It looks like some of us Pacific Northwesteners on our way to setting another weather related record. This January is on it's way to becoming the warmest January on record. During this past summer we hit the hottest day ever recorded in Seattle, then this past December we had record setting lows when an Arctic blast came through. While it's been kind of nice to have such a mild winter, I also know that many plants here need that winter chill to help set buds. We also need the cold to help get rid of many garden pests. I'm going to be very interested to see what this Spring brings.
Last year the iris reticulata was blooming on the first day of Spring. Now it's almost in bloom and Spring is still a ways off.
The Hellebore 'Royal Heritage' looks so pretty with the sun shining through it.
I don't think I'll get tired of looking at this 'Royal Heritage' variation. As the sun has been out, they have been lifting their faces more. I think this is my favorite flower picture of the year so far.
One of the Hellebores in my front yard seems to have perked up since I cut away the old foliage. It's flowers are beginning to lift up as well.Fertilizer Friday is hosted each Friday by Tootsie at Tootsie Time. Visit her to see what she's got happening in her garden or greenhouse as well as other gardeners from all over.
Don't know about you but I've found that sometimes when it's too warm, my bulbs come up before the last frost. I always worry about them ..
ReplyDeleteHi Catherine. I'm ahead of you on the compost thing. I've been busy putting down truckloads of government compost - everywhere I can. It's a great idea.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you have so much blooming. Irises? Wonderful! Everything looks sooooooo good.
ReplyDeleteDid you happen to see the link I put on your comments yesterday about Clematis? Thought it might help people since it had lists of which ones fell under which group.
We're a little worried here too. As lovely as it is to see the gardens awaken, it's just too soon. Our plum trees have been pushing new growth since the New Year, and now they're starting to bloom! Once our rain pattern ends, I know there'll be more frost. Spring is definitely springing a little early this year.
ReplyDeleteThose are beautiful flowers, beautiful photos. I figure in another week, there will be growth all over the place here. I can't wait!
ReplyDeleteSo that's the reason why it's unusual cold here =) I think your Helleborus looks great all of them. But that Iris is really in a hurry! It's so nice to see / gittan
ReplyDeleteWe have had a really cold winter here in the UK so the opposite of you.
ReplyDeleteI do think it is strange when people say they need a cold winter to get rid of pests because if its cold enough to get rid of pests it is also cold enough to get rid of beneficial insects
We have your cold down here in Texas, ugh:(, that iris color is going to be stunning...LOVE these photos, you really got down close, very beautiful:)
ReplyDeleteI hope the warm weather is not lulling your plants into a false since of security. It's all very pretty.
ReplyDeleteWell hopefully no late freeze will come along and really shock the plants. The flowers are a nice thing though!
ReplyDeleteRain Gardener - Yes, thank you I did get that link and already have been looking at it. It was really helpful!
ReplyDeletepatientgardener - I guess what I was getting at was that there are already aphids and other pests on plants that aren't usually here this early. Unfortunately I haven't seen any ladybugs or other "good" insects around to help control them. I definitely don't wish any of the beneficial insects to be killed by the weather.
Catherine, Your hellebores are so beautiful! Especially the red one! I look forward to seeing mine, too...but they are still sleeping! :-)
ReplyDeleteBeth
G'day Catherine ~ I remember in Chehalis WA Mother's primroses blooming in February several times early like this. My beauties are all peeking thru our soil in MD.
ReplyDeleteHave a beautiful weekend.
TTFN ~ Marydon
I have been drooling over your blooms Catherine! My Hellebores and Iris r. will not bloom for a good two months yet. It will be interesting to see what happens the world over... you have a first hand account for your area... another good reason for blogging! Hot and Cold record temps being recorded. I wish we could have another Manhattan Project ... only for good ... for green energy. I know we can do it. Powers that be have all the control unless 'the people' stand united. I digress!! Having said all this it is joyful seeing your blooms... your photographs are so stunning and light filled! Beautiful perspectives... some of the most stunning images of hellebore I have seen. Your Royal Heritage is magic with the sunlight... you had to get pretty low to get these. Well Done! ;>)
ReplyDeleteDear Catherine, As Carol has remarked, your hellebore pictures really are magnificent and in full flower already.
ReplyDeleteCertainly, in my experience, the more good organic matter that you are able to find for the garden, then the better the results. I used to have a very good source of well rotted horse manure - nothing better for roses - but in recent years that has become unavailable. Now I make sure that I compost everything from the garden that I can.
