HAPPY THANKSGIVING

BY SKEETER

From my Georgia Woods......

to Yours, 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, In the Garden...

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Late Fall Winter Garden Pictures and Happy Holidays

It is the pretty much the end of the gardening season in Tennessee-though not the end of the garden. Here in Tiger Gardens I garden all winter long by tending to various chores, making things for the garden, creating new gardens, trimming trees, and so on. Winters are short in Tennessee so on all but the coldest days you'll find me in the garden. Also, during the winter there are several holidays and this year we'll be very busy during the holidays so I plan to take a little break until next year. 

I walked around the garden snapping some pictures to leave you with until the new year and the new garden comes along. We have barely been touched by frost in Tiger Gardens so most of the garden still looks fantastic. The only things that got zapped were cannas, impatiens, and some annual salvias. Everything else is still blooming and holding onto its color. We'll start with 'Miss Gloria's Thanksgiving Day' mum. This is a late blooming Sheffield type mum that is very tall and much loved by flying insects. It is one of the first flowers you'll see walking to my front door.

The vegetable garden will also keep me busy. We have peas flowering, carrots ready for picking all winter, nice and green chard to feed the rabbits, and dreams of next year's vegetable garden to sustain us on our break.

Blackhaw viburnum is a sweet little native shrub/tree. I have trained mine into a small tree and it is showing some gorgeous late season color. This is an excellent viburnum for shady spots and requires no care on my part.

'Sunny' knockout roses are still blooming wonderfully in the Vegetable Garden proper. Also blooming are the red and pink knockouts. I'll cut all of the roses down to knee level in early February.

Wine bottles, 'Adagio' miscanthus, oakleaf hydrangeas, and frost blackened cannas (not yet cut back) show some color in the Greenhouse Garden.

Also in the Greenhouse Garden these dried hydrangeas from my 'Limelight' hydrangeas bloom all winter long. There are literally hundreds of dried blooms and I think I enjoy them as much this way as when they are white and fresh.

The common witch hazel has decided to bloom. This shrub is more than six years old and I was beginning to despair it would ever bloom. I can't say the blooms are much to look at but it is a start. I really grow this shrub for its cool seedpods; which I hope to see from these blooms.

As is indicative of fall the ornamental kale has been planted in flower pots ready to brighten the dreariest of winter days.

And finally I close with the quintessential plant for winter; the camellia. No other plant but the camellia will be in bloom when winter begins and when winter ends (fall and spring blooming shrubs are necessary for this very long bloom season of nearly six months total). I have three fall bloomers and two spring bloomers and I tell you I love them all. This one is a double pink that is quite deep in color. The red foliage behind it is the foliage of oakleaf hydrangeas. 

I want to wish everyone a very Happy Holiday Season.....

in the garden....

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden