Happy New Year and welcome to This Month in the Garden. It was both a busy and rewarding year in my Long Island (now zone 7b) garden. January started off the year with temperatures in the upper 40's, and a chill in the air, but not too unbearable to venture outside. In the past, I would never think of working in the garden in January, but on the milder days, I was able to get some time in tending to weeds and just enjoying the outdoors. Some sights to see for January are the varying colors of foliage and the blooms of Helleborous 'Shooting Star'. Its foliage remains evergreen year round and buds appear in December, which open in January and last for months. It is interesting to note that the flowers are really not flowers at all, but bracts, which is why they last for so long.
February certainly was an interesting month to say the least! After a relatively uneventful January with milder than usual temperatures, February 4th brought in temperatures in the single digits, with 45 mph winds, and a wind chill of 30 below zero! Needless to say, I did not venture out into the garden that day! A few days later, temperatures returned to 50 degrees and the rest of the month was a rollercoaster ride, going from fifty degrees one day to into the thirties the next, with a couple of 10 degree nights thrown in. The end of February brought temperatures in the 60's followed by our first and only dusting of snow on the 28th. In the midst of a crazy winter, Hellebore 'Shooting Star' were in bloom, while Hyacinth and Sedum started to prematurely emerge from their sleep.
Did I mention that this has been one of the most unusual winters I can remember? With temperatures in the 60's in late February, followed by our first and only accumulating snow of just two inches on February 28th, March came with daytime temperatures fluctuating from the mid to upper 50's to the 40's and back again. To add a little excitement, a nor'easter with large sprawling snowflakes and enough snowfall to cover the garden came to us on the 14th, which was Mother Nature's way of saying, "I'm not done yet!" Even with the unpredictable weather, blooms of Hellebore continued, while the remainder of the month brought purple crocus flowers, new foliage, buds and more blooms.
The month of April brought spring temperatures in the 60 to 70 degree range, with two days of 80 degree temperatures mid-month. With summer like temperatures and longer hours of daylight the gardening season was definitely underway. After a day of designing, I would wander out into the garden and get some chores done, which makes me happy. Magnolia, Flowering Plum, Forthysia, Hyancinth and Pulmonaria were all in bloom along with blooms from later blooming Hellebore 'Dark and Handsome' and 'Champion'. It was a wonderful time to enjoy the garden.
The month of May was very busy, with huge changes coming to the garden. With temperatures in the 70's towards the end of the month, I took the plunge and removed an old yew over the pool waterfall which had been losing its needles since the drought of last summer. The crew rebuilt the existing moss rock waterfall (originally constructed in 1996) and a mature Weeping Norway Spruce was carefully moved to its place with a skid steer with just two feet of space between the patio and pool. I held my breath as I watched until the tree was in its hole. Along with the main focal point, Variegated Upright Boxwood and Cherry Laurel 'Otto Luyken' were added with more additions to come later in the summer. Also to be seen this month were the blooms of Azalea, Weigela, Pulmonaria, Allium 'Globemaster', Salvia 'May Night', Ajuga, Nepeta, Baptisia, and Japanese Iris.
With June temperatures now in the comfortable mid-70's to low 80's, it was a wonderful time to enjoy the garden. Blooms this month included those of Rhododendron, Dogwood, Viburnum 'Summer Snowflake', Spirea, Roses, Nepeta, Daylily 'Stella D Oro' and Salvia. I took another plunge and replaced an aged Weeping Pussy Willow by the back patio with a Rhode Island Red Japanese Maple, which I had my sights on. This dwarf variety has slightly larger burgundy leaves and maintains a more rounded compact shape, reaching a mature height and width of just 6 feet over many years. It has made the perfect addition to admire as I sit having my morning tea! There is a wonderful saying which describes me..."It's into the garden I go to lose my mind and find my soul." July is a perfect time for a stroll in the garden to find peace and tranquility during the heat of the summer. With more summer like temperatures in the 80's and low 90's, the garden brought an abundance of blooms including those of Hydrangea, St. John's Wort, Echinacea, Roses, Sedum, Salvia, Nepeta, Daylily, Asiatic Lily, Echibeckia, Hosta and Lamb's Ear. While we had a more spring like month of June, July did bring some heat, but overall it was a pleasure to be outdoors on most days.
As the summer quickly passed by, the month of August brought an abundance of late summer blooms. The northeast had been fortunate weather-wise with temperatures mostly in the 80's with some "dog days of summer" thrown in, but there were frequent enough rain showers to keep the garden thriving. While a cooler spring had delayed the blooms of Crape Myrtle, the weather conditions had been especially ideal for Hydrangea, with some of the best blooms in years. Blooming were Hydrangea 'Limelight Prime', Hydrangea 'Let's Dance 'Big Band', Hydrangea 'Nikko Blue' and 'Tokyo Delight', Hydrangea 'Tardiva', Butterfly Bush 'Pugster Blue', Echinacea, Balloon Flower, Black Eyed Susan, Allium Millenium, Lillium 'Stargazer', and Daylily.
The start of September brought in some of the hottest days of the summer, with temperatures climbing into the mid-90's with a heat index of 105 one day, while the rest of the month brought in more comfortable days in the 70's. The garden starts to slowly transition into fall mode this time of year with a stillness in the air and colors changing throughout the landscape. Finally, the deep pink blooms of Crape Myrtle 'Sioux' were finally here, along with the new blooms of Abelia 'Kaleidoscope' and continuing blooms of Butterfly Bush, Sedum, Echinacea, Liriope, Knock Out Rose and Hydrangea. With the perfect September temperatures, all that had to happen was for my husband to point out that perhaps the enormous grafted Blue Globe Spruce further down the patio needed to be replaced. Just as I thought the renovations were completed, the crew returned and planted a 'Twombly's Red Sentinel' Japanese Red Maple in its place. The renovations were now complete.
Cooler temperatures arrived suddenly during October after a last hooray at the start of the month with temperatures in the 80's. Temperatures then settled into the 60's with clear blue skies and a slight chill in the air, as the surrounding landscape transitioned. As the blooms of Hydrangea faded, Montauk Daisy brought in new blooms along with the continuing blooms of Knock Out Roses, Black Eyed Susan, Butterfly Bush and Abelia 'Kaleidoscope', with plumes now on the Maiden Grass dancing in the breeze.
The month of November brought a more of a chill to the air with temperatures in the 50's and 60's and the landscape became a changing array of color with the changing foliage of maple trees, berries prominent on holly and plumes on grasses, while blooms of Knock Out Rose and Daylily refused to quit. The first silvery white flakes of snow occurred on November 28th. It lasted about fifteen minutes, but was the first snow for the season (technically) and signaled that winter was on its way.
December brought milder than usual temperatures in the 50's on most days, with a rainy trend and chillier days in the 40's by the end of the month and the first frost, but still milder than I remember from years ago. It had been a wonderful gardening year with temperatures warm enough to extend the planting season, which got no complaints from this gardener.
I hope you enjoyed This Month in the Garden as we reminisce about days gone by and dream of a whole new year of gardening days ahead. You can view each month in detail by simply clicking on the hyperlink in the caption under each photo or go to "My Gardens" at the top navigation bar, where I share my garden diary since 2011! Be sure to stop by on the 1st. and 15th. of each month as I continue to share gardening tips, information and horticultural adventures! As the 2023 gardening season has come to a close, wishing you and yours a very happy and healthy new year and gardens that thrive in 2024!
"As Always...Happy Gardening!"
Author: Lee @A Guide to Northeastern Gardening, © Copyright 2010-2024. All rights reserved.
