Wednesday, February 3, 2010

New Life and Old...In the Garden and Plant of the Month

From In the Garden
"Spring is near!" say the Hellebores.

From In the Garden
"But the glory of the past summer remains." says the Pink Turtlehead.

From In the Garden
"Ah, but I am so tired and weary of winter that I have to hang my head." says the Goatsbeard.

From In the Garden
"I second that thought!" says the Hakone Forest Grass.

From In the Garden
"Standby you all!" says the furry Star Magnolia. "We're getting ready to put on a show! You all are so lovely even in your winter colors we can see the glory of the summer to come-even now in the winter...."

in the garden....

This month's Plant of the Month is the Hellebore, but we wish to say goodbye to all of last summer's plants as we clean the garden and make room for the new in the garden. For more information on hellebores click on the above link and it will take you to last year's Plant of the Month-also the hellebore.

Right now the garden is thawing out from a big snowstorm, but the hellebores and remnants from last summer's garden are displaying their glory still-spring is near though.


Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,

In the Garden

28 comments:

  1. Even tho we haven't had much snow lately, every thing is gone from even sleeping. Things are frozen brittle and then gone for the winds we've had lately.
    Pellet stoves have been a wonder for the heating service business, guess owner aren't aware the zones freezing up.

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  2. Hellebores are a plant I have never tried. I see them all over blogland and they are very pretty with their bowed heads. I always think they are praying. Love your sleeping photos. Oh yes, Spring is closer than it has been!

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  3. Hellebores are definitely on my wish list... along with various other items. Love the photos! There's something haunting about winter garden pictures.

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  4. I love it, Tina! New and old is so appropriate for this time of year. The weather has us in a quandry too. We would like to clean up a bit more, just a little, but with snow, cold and frozen it just isn't possible to get out there. We are hoping to do some stuff today to get ready to plant sweet peas and sugar snaps, normally done on Valentine's Day. I love that you chose the Hellebores two months in a row. Way to think outside the box! :-)
    Frances

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  5. I look forward to having some Hellebores in our new garden, will have lots of shade. The possibilities are endless!!

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  6. That was delightful! I need to head out to see what my plants are saying~They are ready to dry out just a tiny bit...or is that me that's ready for the garden to dry out! Have a great day! gail

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  7. I can't wait to see our lone hellebore bloom. At least it should! I planted Hakone grass last year, I just hope it makes it through the winter.

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  8. Good morning. Hellebore was on my list of things to add but I never got them in last year. I swear, I need a assistant to follow me around and remind me of all the stuff I meant to do.

    I always leave my seed heads and stalks up over the winter to add some interest in the garden. This year an especially wet, heavy snow flattened everything. My garden is a lumpy expanse of white.
    Marnie

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  9. Hey guys, Good morning! Lovely day here so I'm headed for a native walk to see what else the plants are saying:) Everyone have a great day!

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  10. The Sun is trying to pop out here today before our next batch of rain fall.....

    I added a Hellebore last year but it became too saturated with water so I took it out of the ground and put it back into its pot. It is making a slow comeback but I doubt any blooms from her this spring. I must find the perfect spot to plant her in the ground....

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  11. Those Goatsbeard seedheads are fantastic!

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  12. My hellebores are still stunned by the cold and not even starting to bud. But I expect activity there in the next few weeks.

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  13. February seems just perfect - not too cold and not too hot. Wish this would last longer.
    The dry plants look great in closeups, though they might actually look ugly. Nice shots.

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  14. Oh, the lovely hellebores! This is a deer resistant plant, so I'm waiting for the shade to grow in my garden so that I can fill the understory with these beauties! I'm tempted, so tempted to go ahead as PDN is featuring hellebores at their nursery open house this month! But, I know what sunshine can do to a shade-loving plant.

    Cameron

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  15. Tina, spring may be near to you, but not to us in Maine, as you know well. It’s a delight to see the early signs on your blog. These close up images are gorgeous! I love all the textures.

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  16. I'm with you a 100 percent on Hellebores being plant of the month.
    It was nice of you to give last year's glory a nice send off :) It won't be that long before you have lots of new Spring flowers showing off in your garden.

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  17. So glad to see you Hellebore about to bloom. I had meant to acquire one but never did. I think they are pretty. Even my snow bells are not blooming yet. I must check on my forsythia tomorrow & see if it's blooming. It did have buds on it.
    Since my new neighbor cut so many trees down I must wait to see how much shade I will have.
    "Wait & see", I don't have much patience for.

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  18. Lola, They are a welcomed sight. Look for them in the stores all the way up to April. Bummer on your neighbor cutting down trees. I hope it is not too much sun on you.

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  19. That hellebore bud looks so promising and so welcome, Tina! The remnants of last summer's garden certainly look appealing, but I think we'll all be glad to see some new buds in the garden. We have snow coming our way again tomorrow night, so it will be awhile before I can even think about cleaning up the garden and before anything in mine wakes up.

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  20. Got your comment back... I'll get to these one day. Not this year. I have too many projects planned for spring. When I get to the hellebores, I want to really get to the hellebores!

    Cameron

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  21. Tina, so glad someone is seeing signs of spring! I haven't seen much of my garden this winter due to the snow cover. And just when I thought I might get a chance this weekend to see what's out there-more snow! Enjoy your spring-I know ours will come soon.

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  22. Hi lady, my helleborus is still covered with snow as is everything else in our garden. I am ready for warm weather and all, but I know late February and March the snow hits again. It is like that every year here in Bavaria. Take care!
    Andrea

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  23. Clever post Tina and you're right, it's more a time for bringing in the new and cutting out the old than the actual New Year!
    I am optimistic for blooms on my hellebores planted last year. It will be the first year for me. Blog reading really spurred me to add them to my garden. They are just beautiful and you can't help but love an early bloomer ~ so great plant choice!!!!!

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  24. Those goatsbeard - I love their flower remains, they look like little strings of pearls. Yes, spring, I've been waiting, and now it's arriving faster than I'm ready for it.

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  25. Tina,
    A lovely post on new and old, as we begin thinking about closing the door on winter and opening another with promises of spring. I hope to add some more Hellebores this year, they are just beautiful. I look forward to seeing your Star Magnolia in bloom!

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  26. Just before our big blizzard(S) struck--note the 'plural' on blizzard!--I was ready for a clean up day, clipping last years leaves and stalks, checking hellebores, etc...My clean up day still lies in wait for a thaw;-) I cannot wait to see what hellebore buds/blooms await, as I added several to my garden last summer. Perhaps they won't bloom this year, as they often take a few years to establish, but I still want to see my 'old standbys'.

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