It was unseasonable warm for us today too.
ReplyDeleteThe sun was out all day, and it warmed up to 26 degrees, (if you don't count the wind chill) That sure beats yesterdays 11 degrees.
I cn't wait until spring and I'm so glad I can enjoy other peoples gardens until then.
Thanks for visiting my blog.
Troy
Hard to believe last year even happened, after seeing the crocus blooming here today.
ReplyDeleteSnowdrops have been up for over 3 weeks.
Jen
How strange that you had a record-warm January. Down here in Florida, we set records on the cold side. We have very little green left in our gardens!
ReplyDeleteOooooh, your iris is fantastic. I hope it blooms well and isn't damaged by frost.
ReplyDeleteIt should be an interesting spring and summer for you. Your flower pictures are so nice. I love that white/burgundy hellebores photo. About 50 miles north of us is getting a winter storm with snow - I'll take pics if we get anything! Have a nice weekend.
ReplyDeleteWonderful shots, Catherine. I find the buds as, or more exciting than the flowers, especially with iris. This has been a wild winter. We have three inches of snow already and it just started. As for the clems, we just call them clemmies, not wanting to appear uneducated! We never know when or what to prune either, so just don't. Using the blog post to remind yourself is a great idea! :-)
ReplyDeleteFrances
The iris is looking great! Love all yr pics - the Hellebore has very beautiful flowers.
ReplyDeleteHave a nice weekend.
It is understandable why you are going into spring, I just hope it doesn't turn to disaster along the way. I am really enjoying your spring. Great shots of color.
ReplyDeleteThe photos of the hellebores are fantastic! I noticed blooms on my hellebores today for the first time this year. I think we have some of the same varieties. I hope that a hard freeze doesn't sneak up and kill your new buds! Unfortunately, we have to deal with that almost every year, since our winters tend to run hot and cold.
ReplyDeleteMy husband just curled up next to me and before he dozed off for a few minutes told how tired he was and how he's had to buy things he ususally doesn't this time of year, like horse wormer. With weather this warm the worms just keep cycling on the animals and it is hard to keep up with them. We do have a tendency to like it frozen when the lambs come, they can actually handle the cold better than they can handle the bloom of "bugs".
ReplyDeleteCompost! It is a wonderful thing isn't it! Bet and I are going to put in a couple of purposeful worm beds for things that the chickens don't like or won't eat much of. We have compost piles all over the farm and the chickens do a bit of automatic composting for us. Compost is a wonderful thing!
Catherine, your flowers are scaring me. LOL No kidding about warm temps at this rate we are going to be in full bloom by mid February.
ReplyDeleteAnd then,
I have one word for you --Poo.
hehe. Seriously, horse manure has been like garden gold for me. At the beginning of the summer we got two truck loads of it and in fall mowed up all the leaves for compost. It's fantastic! I have a box of Miricle Grow sitting untouched in the garage. I'll never use it again.
The Royal Heritage Hellebores are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteAnd our winter has been the coldest and snowiest in a long time! Sigh!
ReplyDeleteThe pics of the hellebores are stunning! While your area is experiencing a warm mild winter we are having one of the coldest ones in long time... Oh well... I just cuddle by the fire and dream.
ReplyDeleteYour Hellebores are absolutely glorious! How lucky you are to have all those beautiful blooms to enjoy in January. I'm amazed it's been such a mild winter for you when so much of the country has been suffering with cold temps and lots of snow. We're getting another cold blast now after a brief warm up.
ReplyDeleteYou have so many gorgeous Clematis vines! I prune my Jackmanii and Carnaby in the spring, just above first new growth, so about a foot from the ground usually. It's amazing how fast they grow. I hope to add a new one this coming summer.
Oh how I wish I could walk around in your yard, but I guess your wonderful pictures are a good substitute. Makes me long for spring even more. It is about 7 degrees here tonight. Spring is soooo not in the air. I have enjoyed reading your last few posts. You are so right about those Climatis. I do the same thing and I am determined to figure out which are which this year so I prune at the right time. Also I love your shady path. There is just something about stones that are laid unperfectly that I love. I have many in my yard also.
ReplyDeleteCatherine, it´s awsome to see irises blooming at this time in your part of the world... mine did it very past the time this year and it was because we didn´t have winter until many months later. Your hellebores are so pretty, specially the Royal Heritage, what an intense color.
ReplyDeleteI will need a new camera, are you happy with yours??
