring it on, spring!
ReplyDeleteI love that forsythia and the lily of the valley shrub! Good luck with the garden tour! Jeannine
ReplyDeleteI just love your garden! Patience really pays off. Lovely Lily of the Valley Shrub.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the photo of the forsythia. The ones that bloomed on the side of our house were my mother's favorites, and just looking at the picture of yours makes me think of her and smile.
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