A Pretty Combination

Right now, directly below the dining room window, we have a really pretty trio of plants in full bloom; bleeding heart "Gold Heart", trillium "Volcano",  and a hellebore who's name has been lost to time. To be perfectly honest, the combination wasn't really all that well planned. But as it has matured and filled in the past couple of years, it has really become striking.

This trillium has such a gorgeous deep black/red bloom and glossy green leaves.

It has now gone from one plant to a cluster of six plants. We could divide it but it looks so good all clumped together.

The "Gold Heart" bleeding heart is just beginning to bloom. As nice as the blooms are, we equally appreciate its vibrant chartreuse leaves. They take the dark corner in which it is planted and bring it front and center.

And I can't forget about the hellebore. It is completely covered in deep purple blooms that complement so well the chartreuse bleeding hearts leaves and the deep red trillium blooms. We couldn't have planned it all better if we tried!

Hellebore Maintenance

Today I worked outside for a bit. I decided to begin the task of cutting off last year's leaves on all of the Hellebore plants. I finished up two plants which completely filled up a trug. As you can see, this year's new growth is already pushing up and out. There are even a few buds fully visible. I worry about them, with all of the cold weather predicted for next week.

Hellebore Blooms

Like so many other plants and bulbs, the Hellebores have been growing like mad the last few weeks. It seems like just overnight that they have gone from small emerging shoots to plants on the cusp of peak bloom.

Hellebore Maintenance

Well, it's just over two weeks until Christmas and I should be doing "Christmas" stuff! However, the outdoors was calling me today. It was mild outside with no wind and no rain and I just couldn't stand to be indoors. I decided to tackle the front flower bed outside the dining room window. Hundreds of tiny green weeds had already germinated here and all of the leaves from the japanese maple were still littered on the ground. I also noticed that many of the bulbs had already begun to come up and the hellebore had already started producing this year's bloom stalks. It was time to get busy!

I worked for about an hour and a half. I got all of the maple leaves cleaned up and about half of the bed weeded. I cut off all of last years hellebore leaves. As you can see, this plant is already blooming. The majority, however, are just starting to grow. I also spent a bit of time in the western front flower bed. I weeded it and did a bit of generally clean-up. The "Jet Fire" daffodils have pushed up. It looks like those bulbs will  produce in abundance again this year.

Hellebore Open House

This morning, right after breakfast we headed out to Northwest Garden Nursery for their annual Hellebore Open House. This fun event is our yearly chance to buy some amazing hellebore plants that have been hybridized and raised by nursery owners Ernie & Marietta O'Byrne and tour their amazing display gardens. The O'Byrnes are famous world-wide for the work they have done with Hellebores. Besides the traditional single bloom, the O'Byrnes have created plants with double blooms, unique flowers colors and upward-facing blooms. No matter how many plants you might already have in your garden, you will always find one or two new hellebores that will tempt you to take them home.

How about this double, chartreuse bloom tipped in maroon?

This was another new color combination to me - cream and chartreuse green.

One of my favorites are the double, white petals flecked with burgundy.

After we made our purchases and took them to the car we began walking the display gardens. The skies immediately turned dark and it began to pour rain. The temperature plummeted and then the hail began! After about ten minutes of some very soggy garden viewing we gave up and returned to the car. There's always next year!

Color in February

While the Febuary landscape is still mostly a plate of browns and soft greens, there is some color to be found. Our hellbores have started to bloom.The first two plants in the front flower bed have begun to open in the last few days. One is a double in soft pink and the other a single in dark purple. We will enjoy their blooms for the next few weeks and the pollinators will have a great source of food.

We also have a new witch hazel that has begun to open. Its first long yellow "petals' have just begun to unfurl out of the small brown buds. 

