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

Camelia 'Apple' Seedpods

Ever seen camellia seedpods? They look like miniature apples and are quite lovely. They are easy to overlook so you must look for them closely. Seeds are not the best way to propagate camellias (my opinion layering is the best way) but when given the right conditions camellia seeds should germinate and grow. I hope I have the right conditions....

in the garden....

Happy Birthday to my niece 'Madame'! And to Dave's Daughter too! And anyone else who has a birthday today!

Peony Seedheads

From In the Garden

Peony seedheads! Who knew they were so great? Not me, that's for sure. I normally always deadhead all of my plants in order to redirect energy from the plant into next year's growth. I read on a blog (sorry can't remember exactly which one) where the blogger talked of wonderful peony seedheads. If this is you-do let me know! This comment got me to thinking maybe I'd check out the seedheads on one or two of my peonies. This particular one is a Japanese type single peony. I think the seedheads fabulous! Almost as good as the blooms.

Do you deadhead all of your plants and what are some of your favorite seedheads on plants you will never deadhead?

in the garden....

***********Public Service Announcement! ************

If you live in the middle Tennessee area, specifically near Clarksville, this Saturday is a perfect opportunity to pick up some plants for your garden. Perhaps you might even be lucky enough to get some peonies!

The Montgomery County Master Gardeners will be selling plants from their gardens this Saturday, from 8 am until sold out. Location is the Veteran's Plaza on Pageant Lane. Get there early for the best deals.

Gum Ball Art

If you have been reading this blog for a while you will know that there is one thing that I am not so fond of in my Georgia Garden. Sweet Gum trees! Arg, just to say that name makes me cringe. The trees themselves are okay because they can be pretty in the fall and provide shade in the summer. One thing I detest in them is this one bad habit they have. Can you see that habit in this picture below?

Seed pods (Gum Balls) all over the driveway and in my landscaped grassy areas of the yard. Arg, they are such a pest that we have taken the chain saw to many of them in areas where they wreak havoc. The two trees that dropped these few pods are on the list for the next Chain Saw massacre!

Being the nice soul I can be, I really do try to like the Sweet Gum Trees but those pods. Gee, what a pain in my behind they are. They dull the lawn mower blades when I fail to pick them up before mowing. Who wants to pick the things up? My back aches just thinking about it. There are so many of them. If they were pecans I could make pecan pies or sell them and make money! But these things are worthless. Or are they?

The Saints mom found a way to turn them into a work of art. Just look at the Sweet Gum Ball Reindeer she made for us!

Just look at that cute face with Acorn nose, Berry eyes, Twig antlers and Pine cone ears and tail. Other then glue, they are all natural being a gift from Mother Nature.

A sweet Gum Ball never looked so good to me before.

Crafter's, mom's and dad's looking for a fun thing to do with the kids this boring winter, get your glue gun out and start playing!

I am not sure if Mom B created this gum ball deer or borrowed the idea from another crafter but they are just down right adorable to this gum ball hater! Thanks again Mom B for the adorable Reindeer you made us!

I was out in the yard a few days ago and decided to pick up some of the pesky Gum Ball's in case anyone would like to try their hand at this fun idea or have another idea for Gum Ball's. If anyone would like me to mail you a few, let me know as I will be glad to get rid of as many of them as I can. Maybe you can come up with a fun GUM BALL ART creation of your own while not, In the Garden... 

Since this post gets SO many hits I thought I'd point you all to the blogger who did this post so you can find some more of her wonderful crafts. If you liked this post please go and visit Dawn on her blog found here and called C & G Design. She is quite the crafter! 

Words and photos property of In the Garden Blog and are NOT to be copied, lifted, or fed and posted on any other website. Thanks!