Thursday, February 15, 2018

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day & Foliage Follow-Up February 2018: Winter Color & Structure

February 2018 Garden
The winter of 2018 is moving along nicely and it is time once again to step out into the garden and take notice, as this month's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day and Foliage Follow-Up have arrived. There is a slight indication of the seasons changing as daylight hours gradually become longer and temperatures rise up into the 30's and 40's. After winter storm 'Kalani' on the 30th of January with 4.4 inches of snowfall, it has been relatively quiet as the garden rests for winter, but there is still lots to see!  Come along with me for a winter tour of my Long Island garden.
Garden Gal Welcoming Committee
Garden Gal, who has resided under the Weeping Pussy Willow tree for many years, is even more visible during the winter months as she greets visitors to the garden with her basket of black Mondo grass. I have had her in the garden for so long, yet she continues to make me smile.
Weeping White Pine and 'Yaku Jima' Grass
Weeping White Pine is holding down the fort with its evergreen foliage as it gracefully cascades over the garden. Dwarf Maiden Grass 'Yaku Jima' lies along side of it and is dormant for the winter months.
Skyland's Golden Oriental Spruce
The newest member in the back left pool garden is the Golden Skyland's Oriental Spruce which I added last summer. It has met all my expectations as far as adding color and interest to the back area and I can see it right from my window at all times. 
Skylands' Golden Oriental Spruce Seed Cones
The newer Skyland's has not produced any seed cones as of yet, so here is a view of the purplish-brown cones from the more mature tree on the other side of the property. I expect the newer tree to start producing cones in the upcoming year or so.
Japanese Golden Sedge & Heuchera Combo
Here is one of the foliage combinations I discussed in my newest book. Even after being buried in prolonged snow with below freezing temperatures, this combination of color with texture continues to attract attention in the back garden.
Colorado Blue Globe Spruce 'Montgomery' Foliage
Evergreens always have been a passion of mine, especially when gardening in a climate that has several months of dormancy. These are the beautiful blue needles on Globe 'Montgomery' Spruce close up. Nature is so creative with her artwork!
Weeping White Pine Seed Cones
Speaking of artwork, I can never get enough of these Weeping White Pine seed cones in wintertime, as they especially stand out against the wispy blue-green foliage of the tree.
Nellie Stevens Holly Berries
As always, Nellie Stevens Holly is producing its bright red berries for winter.
Leucothoe Axillaris
Next to the holly is Leucothoe Axillaris. Its interesting variegated foliage displays bands of yellow and burgundy highlights on top of a dark green background, a color combination which changes in intensity throughout the seasons.
Secret Tree Tunnel-Garden Room 
Every garden should have some mystery! Over the years, the three Arborvitae in the back garden have reached their mature height of 25 feet and have formed a natural tunnel in the middle, where I have placed this boulder. The boulder is actually much larger than it appears, as it is large enough for an adult to sit on and enjoy the tranquility of the spot, plus a full grown adult can comfortably walk into and stand inside the "secret" room. The new garden "room" had just become a reality this past summer, since some inner expired branches needed to be cleaned out. Now the space is a fun area to find solitude and also be discovered by garden visitors!
Rhododendron Bud Sign of Spring
You probably noticed the Rhododendron to the right of the new garden room/tree tunnel. There are subtle signs of spring as the buds start to grow larger.
Western Arborvitae Winter
As you can see, we have had some nice days in February with blue skies. Even though the temperatures are cold, it is still nice to take a walk in the garden to capture some "green"!
Hydrangea Dried Flower
The dried flowers on Hydrangea are nice to admire too and they add some winter interest. I decided not to touch them at the end of the season, since the last few winters have been hard on many of the hydrangea here on Long Island. When we get our March winds, it is likely that any remaining dried blooms will be naturally cleaned from the shrub.
Garden Whimsy
Here is a little more whimsy in the garden as "Garden Boy" tends to his own kind of flowers! I anticipate spring and await the show of foliage and blooms that will appear on the spirea that surround the statue, but that wait is for a couple of months.
Northern Cardinal Visitor
In the meantime, the Northern Cardinals are enjoying the garden...
More Visitors!
and the squirrels are as well!
Weeping Japanese Maple Structure
Continuing on the tour, as we move along to the front of the property you can view the twisting trunk structure on one of the two Weeping Japanese Maple trees that exist there. I have always looked for and admired the inner beauty of plantings and select them for their ability to provide interest, no matter what the season. I look at these tree trunks as a piece of artwork, which is much more visible in wintertime.
Himalayan Weeping Birch Bark
Bark is another form of artwork in the landscape. Here is the interesting bark of Himalayan Weeping Birch. Variegated Sweet Flag provides evergreen interest in the backdrop.
Sedum Rosettes
Signs of spring!!! Here are the first rosettes of Sedum 'Brilliant' showing in the front garden bed, while Hellebore should be blooming soon on the north side of the property.
Hellebore Shooting Star
The Hellebores have bloomed during January in past years, and are running a bit behind schedule as a result of being covered with snow. They look like they are now recovering and will be blooming soon. I'll take the buds for now as they start to open!
February 2018 Garden
I hope you enjoyed this month's tour through my garden. Special thanks go out to our hostesses Carol at May Dreams Gardens, who makes it possible to see blooms on the 15th of every month with her meme Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day and Pam at Digging for hosting Foliage Follow-Up. I am also linking with some other wonderful hosts and hostesses at Floral Friday Fotos, Macro Monday 2, and Nature Notes at Rambling Woods. Also check out Garden Bloggers' Foliage Day at Creating my own garden of the Hesperides, Wednesday Around the WorldDishing It & Digging It and Image-in-ing weekly photo share every Tuesday. 
Winter Reading:

~As Always...Happy Gardening!~


Author: Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening, © Copyright 2018. All rights reserved.