Hellebore Update

One of the first plants to bloom for us each year are the hellebores. Last year, at Northwest Garden Nursery's annual hellebore open house, we purchased 5 plants. They seem to have settled in just fine. Last month, as the new growth started pushing upward, we trimmed off all of last year's leaves. Now the new stems are starting to produce fairly mature buds and the colors are developing. I would think in 2-3 weeks we should have a bed full of lovely hellebore in full bloom.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! We begin today with a fresh start and all things seem possible. I am not too much for making New Year's resolutions, either in the garden or my personal life. They seem destine to be broken. I prefer to set goals. If they are met, that's wonderful - but if you only make some progress toward them, you're still ahead. So my goals in the garden for the New Year:

1. Keep trying new things, whether it's new varieties or growing techniques
2. Don't plant so much that the day-to-day upkeep stops me from having fun

While I am enjoying these first dark days of Winter inside- reading, relaxing and generally hibernating - Mother Nature has been hard at work. On my New Year's walk today, I discovered the beautiful red witch hazel in full bloom in the front flower bed.

I also noticed that all of the Hellebore plants have begun to send up this year's flower stalks. It's time to cut down last years' leaves!

And lastly, in the mudroom bed, I  found the "tete-a-tete" daffodils that I divided last July 21st. They are about 2" high now and both new circles appear to be coming up well. It might be only January 1st but the new gardening year has begun!

A Late Winter Walk-about

Last night it began just pouring rain around 5:30 PM and continued raining hard until at least 10:00 PM. The storm had cleared when I woke-up and in the afternoon I took a walk around the property. I hadn't been up to visit the Crab Apple Tree for awhile and was really pleased to see that it had broken dormancy and the buds have begun to swell. Its branches were just covered in beautiful, deep red tips. This will be its second Spring at our house after being planted Mother's Day of 2009. I can't wait to see the show it puts on this year!

I also found hiding in the grass this sweet little snowdrop. When we moved to this property, we moved six large clumps of snowdrops from the other house. Well, we obviously aren't gifted at moving snowdrops! This year we have a whopping 2 blooms to show for our work! Well, maybe this little guy will set seed and start to naturalize. We can only hope!

Because of all the heavy rains that we have had the last week or so, the creek is really running strong right now.The water is muddy brown and it is making a lovely roaring sound.

The "February Gold" daffodils are just about to open. The sad reality is the deer, who aren't suppose to eat daffodils, have munched off the top of every bloom but two! So, ta-da. here is this years display. I am starting to see a trend here.. two "February Gold".. two Snowdrops....

The Hellebore on the secret path are also blooming. They are a pleasant shock of color in an otherwise shady spot.

And the Shooting stars on the secret path continue to grow too. I love their chubby, fat leaves.

And I had to post a picture taken down at the big garden. Here is one corner of my garden, the day after a heavy rain. Only about 2" of standing water. Can you tell that I garden in a wetlands area..Yikes!

More February Color

When we woke up this morning, last night's snowfall has all melted but it was still cold with a biting wind. We were up early because today was the first day of the Hellebore Open Garden Days at Northwest Garden Nursery. Located just west of Eugene, Northwest Garden Nursery is owned by Ernie & Marietta O'Byrne. While the O'Byrnes grow many unique perennials, they have become famous the last few years for their hybridizing efforts with Hellebores. They have greatly increased the color variations available as well as expanded the blooms from singles to doubles and beyond. We attended the Open House last year, but arrived on the second day only to discover that they were already sold out! This year we arrived right at 10 AM when they opened and hit the hoop house first to do our shopping! Once we had picked out 5 beauties to take home, we enjoyed a leisurely stroll through the garden.

Besides Hellebores, the gardens are filled with lovely trees and plants. Even though we are still deep in Winter, there was bursts of color everywhere that you looked. I really loved this big drift of snowdrops.

And how beautiful is this large clump of Cyclamen.

I really like the contrast in color of the slate blue/grey with the blood red on this Agave.

A bamboo screen used to define the back of the garden.



Some pretty mottled foliage.