Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Plant of the Month-January 2010

From In the Garden
I can't tell you how much I was stressing that I could not come up with a Plant of the Month for January in my garden. Even though I pride myself on having something in bloom during all months of the year, I don't always have something in bloom all days of the year. Thank goodness I found a couple of blooming plants this month. The two outside blooming plants are-Mahonia beaulei, aka Leatherleaf Mahonia, and Vernal Witch Hazel, aka Hamamelis vernalis. I will highlight some inside blooming plants next Wednesday on Bloom Day. I chose the mahonia as this month's Plant of the Month simply because it makes a big statement, blooms a long time, is fragrant and is something different from the usual witch hazel that has been my choice for January's Plant of the Month for the past two years.

From In the Garden
This particular plant has been growing in a woodland area of my property way behind Mr. Fix-it's garage. It was given to me by a fellow gardener from his woodland garden and has been growing here for nearly one year. The plant itself is not but about two feet tall, but those blooms pack a huge punch, especially in January. Not to mention the blooms are fragrant. I was most tempted to cut the blooms and bring them inside to enjoy but that would mean sacrificing the lovely grape like seedpods that will form later on this season. I have another mahonia growing in a front garden that has been growing there for more than three years. It started life as a small seedling and has not yet reached the stage where it will bloom. I am hopeful it will bloom next year because it is nearly as big as the blooming one now.

These shrubs are evergreen and provide year round interest in a shaded area. Mahonias are also extensively used in commercial landscaping. Our very own Army hospital here on Fort Campbell has quite a lovely stand of them that are about six feet tall (leatherleaf mahonias can grow to 12 feet tall-slowly so far as I can tell from my garden experience) and bloom wonderfully each year. These mahonias are pruned and are growing in an inhospitable location next to a concrete retaining wall. I admire them each time I visit the hospital and am happy to finally have a few of my own establishing in my garden here. I also recently noticed a newly planted stand of blooming mahonias outside of Town Center near Gate 5 on Fort Campbell. I surmise the Fort Campbell landscape contractors love this shrub. And no wonder because the welcomed blooms are quite a sight this time of year!

Leatherleaf mahonias are not native to the United States (they come from China) but they have naturalized in Zones 6-10 pretty well. You will find them growing all throughout the wooded areas of Tennessee thanks to wild animals enjoying the grape like seeds that make a wonderful food source for many. There are some in the horticultural field who do not like the self sowing ability of the mahonia, but I am not one of them. If a plant can feed the wildlife, look good, be maintenance free and not smother other plants and wreak havoc on the ecosystem then it is a good plant in my book. I like the mahonia.

This shrub is a narrow grower and quite prickly just like a holly so plant it in an out of the way area where it can grow in a natural manner. The area mahonias prefer to grow in is a shaded, organically rich soil that is well drained but moist, though they are adaptable to dry inhospitable areas. I am thrilled to have anything blooming this month and I can tell you the bloom on this mahonia has been around for more than two weeks and should last another two weeks. It is a good plant to have blooming in January....

in the garden....

What's your Plant of the Month for January?

30 comments:

  1. Ha! Mine would be the icicle tree.
    This is a pretty plant as those grapie looking seeds have such interest.

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  2. What a cool plant is that! I sure would love to be able to smell the blooms.

    I'd have to say the plant of the month for me are the roses that are blooming right now.

    It's a cold 35 this morning, which is really cold for us. Not doing much outdoors the past few days, just too dang cold for this girl, although, I might have to go out to hand water some things.

    Have a lovely day ~ FlowerLady

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  3. Beautiful photo of your Mahonia Tina. I have seen thin scraggley Mahonia and also full rounded mature ones...almost like a different plant. Yours with those blooms is very pretty.
    My plant of the month? My Nandina domestica is really shining this month...the foliage is fiery red and full of berries. Hard to not notice that one!

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  4. I leapt for joy, figuratively when I saw your pick of January, Tina. For one thing, you have identified the mahonia we have popping up here in there in the wooded part of the property. The flowers are exactly at the same stage as yours, and will provide something nice for bloom day. Who can argue with the time of bloom, no matter how frigid the temps, native or no? :-)
    Frances

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  5. I may be in the minority but I'm not a big fan of mahonia. It looks fine and is probably a great plant but it just doesn't excite me much! But it is hard to find blooming plants this time of year!

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  6. I love the fragrance of Mahonia flowers -- that is a plant I've been meaning to add to the winter garden.

    Welcome back!

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  7. Janet, Back up for me was not only witch hazels, but nandina-you are so right about them shining.

    Everyone have a great day. I'm going walking in these frigid temps-might be the last time for a while with a big nor'easter :) forecast for our area tomorrow-except it might be considered a southeaster since the storm is moving southeast:)

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  8. Hi Tina! A beautiful plant in January is a gift, but a fragnant plant is a double delight! My plant of the month is Hellebores foetidus.

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  9. Hi Tina, I'm familiar with some types of mahonia from when I lived in Alabama and Tennessee but not this one. The leaves are a little like holly.
    Marnie

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  10. Yay, you’re back to blogging! Heck, the only thing we have blooming in Maine is more blooming snow. It was nice to see some green on this post.