34 comments:

  1. Thank you for the garden tour. Your Garden Boy picture looked like it was taken in morning golden hour light and I loved the colors around it. (I probably guessed wrong but that's what the glow looked like). I haven't seen my hellebore in two months but I may have the opportunity during the thaw we are starting to experience. Happy GBBD day to you, Lee. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are absolutely correct Alana! Tho photo was taken in early morning. I thought the lighting looked nice too... you have a good eye! Happy Bloom Day and thanks or visiting!

      Delete
  2. So much wonderful green in your winter garden! I thoroughly enjoyed the tour. We don't have cardinals here and I've never seen one in person; it must be thrilling to see that flash of red, especially in the winter.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am so glad you enjoyed the tour! I enjoyed your beautiful Camellia sasanqua 'Yuletide'and all the Hellebores too. Happy Bloom Day!

      Delete
  3. Many beautiful views in your garden, Lee. I like always seeing your conifers, especially Skylands' Spruce looks very vernal in its yellow color. Seems your rhododendrons started to grow, mine are under the snowy blanket but the buds are outside :-)
    Have nice days in February!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Nadezda. The conifers are so needed for the wintertime...as you know. I enjoyed seeing all your indoor blooms. Flowers do bring so much joy to the indoors during the wintertime months.

      Delete
  4. Wonderful! Beautiful!
    There is something for everyone in your garden
    Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your kind words Lea. I loved your photo of the Goldfinches. We are in the same zone, yet we don't see too many of them here.

      Delete
  5. Beautiful post! Love all the buds, and being an avid birdwatcher, I love seeing bird photos.
    Have a lovely day!
    Toni

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Toni! Your bird photos are lovely and such a variety of visitors. I always enjoy seeing the Bluebirds. They are so beautiful! Have a great day!

      Delete
  6. Beautiful. Marvelous the way the weeping maple trunk twists its form.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nature certainly has a way about it in creating artwork. Thank you for visiting Susie. I enjoyed your post from the Fling. I wish that I didn't live so far away. Thank you for sharing these beautiful captures!

      Delete
  7. Replies
    1. I love you sweet little leucojum all in flower Dorothy. Your garden looks lovely, even when its resting. Happy almost spring! (Well...wishful thinking anyway!)

      Delete
  8. Fabulous to see all the signs of Spring! It’s the most exciting time of year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for visiting Jessica! You have so many lovely blooms for February and those drifts of snowdrops take my breath away. You have me thinking of spring!

      Delete
  9. Fabulous pictures of foliage,our spring has been started too.Its quite fascinating to know similarity of onset of spring time with your region.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi, just found this site and I am really enjoying it. My location always comes up as Carlile, but I am really in Altoona,PA. Bad year for us, having been here for 10 years, seeing the deer population explode, and for the first time seeing this amount of damage to my big arborvitaes. We have a steady herd of 13 coming to within a foot of our windows, digging out and eating all of the large expanses of various sedums, like Angelena and pulling the sedum out of my stone walls. Anything not eaten is trampled. Thankful for the tons of Walkers Low, coneflowers, Russian sage and Spirea, my favorite plant. Spring is here!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Welcome! It's nice to have you here. The deer population is growing here as well, so I have been designing a lot of gardens that are "deer resistant" over the past few years. Unfortunately, Arborvitae and Sedum are two plants that deer really like to forage upon, but they won't touch the other plants you mentioned. They tend to ignore anything that has an aroma or harsh foliage.

      Delete
  11. My goodness, your garden looks like it is ahead of mine in that your hellebores are already blooming. Mine are just trying to break out of the frozen ground in most places. I love all of your conifers. You have some beautiful winter interest. I adore the secret place with the boulder to sit upon. I would be found there often if I was around. Happy GBBD &FF.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Lisa! I love your Snowdrops and it made me smile when I read that you're out there building a rock wall in your garden. I remember one January it was so mild that I dug out an entire garden bed extension in a few days. We gardeners all think alike!

      Delete
  12. Happy GBBD Lee! Conifers create such a strong and consistent presence in your garden. I love your new addition, what a beauty!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Jennifer! I am in awe over the number of Hellebores you have, and all so lovely!

      Delete
  13. You have so many beautiful leaves, trunks, needles, and cones to enjoy in the winter months, Lee. And how I envy you those spruces!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Pam and thank you for hosting Foliage Follow-Up. I always enjoy visiting your beautiful garden!

      Delete
  14. Your garden tour was lovely! We have cardinals here also and I love watching them at the birdfeeder. Thank you for sharing your garden with us at Party in Your PJ's!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your kind words and for hosting. Have a great week!

      Delete
  15. You know just how to keep your garden interesting in winter. I had a small black mondo grass before and it basically just disappeared into the ground around it. You having yours up in a white pot is just the ticket to show it off.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Robin. I am in awe over your Crocus blooms and Iris emerging from under Sedum Angelina. It is looking very spring-like where you are!

      Delete
  16. Always a joy to see your stunning garden and so different from mine here in central NY where we had about 150 inches of snow...our average....everything is sodden and brown unless covered by snow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Donna! I really enjoyed reading your interview with Karin. She really is an amazing blogger.

      Delete
  17. You always have loads of winter interest in your garden, Lee. I feel I don't have enough for a Bloom Day posting just yet. But there is a definite feel of spring in the air. P. x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pam-Your gardens are always beautiful! Yes...the past few days have felt like Spring. I hope it continues!

      Delete

Thank you for visiting. I love reading your comments and knowing you have been here, and will try to reciprocate on your blog. If you have any questions I will try my very best to answer them. As always...HAPPY GARDENING!