"One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it brings."

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Day after Christmas blooms!

We had a very nice Christmas yesterday with my family.  The Littlest Gardener spent the day in her new Rapunzel costume (and is still in it now) and Sweet Pea has been enjoying her new game.  The garden fairies left a gift for the girls under the tree, it's a door that goes at the base of a tree so they can make a home inside.  Once we get it hung I'll share some pictures of it.
Our weather today has been all over the place; windy, rainy, sunny and COLD!  They are talking snow for the middle of the week.  I thought I'd take a quick walk through the back garden to see if anything had changed, and happily there has been a few changes.  It was still windy and getting late in the day, but I was too excited not to take pictures.

I've got flowers blooming!  The Sarcococca ruscifolia or Sweet Box is already blooming and smells so good!  This plant lives close to some large evergreen trees and does really well.  The berries (which aren't edible) are from last years flowers, this shrub is very slow growing and evergreen.  The delicious scent carries throughout the yard.  I'm thinking I will add one to the entry garden that I'm redoing.

The Hellebore 'Mardi Gras Double' that I planted last year has buds coming up.  Click here to see what it will look like in bloom.

A Hellebore starting to open!

Daphne x transatlantica 'Summer Ice', a pretty evergreen shrub, is starting to bloom again.  It blooms almost year round and like the Sarcococca has a wonderful scent.  I highly recommend both of these shrubs for some winter color and fragrance.

I love how this container is looking.  There is a Viola tucked in here, but it's not blooming right now.

I had mentioned some Hellebores that I had been visiting at the nursery a couple of weeks ago.  My husband told me to go buy them for my Christmas present, so here they are waiting for their new home in the front entry garden.  'Pink Marble' and 'Pink Frost' are the two I chose, can you tell I had my 4 year old daughter with me who insisted we needed them to be pink?  I've seen pictures of both of these on blogs and am happy that they will now be in my garden too.

I hope you all had a nice weekend and maybe even had a nice surprise in your garden.  
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36 comments:

  1. Oh, I have that Pink Frost Hellebore and I love it. It was the first Hellebore I planted. There are lots of buds on it down near the crown, but I have nothing even close to opening yet.

    So sweet box is different from regular boxwood? I have a boxwood that the previous owners planted, and it is kinda smelly, bad smelly. I'll have to look into the sweet box, the flowers look wonderful.

    Is that a Euphorbia in the container, the tall one with dark leaves at the back? I like the way it looks too.

    Looking forward to seeing what you do with the fairy door. What a great present for the girls.

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  2. Catherine, I am so envious that you have blooms in your garden. We are under a snow cover here, snowed on Christmas Eve and Christmas. We had a great time even though the weather was frightful!

    Eileen

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  3. OHMYGOSH, you have hellebores blooming. I will not see mine for another 3 months, you are so lucky. Glad you had a great Christmas.

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  4. Hi Catherine, Glad you all enjoyed Christmas. I love your new PINK hellebores. I have smelled sweet box before and I know your yard must smell heavenly. I've never had Daphne before. It will be interesting to see what your weather will do this week. I think Sweet Pea is hoping for SNOW!

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  5. Catherine,

    Someone who did not get snow today. Hope you don't get too much snow later in the week. Seems your hellebores are way ahead of ours. The new growth in late fall on our hellebores looks tattered because of the days we had in the mid teens.

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  6. It is thirteen degrees as a high today and you are having spring, what is wrong with this picture?
    I really am glad you weather is staying mild. I usually buy a Christmas cactus one every two years. I try to get them to carry over and they some time do, then they die. I will always remember the original Walton's show when Grandma brought the cactus up from the cave and it was blooming.

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  7. Hi Catherine. Glad to hear you all are enjoying your Christmas. New Flowers, what could be better. Cannot wait to see them bloom. I need color already girl.LOL!

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  8. Hi Catherine! Glad to know that you had a nice Christmas. Your Hellebores look full of hope. Have a wonderful holiday season!

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  9. That Mardi Gras Double bloom is incredible. Now that I have an area where Hellebore can grow, I look forward to getting some of these beauties. I have 5 unnamed ones now, but you have some beauties to look for to put in my garden.

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  10. Hi Catherine, I'm going right out tomorrow morning to check my Sarcococca. About a week ago I brought in a few sprigs to force but they didn't bloom for me so it must have been too early. I haven't been back to check it. Ditto on the two Daphnes. Thanks for the heads up.

    Love your PINK hellebores! Can't wait to see the fairy door. There's no down time in your garden!

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  11. A few days ago I noticed that my hellebores are perking up, and I remembered their other name is 'Christmas Rose', so I hope mine will soon start blooming. I know you must be excited to see the first beautiful blooms on yours. I also really like your daphne.

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  12. I know finally we are having plants bloom. Lets hope if it snows they wont freeze!

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  13. Such a lovely surprise to see you're back on line and posting magic again! Your plants are looking so healthy and full of the promise of even greater things to come!

