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| January 2016 Garden |
Welcome to a brand new year and first Bloom Day of 2016 in my Long Island garden! There is always a beauty to the garden, and if you look even closer you can find it anytime of year, even in the midst of winter. Come along with me to take a look.
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| January Garden |
It's almost like on the first of January "Mother Nature" throws a switch to say winter is officially here. After an extremely mild November and December with record high temperatures, the thermometer has plummeted almost overnight to daytime highs struggling to get out of the 30's.
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| Hellebore 'Shooting Star' |
Many of the plants in the garden are confused. The Hellebores are blooming now instead of in late winter and yes...that is a hyacinth emerging from the soil in January!
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| Hyacinth Bulb in January of 2016 |
There has not been any snow to insulate the bulbs so hopefully the colder temperatures will allow the garden to go to rest without any harm. I had covered them a bit with a little mulch but they insisted on showing as if spring were here.
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| Blue Globe Spruce Foliage |
At this time of year the highlight of the gardens are the evergreens, as they are the backbone of the landscape.
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| Skylands Golden Oriental Spruce and Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar |
I especially appreciate the wispy needles of dwarf Eastern White Pine and golden hue of Skylands Oriental Spruce along with the weeping nature of Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar and Weeping Norway Spruce.
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| Weeping Norway Spruce and Dwarf White Pine |
There is also an inner beauty to the Weeping Japanese Maple as the leaves disappear and the structure of the tree can be noticed.
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| Weeping Japanese Maple |
The twisted trunks appear to me as if they are of a piece of artwork.
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| Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar with Variegated Liriope and Mugo Pine |
As the temperatures fall and there is less of a food source for birds they are enjoying the feeder I keep out for them. I also get great pleasure from watching them feast throughout the day, with especially high traffic in the morning hours.
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| Northern Cardinal |
I am so pleased that the Cardinals have been over-wintering here during the past number of years.
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| Hydrangea 'Nikko Blue' Dried Flower |
There are still a few gentle reminders of summer past as some of the dried flowers still remain, as the winds have not yet carried them away.
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| Garden Whimsy |
Now for a little whimsy...I purchased this amazing wind spiral in Vegas on a recent trip and am enjoying it as the fixed ball magically appears to move up and down the spiral in the wind and I can view it right from my window.
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| Garden Wind Spiral |
I also have this other copper spiral which I have enjoyed for a number of years and it has formed a natural patina which I think gives it a little more character.
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| Garden Statue |
As we complete the tour we pass by one of the pieces of garden statuary I have gotten much enjoyment from over the years. Much of last winter it was covered in snow so it is a pleasure to be able to view it still in January.
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| January 2016 Garden |
I hope you enjoyed your walk through my January garden. If you stop by leave me a note so I know you were here and I will be sure to visit you as well.
As Always...Happy Gardening!
Author: Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening, © Copyright 2016. All rights reserved
Your garden is so pretty, Lee. I love weeping cedar and starting to grow hyacinth. I have forced some hyacinths and hope to see their flowers soon. Garden statues decorate it and I liked this one of children, is lovely!
ReplyDeleteThank you Nadezda. I enjoyed your lovely orchids and roses. You have tempted me to force some blooms indoors during the winter months!
DeleteSeems way too early for a Hyacinth to come up!
ReplyDeleteI like your garden artwork, especially the children.
It is way too early! They need to retreat back into mulch and wait a few months for spring to arrive! I noticed your Hellebores are blooming as well. It is also too early for them but they surely are beautiful!
DeleteI very much enjoyed my walk through your garden, all lovely. Your Weeping Japanese Maple is stunning.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Janice. I have had that tree for a long time. I enjoyed your beautiful roses blooming in January!
DeleteWonderful foliage and I do love the hellebore, as well as your "garden whimsy." Marvelous!
ReplyDeleteThank you Dorothy. I purchased the hellebores last winter and getting a lot of enjoyment from them. I loved my stroll through your garden in the middle of January with all the wonderful blooms you still have!
DeleteWhat a lovely trip through your garden today.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Vicki and welcome to Bloom Day!
DeleteI agree, evergreens are so important in the winter garden, yours give such fantastic structure.
ReplyDeleteLove your blue ball, that would keep me mesmerised for hours!
Thank for visiting my garden and commenting Pauline. The spiral and blue ball have been fun to watch. The color and appearance of it change throughout the day as the sun hits it...keeps me amused while the garden is sleeping!
DeleteThis weather is certainly amazing in the Northeast. One day it's winter, and the next day it feels like March. Even I'm confused. Your photos are beautiful and I especially like the Shooting Star Hellebore. That is gorgeous. And the Weeping Japanese Maple almost looks like a Harry Lauder Walking Stick. It must have been there for a long time. Have a great year, Lee.
ReplyDeleteYou can say that for sure Susan. The temperatures went form the 60's down to the 20's this week with snow on the way...winter as struck! Thank you for visiting and commenting.
DeleteThanks for the trip through your garden. Your Japanese Maple is exquisite. I look forward to seeing it 'dressed with leaves' in the spring.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you enjoyed it Denise. I too cannot wait to see the maple with leaves in spring now that winter has settled in!
DeleteLoved the views Lee...that is a lovely thermometer and all that foliage. I also had hyacinths coming up....now we are covered in snow thankfully. That will keep the garden happy.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for visiting Donna. I so enjoyed my winter walk through your lovely meadow. Have a great week!
DeleteYour garden is beautiful, even in winter. It's amazing that you have anything blooming now, and your weeping Japanese maple is so interesting now.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised to see the Hellebores blooming so early this year. They would usually be in bud during the winter so it was a good photo opportunity! As far as the Japanese Maple...I strive to find the inner beauty of plants in the winter and look for structure. Thank you for stopping by and commenting.
DeleteYour post is like a breath of fresh air Lee; a lovely walk through your garden while mine is buried in snow. All my perennials left standing and the trees and shrubs are what I can enjoy today as they poke up through the drifts or are laden with fluffy white flakes.
ReplyDeleteMy plants must be confused though for over the holidays we had unseasonably mild temps in the 40s and down to 18F today.
Thank you for your kind words Judith. It looks like my gardens may be under some snow by the weekend with a winter storm on the way for Saturday. Thank you for visiting and for hosting Mosaic Monday!
DeleteHa, I should have checked my hellebores for bloom, now they are under snow.
ReplyDeleteMine will be under snow by Saturday night...glad I got a picture!
DeleteHello Lee, and a belated Happy New Year! I love all your wonderful conifers. I suspect they are draped in garlands of snow by now!
ReplyDeleteYou've got that right Deb..under about two feet of snow here on Long Island. It's going to be a wonderland for sometime until this all melts...or more comes along!
DeleteWhat a wonderful wintry mood in this garden, with lots of interesting things shown in each photo!
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking part in the Floral Friday Foto meme.
Thank you for visiting and hosting Nick. Have a great week!
DeleteEvergreens really are the backbone of the winter garden. I love the Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar, it is almost like a large shaggy animal in the garden. Hellebores always amaze me with their winter blooms.
ReplyDeleteThey really are Hannah, and the Hellebores amaze me as well. They will bloom for months during the winter. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a note!
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