Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day & Foliage Follow-Up January 2020: New Year and Anticipation!

January 2020 Garden

Welcome to a brand new year filled with gardening anticipation. I am a true believer that the gardening year ends on December 31st. and starts on January 1st. with a dream! Similar to last year, this is one of the mildest January's I can remember with some days in the 50's and warm enough to go outside without a winter coat. There are other days in the lower digits of course, with a dusting of snow on the 8th, but the milder days leave me dreaming more about spring and what awaits outdoors. Come along and see what January has to bring in my Long Island garden.

Evergreens Backyard Northwestern bed

As we start our stroll, here is the northwestern poolside bed with Weeping Norway Spruce (center) and Dwarf White Pine (foreground). In the backdrop are Emerald Green Arborvitae (right) and Gold Lace Juniper, Skip Laurel (left) and spring blooming Kousa Dogwood to the right of the shed. There are some low spreading 'Repandens' Yew to the far left by the patio.

It's all about the Foliage!

Closer towards the main patio is a grafted Blue Globe Spruce with Gold Mop Cypress, Blue Star Juniper and Dwarf Mugo Pine 'Slowmound'. We are looking at this garden bed from an angle, which is a different perspective than usual. I love how the garden can change with just the slightest alteration of view. 

Dried Hydrangea Blooms January

Hydrangea are a favorite flower for summer. I enjoy seeing the dried blooms in winter and sometimes use them in floral displays.

Garden Whimsy

One could use a little garden whimsy in every season. Here is one of my favorite statues reminding me of childhood. It looks like I'll be applying a new coat of paint in the spring!

Crape Myrtle 'Sioux' Bark in Winter

Around to the other side of the backyard is the peeling bark of Crape Myrtle, which adds just a little more interest to the winter garden.

Shade Garden

The wintering birds have been enjoying the feeder under the canopy of the Star Magnolia. The shade area directly beneath the Magnolia tree is the perfect place for evergreens such as Leucothoe Auxillaris, Variegated Boxwood and Golden Sweet Flag.

Winter Foliage Combination

As you may know, this is one of my favorite foliage combinations, that of Heuchera 'Caramel' and Golden Japanese Sedge 'Everillo'. It works through all four seasons.

Nellie Stevens Berries Winter

Nellie Stevens Holly is displaying its bright red berries for winter, which are also a food source for birds.

Magnolia Buds!

Here is the Magnolia 'Royal Star' we passed by just a few minutes ago for a closer look. It starts to form the buds for next year in January, which really is a tease for the blooms to come.

Back Pool Garden-Southwestern Side

Behind the pool area is the burgundy winter foliage of Azalea bordering each side of the Skyland's Oriental Spruce, which I added a couple of years ago. Rhododendron is to the right with Caramel Coral Bells and Golden Sedge in the foreground.

Oriental Spruce Foliage Up Close

The foliage on the Skyland's Spruce deserves a closer view. Its golden color can be enjoyed all year round.

Winter Visitor

It is often difficult to get a capture of some of the visitors to the property. This one was easy, as I had accidentally dropped some seed right by the back door on my way to fill the feeder. This little guy found the seed and was enjoying it so much that he couldn't care less that I was there!

Winter Decor

Follow me around to the front of the property to get a view. I had been looking for a gate sign like this one for a couple of years with the red pick up truck and tree and found it...such fun! 

Front Eastern Garden

Around to the southeastern side of the front property is a view of the garden from another perspective. The glowing tree behind the Weeping Norway Spruce is the Coral Bark Maple (Acer Sango Kaku). There's something about the lighting this day that makes it appear more purple than pinkish red, so this is a rare sight.

Front Southeastern Garden

Here is the same island bed from a different direction and angle facing the northern side of the property. In the backdrop are Weeping Japanese Maple and Blue Atlas Cedar.

Weeping White Pine

Also around the front is Weeping White Pine. This one is over twenty five years old. That is Golden Japanese Sedge below it.

Weeping White Pine Seed Cone Winter

I always admire the seed cones from this tree, which are so decorative.

Front Walkway

Along the walkway is another view of the Coral Bark Maple with Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar and Golden Euonymus. There is also Variegated Sweet Flag along the right side of the path in the foreground. On the left is Japanese Garden Juniper and Variegated Liriope.

Hellebore 'Shooting Star' Buds on North Side

There can be blooms in winter and Hellebores are forming their buds! They should be blooming within the next month! 

Thanksgiving Cactus

While anticipating the winter blooms outside, the Thanksgiving cactus is blooming inside and has been blooming on and off for the past three months. Here is a tip: You can tell the difference between a Thanksgiving Cactus and Christmas Cactus by looking at the leaves. Thanksgiving Cactus leaves are serrated and pointed while Christmas Cactus leaves are more smooth and rounded.

Phalanges orchid

Also blooming indoors is this Phalanges Orchid. Tip: I grow my orchids in a bark medium and water them every other week. I give them 4 ounces of  purified (chlorine free) water per plant. Feeding occurs every 2-4 weeks when not flowering.

January 2020 Garden

Thank you for visiting and I hope you enjoyed your tour of my January garden! Special thanks go out to our hostess 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. Also, special thanks to Pam Penick at Digging who has hosted Foliage Follow-Up for all these years, a meme I will still continue to honor. I am also linking with some other wonderful hosts and hostesses at Floral Friday Fotos, Macro Monday 2, Mosaic Monday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf, Nature Notes at Rambling Woods, Dishing It & Digging It on Sunday with Angie the Freckled Rose, Image-in-ing weekly photo share every Tuesday with NC Sue and Gardens Galore Link Up Party every other Monday with Everyday Living. I am also happy to join the Homestead Blog Hop  and Weekly Photo Link-Up at My Corner of the World on Wednesdays.

"Every gardener knows that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle ... a seed waiting to sprout, a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl. And the anticipation nurtures our dream."- Barbara Winkler

     
      Looking for some winter reading?- Visit my Author Page

A Guide to Northeastern Gardening: Journeys of a Garden Designer Zones 3-9

Landscape Design Combinations 

Dream, Garden, Grow!-Musings of a Lifetime Gardener

As Always...Happy Gardening! 😊

Author: Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening,© Copyright 2010-2020. All rights reserved.