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  14. Happy Christmas. Thanks for the comment you left on my end of year review and I am glad it isnt only me that takes the decorations down quickly!! Best wishes for 2011

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  15. That sweetbox is so cool. I wish I could smell it. It doesn't even look like winter in your garden! Can't wait to see the fairy door.

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  16. Nice. I love the Sedum trailing out of the container. Interested in seeing the fairy door.

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  17. How can I get to Sweetpea's blog?

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  18. Berries that last a whole year? Wow! We rarely get a chance to enjoy berries for a couple weeks before the birds devour them all.

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  19. I think the frost has killed off most everything I had several weeks ago. I need to check my Hellebores to see if anything is going on there. Don't you love those sedums that stay pretty all year and add such a delightful contrast?
    Brenda

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  20. Looking good. The container combination is lovely. It is my favorite from this post.

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  21. My gosh your buds look amazing, I am highly jealous! The mini cold snap made my Daphne lose half the leaves.

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  22. I can't wait to see the little door that opens into the tree trunk. Those are the very best kind of doors, why, we have hundreds of them here in the Hollow! You never know who dwells inside. Tell the girls to be most careful, sometimes the inhabitants do not want company... and sometimes you are invited inside for Raspberry tea!

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  23. Look at all of the life in your gardens ~ I'm envious! Think I'll take a stroll outside tomorrow - if that piercing wind isn't blowing. Brrrrrr it's been cold. I just have to get that Hellebore 'Mardi Gras Double' ever since I saw yours I've wanted one. Why don't I think to ask Santa for flowers, probably because they aren't on my mind this time of year. I'm gonna have to fix that. It's sooooooo good to be back!!! I just don't know what's been going on in my head lately but it seems to be clearing now. ;-)

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  24. I enjoyed seeing your discoveries. I won't be having any blooms for awhile. I almost did a yard walk today, but just took photos of the bird feeders Larry put around. I decided to take garden photos later in the week, when it's supposed to be a little warmer.

    I've never seen those new hellebores you got. I love the foliage on them!

    Have a great last few days of 2010!

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  25. HELLEBORES! YEAH!

    I love them too, they're such faithful little bloomers.

    Glad you're marking projects in my old Hollyhock Days. Are we already rambling toward spring? I JUST got all the fruit trees pruned. Now all the twigs are sitting in crocks in my house. I would rather have those bunches of twigs than just about anything.

    Glad you liked our family traditions. Yes, the gold thread treasure hunt is a HUGE hit with the kids.

    Gott run for my own safety-Jeff is making his first pasta from scratch. I have to oversee. YIKES.

    Love and happy new year,

    Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island

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  26. I love my Daphne 'summer ice!' I should go out and inspect my hellebores and daphne to see if they're getting ready to bloom. I think I'm at least a couple weeks behind you.

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  27. Isn't is wonderful to see something beautiful in your garden right after Christmas?! Thanks for sharing!
    Hope your forecasted snow showers are just pretty and not like the one in November. I would still trade cities with you in a minute!

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  28. I don't know your Daphne x transatlantica 'Summer Ice', but I love Daphnes, they always have such a wonderful perfume, sadly my garden is too hot for them but I enjoy them in gardens I visit in the UK. A great choice of Hellebores too. Have a great New Year, Christina

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  29. How beautiful! I love that Sweet Box but it would not be hardy here. But the Daphne might in a sheltered spot! My mom gave me some hellebores last season. I am looking so forward to them.

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  30. So much to comment on here. CAN'T wait to see that fairy door. Your daughters will get it looking so amazing too.
    LOVE your new hellebores! Pink is perfect. Yours always do so well, I'm sure these will be no exception.
    I knew you'd have new blooms soon! There's always something happening in your garden.
    Your container is just beautiful. Such a nice combination of foliage, color and texture. Makes me want to try a winter one but not sure I'd have the same luck (maybe this year since we are warmer but not usually).
    Happy New Year Catherine. Hope it's a good one for you and your family.

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  31. I have lots of sweet box, too, but don't get many berries. Perhaps it's a different cultivar. Looking forward to seeing the little door for the tree. Great looking container garden!

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  32. How wonderful to have the weather to still be seeing green in your garden. I hope you don't get the snow! Your new plants look lovely ~ you will be anxious to get them planted in your garden.

    I wish you all the best that 2011 has to offer Catherine!
    xo Catherine

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  33. I love the smell of fragrant Daphne. It smells like Froot Loops to me. :P

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  34. Catherine, I'm trying to imagine getting plants for Christmas gifts and actually being able to go out and plant them! We had our first serious snowfall a couple of days ago, so my garden is tucked in under its winter blanket (as it should be at this time of year). I'm planning to add the first hellebores to my garden when I plant a new flower bed this year -- but I'm sure they won't be blooming in December here! Happy holidays. -Jean

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  35. So nice not to see snow!
    The planter is looking good...have to have pots.
    Nice Sweet Box,would love to have something scented in the garden that's a evergreen.

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  36. I can't believe you have a Hellebore opening! Although now I suspect it might be buried in snow? Happy New Year Catherine!

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