This week in the garden...

Boy, have we had strange weather! A few days of hail, snow, rain, sunshine, blue skies, warmth, cold...all in a single day. A couple days ago we woke up to snow...today it was so nice with blue
skies and a high of 63.

Out in the garden my camellias are just starting to bloom. I must not have early-blooming varieties, because others have been going strong for at least 6 weeks now. I'm not sure what type this one is. The tag said "EG Waterhouse," but the picture of that blossom is a double pale pink flower; not this deep rose. Obviously the tag was mixed up (a lesson to only buy plants in bloom if you really want to know what they are!). Along with the rosy blossoms it also has a white blossom swirled with rosy red.

The hellebores (Helleborus hybrid Immanence) are also in bloom. They're one of the first bloomers in my yard each year. Though pretty, I'm always a little disappointed because the blossoms point toward the ground.

I've always wanted a star magnolia, and finally planted one last spring. It bloomed for the first time today. I can't wait until it's larger, but for now I'll enjoy the 3 or 4 little blossoms... This one is very fragrant. Sadly, it wasn't marked beyond "Star Magnolia" so I don't know the variety. But I do remember smelling several and going with the most fragrant one!

Peonies have always been a favorite of mine, and here you can see the Sarah Bernhard peonies just popping through the earth. I tucked a few more of these in the front yard, where they seem to do better (much better...they actually bloom in the front yard!).

This evergreen clematis (Evergreen armandii) was placed on the part of the fence that faces my dining room window. I hated looking out at wooden slats, and really enjoy the year-round green view the plant provides. This one has grown like a weed. It was cut to the ground last year (had to steal the trellis behind it because it matched one in my side patio...and Lowe's didn't sell them anymore!) and has come back just as full as last year. I'm hoping my others look this good by next year.

My trip to Lowes this week was strictly for paint supplies. I couldn't help wandering through the gardening rows and picking up a few cheery bits of yard art. I need to go easy on this stuff as I don't want to overdo it! But the butterfly and dragonfly work nicely in my side patio raised beds.


And lastly, what the front garden looked like a few days ago full of hail. I love the blue in this Delft Blue hyacinth. Definitely need more of these next year!