Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - January 2019

Hellebore

This has been one of the mildest winters of recent years. Rain, of course, a little frost, no snow. I'm always wishing for snow, even when sprouting bulbs and buds on trees hint that spring is around the corner. It's certainly a time of mixed feelings! Perhaps by saying that this has been a mild winter, I will jinx us and bring some snow.

Thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting the monthly roundup of blooms, even when her garden is buried under six inches of snow.

First snowdrop

Wintersweet - chimonanthus

Rosemary

The slugs like primroses

Camellia 'Winter's Snowman'

Camellia 'Yuletide', seems oddly late this year

Hamamelis x 'Birgit' - hard to see in photos, but a brighter red than 'Diane'

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Diane'

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Diane'

Sarcococca scents up the whole corner of the front yard

Cyclamen coum, also a favorite of the slugs

Fuchsia 'Genii' may bloom year round

Helleborus 'Cinnamon Snow'

Helleborus, unknown

Lewisia continues to bloom

Inside, my kitchen counter is crowded with bulbs. Paperwhites that I picked up on sale after Christmas are blooming. Hyacinths that were forced in the fridge and then the garage are coming soon. And I've just finished repotting my amaryllises, the four big ones spent some time in the garage so hopefully they will bloom; the others are babies.

Happy new year - 2019!

Wintersweet, unknown variety of chimonanthus

As usual, I have no idea where last year went! At the end of every year, I think about how to have less stress and more enjoyment in my life, and spending time outside is a big part of that. I took my first walk of the year around the yard this morning, with gloves on to pull a few weeds and clippers in hand for some light cleanup. Starting the year off right!

Winter is all about witch hazel, hellebores and camellias, and so much more:

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Diane' is just getting started

Dawn viburnum is starting to fade

Helleborus 'Cinnamon Snow' will bloom for months

Other hellebores are just starting, if they survive the slugs...

Helleborus 'Pink Frost'

Camellia 'Winter's Snowman'

Camellia 'Yuletide' is later this year

Cyclamen coum

Sarcococca almost but not quite blooming

Snow drops are coming up

And a few fall flowers hanging on!

Daisies

Lewisia

Fuchsia 'Delta's Sara' - a few buds froze but new ones are out

Is spring just around the corner?! Some of these plants may regret their enthusiasm, although it has certainly been a mild winter so far.

Hydrangea buds

One peony is sprouting

I think these are an early tulip

Daffodils

Foxglove seedlings, and weeds

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - March 2018

Hyacinth

Happy Ides of March! After record warm temperatures on Monday, it's definitely feeling like spring. A lot of winter blooms are still going strong, but spring is ready to shine. I seem to acquire a lot of blue and purple flowering plants, and this week the bulbs have been really glowing in the sunshine (and not phased by the rain either).

Thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting this monthly roundup of blooms. There are plants blooming somewhere every month but now they're really taking off.... at least in the northern hemisphere. 

Hyacinth

Crocuses are starting to fade

Crocuses

Grape hyacinth popped out suddenly

Newly planted corydalis

Rock cress just starting to bloom

Helleborus x hybridus 'Black Diamond'

Helleborus x ballardiae Gold Collection 'Maestro'

Fading camellia 'Yuletide'

Fritillaria meleagris

Newly planted Saxifraga 'Touran - Deep Red'

Sunset maple

Cyclamen coum

Sunny daffodils

Daffodil

Forsythia in front of pieris japonica

One of my baby osoberry bushes has a bloom!

Indoors, one amaryllis is blooming for the second time this year. Also my Christmas cactus has had a few blooms at a time since January but I keep forgetting to get a picture. 

What's next? Flowering currant and Oregon grape are so close, plus a lot more daffodils.