Winter Bloomers

As spring slowly approaches, many winter-blooming plants are still going strong.  Daphne bhoula has been in bloom for the past month.  Like many winter-blooming plants, it has a very intense fragrance.

This yellow Witch Hazel (Hamamelis intermedia) is currently in peak-bloom while the orange variety on the other side of the garden has dropped most of its petals.

  

After three years of seeing the buds freeze off, Camellia sasanqua 'Apple Blossom' has finally burst into bloom.  The flowers don't look anything like apple blossoms...they're much bigger!!

A few naturalized Cyclamen coum seedlings.

Mahonia x media 'Charity' is also blooming right now.  I've seen a few hummingbirds visit this one.  Unfortunately, they're always off to the next plant by the time I get my camera out.

And finally, if you're going to grow one plant in February, it should be a hellebore.  This genus keeps getting better every year thanks to the many Hellebore breeders out there.  Shown are Helleborus orientalis & Helleborus niger.

The Long and Winding Road...

I think I like the genus Galanthus (Snowdrops) for the sole reason these miniature ephemerals signal the beginning of the end of winter. Yes, it's an unfathomably long way to go until summer, but here's proof that we're making forward progress.

Speaking of progress, I felt it was time to remove the protection from my Musa basjoo (Hardy banana) grove. Based off of the unseasonably warm weather we had this weekend and a favorable forecast, I'm betting on no more arctic air invasions this winter...



This 1" x 2" gash in the side of my Trochodendron aralioides was the worst casualty of the ice/freezing rain spell that tormented the South Sound area two weeks ago.



Finally, the way the flowers on this Hamamelis intermedia (Witch Hazel) glow in the sunshine go a long way toward making me not loathe winter so much.

In the Bleak Midwinter

Freezing rain is the evil step sister of snow. We had 6" of snow on Wednesday (1/18) followed by an inch of ice on Thursday (1/19). The supercooled raindrops instantly froze to whatever they touched - like this witch hazel (Hamamelis intermedia). Unfortunately, the ice also cut off the power.

Below, the redwood tree (Sequoia sempervirens) had a few branch casualties. Considering people cut holes through these trees and drive through them, I'm confident it will recover just fine.



Some plants will have a tougher recovery though. I noticed a major branch had broken off of my Trochodendron aralioides (pictured below, off to the left behind the bamboo).


Ice can be very beautiful when it's not ruining things.



An "ice fossil" of a palm tree.


Somewhere under those icicles are flower buds on this Camellia sasanqua.


Normally this bamboo (Phyllostachys rubromarginata) hides our neighbor's motor home shed. Not today.


One unlikely plant that managed to stay standing: this Melianthus major.


Hopefully the fish are doing alright under all that slush in the pond. No power means no water circulation but they are pretty much in hibernation mode anyway.


Finally, a look inside the greenhouse. Under normal circumstances the temperature in there never falls below 50 degrees, but with the power being out, there's not much I can do about that!

Stylin' in the Snow

How miserable is a garden in the middle of January
Where every plant you visit is dormant, dead or dreary.
It's the evergreen plants and ones that flower
That cheer you up when you're feeling sour.

Rhododendron 'Ebony Pearl'

For example, this Rhododendron 'Ebony Pearl' has dark, luxurious foliage all year round, but most appreciated this time of year. And, it sailed through last winter when the temperature plummeted down to 15 degrees!

Witch Hazels (Hamamelis intermedia) are in peak-bloom right now. Some little critter ate half the bark around the base of this tree two years ago so it hasn't been growing very much. I wrapped some breathable fabric around the base and it seems to be recovering.

Few things I love more than an evergreen plant that doesn't look like it's supposed to be evergreen. This palm leaf raspberry is one of those plants, although perhaps not completely hardy for the NW (it's doing OK this winter though!).

My Helwingia chinensis (above) really stands out as a broadleaved evergreen this time of year. It will grow little berries that look like ladybugs in the center of its leaves.

Finally, I'm horrible at remembering plant names but as long as I have Google all I have to do is type in everything I know about the plant, such as "Chile native red flowers evergreen", and an image search will just about always give me what I'm looking for. That's how I know this is a Crinodendron hookerianum.