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  11. Tina,
    Beautiful selection for Plant of the Month! Thank you for introducing me to a new plant!! Although this won't work in my zone 4 (pushing 5) garden, I am going to try Hamamelis 'Diane' - every time I see her I am captivated by her beauty.

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  12. Well as the 3rd Maineiac to comment, I was going to say that snow was my plant of the month but I like the was Dawn and Sarah put it much better. However, we do seem to be a bit better off than most of our great nation right now.
    Here on the southern coast of Maine I only have a few inches of snow and temps in the mid to high 30's during the day. Actually I think we got in the 40's yesterday.

    Your plant is very pretty and I would say anything that blooms for a month and smells good also is a good plant but to have that blooming month in Jaunuary would be heaven!!

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  13. Mahonia is a great choice. I've read that hummingbirds love the flowers in the Winter.
    My plant of the month are Hellebores which are going to be blooming soon (I hope).

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  14. Mine would be anything that survived the extreme cold we are having this year.(-:
    Yours look pretty with the interesting blooms(-:

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  15. I think any plant that blooms in January is well worth having in the garden. The bloom of your Mahonia are just beautiful.

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  16. Mahonia is about the only plant flowering in my garden at the moment as well. Love the close up

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  17. I just knew you would have something blooming in January! The only color in my yard now is the red berries of the Nandina Royal Princess along with the vibrant red foliage of the other Nandina! I can't wait to see what you will have in February.....

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  18. Mom, You Dawn and Sarah stay warm and dry up there. Methinks anyone who lives in such a cold area really is a maniac-oops Maineiac:))) P.S. Liisa lives in Vermont-pretty cold there too with tons of snow. But don't worry, we'll be getting our fair share tomorrow. I can already see a snow day for the Jimster.

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  19. I'm always taken back by the names of plants u post about.... U seem to know them all.... perfect...... I am a DUH! in this case.....

    Wishing u & your family a gr8 year ahead.....

    Ash....
    (http://asha-oceanichope.blogspot.com/)

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  20. I have seen these blooms on a UK blog that I regularly read, but I wasn't familiar with this plant at all. Thanks for all the great information, Tina! I see it's hardy, though, only up to zone 6, so I probably couldn't grow one.

    My plant of the month? I'd have to agree with Dawn--the icicle tree:) Seriously, I guess I love my pines this time of year, especially covered with freshly fallen snow.

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  21. Okay Dang it!! My gardens are mush right now and that's just wrong!! Interesting plant!!

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  22. I love my native Mahonia, despite the pain every time I work around it!
    xo Alice

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  23. I have this plant in my garden Tina but I've never seen it bloom. Maybe it's a different variety?? It was planted here when I bought the house. I wish it would bloom tho, it looks beautiful. Great choice!

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  24. Katheen, there are different kinds of mahonia. I identified mine from Dirr's book by the fleshy leaves. I can't say what kind yours is but it seems like it would bloom because it must be pretty old? Maybe try to ID it, then add some fertilizer or a good shovel or two of compost and wait. If it doesn't bloom in one year, I'd move it:)

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  25. Great looking buds/flowers. At first glance I thought they were grapes. DUH.
    Nothing blooming here as the cold has turned all to mush.
    Stay warm all.

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  26. How nice to have something blooming each month of the year! Sigh. My plant for December and January will have to be amaryllis. I have 6 in pots that put on a show last month and are all gearing up for another show on their second stalks. Will post pictures soon.
    I haven't been by in a while - the holidays kept me hopping and away from the computer - so I want to wish you a happy new year!

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  27. I think my flower of the month so far this year would have to be snow! We haven't had a winter like this for a while. Getting some parsnips dug was a challenge!

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  28. Happy New Year, Tina! That is a cool looking plant. At first, I thought it was some kind of small flowered hellebore when I saw the blooms. I have no plants that bloom in January, and it looks like the snow will not be melted for my hellebores to bloom any time soon.

    You answered the question on my blog about your experience with sparrows. Sunday, I asked a gal from church who lives in the country and puts up houses for bluebirds what she does about sparrows. She said she traps and kills them. She has a gun, and also kills squirrels, and ferrel cats that come on her property. She'd like to kill the blue jays, too, because they kill other birds, but it's not legal.

    You know, people interact with the environment in different ways. The sparrows are not native, and we are allowed to kill them, but to me, it is a lost cause. More will come in where space is available, so one would need to be prepared to kill a lot of critters. I don't think I could do it, either.

    In my situation, I feel like I want to feed the birds in the winter, and may at some point try to use physical means to discourage the squirrels and sparrows, but right now, the critters out there seem to have their own little community, and put up with each other.

    Now that I wrote all that here, I may ago ahead and write it in my blog comments, or even write it in another post.

    Welcome back to blogland!

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  29. Good choice for the plant of the month! I have never had the pleasure of growing mahonia.
    Plant of the month for dung hoe is Amaryllis. Inside counts, right?

    Rosey

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  30. Love that mahonia! What does it smell like? I guess my plant for the month is the holly. The dark green shiny leaves look gorgeous against the snow right now.

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