Think pink!
Shocking Pink!
Schiaparelli* Pink!
Same colour as the pink ‘Knockout Roses’ below…
Shade Gardening
HYDRANGEAS, HYDRANGEAS, EVERYWHERE!
In the summer, Hydrangeas form the backbone of the shade garden, they will carry the garden through the summer and keep my vases filled as well..
In The Circle of Friends, the camellias are now backdrop, and these beauties are showing their stuff.
Most Hydrangeas are rounded in form. From a distance they are indistinguishable… 
On closer inspection however……
many are quite distinctive, above Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Jogasaki’
The lacecap Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Lanarth White’ above.
Hydrangea quercifolia & Hydrangea macrophylla above. Although I do enjoy the delicate lacecap flowers, the big blue or white balls are certainly eye-catching in the landscape.
Above, Oakleaf Hydrangeas mark the entrance to the Viburnum Court.
What carries your garden through summer?
“ONE SICK PLANT”
My husband came in from the garden and told me I had ‘One sick plant in need of some nitrogen’.
Ha! introducing Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) ‘Little Honey’ .
It seems to bloom a little later than the species (seen in the background), and I do love the golden foliage.
More Hydrangeas in the next post.
THE MEADOW…YET AGAIN
The meadow is once more looksing like an impressionist painting. Swaths of blue native phlox (Phlox divericata) make their way between the daffodil foliage and the ‘Wake Robin’ ( Trillium cuneatum) .
The trees are now playing an important role, so the focus changes.
This is The Meadow viewed from the driveway on west side of the house looking east. (Above)
Soon the weeds & wild grasses will cover this all and it will look wild & wonderful. Then the hum of beneficial insects, bees and butterflies will fill the air. After the plants set their seed it will get the annual cut. This meadow gives me 12 months of joy!!
© all photos 2011
Note: WordPress noted that I published a draft & not the updated version of this post AFTER it was posted…why not BEFORE???
WILD THINGS
Time for the WILD THINGS!
Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) popping up in the meadow. The name is derived from the red sap which bleeds as the stem is cut or the root disturbed. The Indians used this sap for paint and as a dye.
Trillium cuneatum naturalized in the meadow. I cannot take credit for this…they were here before me and keep multiplying.
Woodland phlox (Phlox divericata) naturalized with the Trillium….delicate & fragrant.
I encourage all these to increase by allowing their seed to ripen and disperse before the meadow is cut. Slowly & surely this is happening. Every year at this time I wonder if I will live long enough to see my vision come to fruition. But then again its about the journey, and I am enjoying this one immensely.
© All photos & text 2011
A QUICK TOUR
Spring is unfolding ………..
Suddenly, everything is so far along !
The trilliums are coming up.
Flowering Quince In the Viburnum Court…
Helleborus foetidus top & Helleborus orientalis above.
All Nature’s Masterpieces.
© All photos & text 2011
NATURE’S MASTERPIECES
These are some of nature’s masterpieces. Every bit as beautiful as roses… don’t you think?
REV. JOHN DRAYTON 
MAGNOLIAEFLORA
TAYLOR’S PERFECTION 
WHITE EMPRESS
ROSE DAWN
BETTY SHEFFIELD
The above Camellias all reside in the ‘Circle of Friends.’
Just a thought… there needs to be a larger more interesting focal point there.
CAMELLIA MADNESS
The Camellia Walk is in full flower.
The Helleborus are also at their peak, I love them together, makes for a lush planting…the only kind.
Just about here, I turn around to see………
The daffodils in The Meadow.
Up close & personal……… 
© All photos & text 2011
FABULOUS FRAGRANCE!
The moment I walked out the door I knew it was blooming.
Winter Daphne (Daphne odora aureomareginata) the most powerful fragrance imaginable. To quote a delivery person “That is LOUD!”
She is not hard to look at either. Fragrance reminiscent of Lilac…but more… and hauntingly beautiful.
© All photos & text 2011
FRECKLE FACE!
All of the Helleborus in my garden are seedlings. Each one has different colouration …. all stunning, all with freckles.
Only one named variety from the Heronswood ‘Party Dress’ Strain. It is a double, and not open yet.
Perhaps because there are so few blooms at this time of year they are all the more appreciated.
MEANWHILE, IN THE GARDEN..
On a tour of the garden today, signs of spring …
The Meadow is coming alive..
Soon I’ll post the results of 13 years of rescuing daffs and trying to achieve the ‘English Thing’.
Meanwhile the Winter garden is doing what it is supposed to and is at its peak….The “peak” lasts a few months… Above, Prunus mume & Helleborus, below, a camellia…
Below, evergreen shrubs make this is a very satisfactory garden area.
Notice, below, the variegated Boxwood, the berries on the Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina domestica ‘Alba’) and the groundcover Sweet Flag (Acorus gramineus ‘Ogon’ )…
This is usually the time of year projects get started &/ or continued to be worked on, some, for many seasons. There are so many projects…..
When we started this garden, we did not consider, EVER, declining physical stamina.
© All photos & text 2011
ANOTHER ESSENTIAL PERENNIAL
Arum italicum ‘Pictum’ is, in my mind, essential in any garden where it is hardy. This perennial sends out its foliage in the late fall and remains green all winter.
The handsome leaves resemble arrowheads with strong creamy veining. They make a sensational groundcover. Since one NEVER cuts the leaves off daffodils (Narcissus), the Arum makes a good companion for them in a vase.
In spring a creamy spathe appears. The flower & foliage disappear in the summer, followed by a column of orange/red berries.
If one gardens in zones 6-9 they are indispensable in the winter shade garden.
© All photos & text 2011
WINTER ‘TO DO’ LIST
Phillip Oliver of Dirt Therapy has put together a wonderful ‘to do’ list for January. Which reminds me to move the rose I have been meaning to for years! It is ‘Graham Thomas’ a David Austin introduction.
Temporarily planted at the entrance of our driveway 13 years ago, my husband & guests complain it scratches their cars…. the post office threatened to suspend delivery…..
INDISPENSABLE PERENNIALS 2
Another indispensable perennial for the winter garden would be Epimedium or Barrenwort. Pleasant foliage all summer turning bronze / rose in the winter. They make a very useful groundcover in dry shade and are magnificent paired with Helleborus. Below in my garden…
In very early spring the delicate flowers, commonly called Fairy Wings, emerge and proclaim winter officially over.
Although they find their way into my miniature vases, they are by no means ‘show stoppers’. I use them primarily as ‘filler’ although some of the newer varieties just introduced from Asia can definitely stand on their own. Below Epimedium ‘Making Waves’
I encourage you to add some to your garden. The best & newest can be found at http://www.plantdelights.com Another bonus… they are deer resistant.
Photo of Epimedium “Making Waves’ used with permission from Plant Delights Nursery.
MORE ON HELLEBORES
I neglected to include a close up photo of the hellebore ( Helleborus orientalis) I featured in the last post… so here it is.
There are many hellebore species (15 according to Armitage). I grow only the two common types successfully. The second one is the Bearsfoot Hellebore (Helleborus foetidus). This is the earliest hellebore to open in my garden.The lime green nodding bell-shaped flowers with a thin purple rim often greet me just before the New Year.
Recreating Eden Landscape Blog 