Muchos cariños,
Marìa Cecilia
You are always such a wiz with hellebores. Those ones are stunning! Curious about your source for compost, and if you have it delivered or haul it yourself. And how thick do you spread it, I'd be curious about all of your methods since they seem to produce such amazing results!! Yes, it has been a weird weather year. I hope it's an anomaly but am not holding my breath. I see aphid damage here already, and it seems early for that. :(
ReplyDeleteHi Catherine~~ I have to agree, your hellebore photo is just amazing. The way the light is shining through the blossom and how you've captured the fern fronds behind it. Stupendous.
ReplyDeleteOur weather has been really strange. The experts claim it's the El Nino effect with all of the storms hitting California. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed for a mild remainder of the winter. El Nino, don't abandon us now. :)
The creamy coloured hellebore with the spots is beautiful! :D
ReplyDeleteOur weather has been odd here this winter. Yours has been one of the mildest, ours has been one of the coldest. Our latest cold snap lasted for 3 weeks, and now the front page news is the shock everyone has received after getting their electric bills in (include me in one of the shocked).
We had one week of warm, and now it's back to cold and rainy/snowy. Weird.
Stunning, stunning photographs Catherine. I can't believe what's going on in your garden. We've had an unbelievably cold and long winter too. Count your blessings for having the opposite! I also hope things don't change in these last few months before it really is spring. That would be so cruel all the way around. It will be interesting to see how the year progresses. We had a cooler than normal summer followed by an early winter (almost skipping fall) so I'm hoping for moderation this year.
ReplyDeleteHi Catherine, Are you worried that things are warming and growing so early? Could you possibly still have some freezing weather?
ReplyDeleteWe've had record low temps this Winter (-20 degrees F) and for Southern Iowa, that's saying a lot. Plus we've had so much freezing rain and thick ice. Tired of that. But I really like Winter, otherwise. (watching it from outdoors, mostly!) ha. :-)
It sure does sound like many of us are having very strange weather this winter, and even past summer. Let's hope we all have nice beautiful Springs to even things out!
ReplyDeletemaria cecilia - I'm very happy with my camera. I think there is a newer version of it already, SX 20 IS. It's very easy to get started with.
Karen - We usually use Cedar Grove. We've had it delivered several times and although it's cheaper that way it fills our driveway and we don't always have time to spread it that quickly. Last couple of years I've just gone and gotten the bags and worked on spreading it when I have time. I usually just do a few inches deep.
Shady - I am a bit worried about late freezes. We have snow into March some winters and definitely freezes that late. Hopefully as Grace said this winter will just finish off mildly too. Hope it warms up a bit for you:)
Hi Catherine,
ReplyDeleteI think if the weather was the exact same year after year, then maybe gardening would get boring??? Not sure....But, there is always something exciting about seeing what changes weather fluctuations will bring.
Ah, hellebores. I love them so much, and thanks to a couple of wise gardeners, I now have a couple that are doing just fine. I have to bury them in mulch sometime in January because we have so many freeze-thaw cycles, and they'll turn to mush by late April. So now they're buried in evergreens (and about three feet of drifted snow, after yesterday's storm) and I'll see them in the spring. I'd like to try 'Goldfinch' this year, but we'll see how the spring goes.
ReplyDeleteWill have some Hellebores in my new garden and that red one is gorgeous!!!! I will be looking for some of that one.
ReplyDeleteWe had 60 degrees two days ago and now we have almost a foot of snow.
Beautiful! My PNW garden only has buds no flowers yet. I am envious.
ReplyDeleteI need to move, we won't have anything blooming for two more months. Love your photos.
ReplyDeleteWhile you may have warmer than normal temps I think we have colder than normal temps! The thermometer dropped to 4 degrees this morning before sunrise.
ReplyDeleteCatherine, your blooms are beautiful! We are still under snow and expect more tommorrow. I am so ready just to go out and pick up sticks or rate. Patience I tell myself. The iris is beautiful. I love how they smell-G
ReplyDeleteI would be jealous of your beautiful blossoms, but I looked out and saw my quince in bloom, and it wiped out all the feelings of envy in me. I am glad you have them to share with us!
ReplyDeleteIt is cold out here now, and has been for several days. I just hate cold weather, I can't wait for spring to be here!
I can't get over how pretty your hellebores are! Your pictures are always stunning.
ReplyDeleteI don't know much about the pacific northwest, but I've been amazed at how far along into spring you are there. Turns out it's not quite the norm! Still winter here, and will be for quite some type despite my little scabiosa peeking out. Darn!
ReplyDelete