This week has been full of excitement! I became an Aunt when my sister gave birth to a wonderful healthy baby boy and much less interesting, the pink camellia bush started blooming.
Pink Camellia Flower
I still need to go back through the box-o-plant-tags to see if I can find which variety this is.
Pink Camellia bush
Only two lonely blooms so far, but you can see lots of buds in that picture. I think in another couple of weeks it will be in its full glory. At the bottom of the last picture, you can see some of the variegated pachysandra ground cover.
Variegated Pachysandra
What a pretty plant that pretty much stays the same all year round!
Dusty Miller hanging on
I was very surprised to see that the Dusty Miller I bought last spring/summer is still hanging on in this pot out back. I thought it would have died back by now, as it is considered an annual in this area. I did a little digging online and found out that it is a perennial and will stay alive in zones 8-11. We’re in zone 7a here, but maybe we’re having a milder winter…
New growth on mum
Also surprising was the new growth on this mum. What? Aren’t you supposed to be completely died back by now? Or is this new growth for this next year already?
Stinking Hellebore
Right on time, the stinking hellebore is starting to set out its flowers.
Stinking Hellebore Flower Bud
Seeing those buds prompted me to check the other Hellebores to see if any new growth had started.
New Hellebore Growth
I was not disappointed! In this shot above, you can see the foliage starting to lay down (as it loses nutrients which are instead diverted to the new flowers), leaving a spot in the middle for the new growth to come up.
Hellebore Flowers Coming up
A couple of the plants had the flower buds starting – the ones that looked farthest along all had this pretty dark purplish color.
Flowering Quince buds
Some other new growth I found were these buds forming on the flowering Quince. It is one of the first bushes to put out pretty little flowers in Spring. Here’s a shot of the bush in early spring of last year:
Flowering Quince
The redbud is also putting out its buds:
Redbud Buds
It was really difficult to get a good shot of those buds. Using the mat board helps a lot, but it can still be tricky.
Berries on a Barberry Bush
I’d been keeping an eye on the Barberry bush to see if I could find any berries, after I found pictures of other bushes with berries. For the first time this season, I found these two little lonely berries.
Rosehip forming
And now some shots just because I think they’re beautiful (and I’ve been playing around with taking different kinds of shots). I photographed this rose head that is on its way to becoming a rosehip (seed head). Some new growth is shooting off above it in bright pink.
Joe Pye Weed dried heads
The dried seeds heads of this Joe Pye Weed look so delicate.
Dried Hydrangea Flowers
And so far, my favorite. A dried hydrangea flower head (Annabelle) that looks a little bit like a heart.
The Backyard in Mid-January
So even in the dead of winter, this garden is teeming full of life and vigor!
Speak Your Mind