Sunday, February 15, 2009

GBBD February 2009

Tina normally writes the Garden Bloggers Bloom Day (GBBD) posting here at In the Garden but today I will be talking with you from my Georgia Garden. However, Tina reports her wonderful Helebores, Pansies, Witch Hazel and Crocuses blooming in her Tennessee Garden. She also continues to enjoy color from Geranium and Begonias as they stay warm inside her home.





Click the above video to get a good taste of spring. Ah, nothing says Springtime like singing birds and dancing golden flowers!

Speaking of golden flowers, the forsythia is glowing with color. Each day, I see more and more blooms popping open!

The Bridal Wreath also continues to open showing new white blooms each day.

Pretty purple blooms of Vinca are opening up by the patio!

Pink blossoms on the Plum tree are showing their faces.

The crab apple tree is starting to pop open.

A bright red bud is filling up some of the trees in our front woods. No idea what tree this is but the Cedar Waxwings like to nibble on it with their Spring migration. Ah, what a perfectly blue colored sky!

The Nandina bush is showing a vibrant shade of red never seen before on her!

Look how the leaves glow with the sun shining on her!


















If only we could have a spring without weeds! I know these are weeds but they do have a wonderful flower to my eyes. If only they would stay where welcomed and out of my grassy areas, then I would be totally happy on this Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, In the Garden...

Note: Thanks to Carol at Maydreams for hosting GBBD each month!

36 comments:

  1. It looks like spring is slowly marching northward. From the looks of your plants, you are about 2-3 weeks ahead of us. I am not sure, but I think your tree that the Cedar Waxwings like is the native Red Maple.

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  2. I miss gardening in zone 8. We have the birds singing a little and the wind blowing. You are off to a good start.

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  3. Hi Skeeter and Tina, your place really looks like spring! How exciting to have the cedar waxwings too. We had some come through for the GBBC, great backyard bird count this weekend. It's not to late to participate either!Do join in!

    http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/

    Frances

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  4. Ooo ... spring is here ...

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  5. Your daffy is so sweet! A real touch of spring indeed. It is just lovely to see all the color in your Georgia garden. You are definitely ahead of us here in Tennessee. Only tinges of yellow on the forsythia and no buds on the spireas yet. Have a great day!

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  6. Hi Skeeter, your nandinas never cease to amaze me. That red is gorgeous! Love the bridal wreath too!

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  7. Skeeter, so many of us on the cusp of things blooming are green :-)seeing your pretty blooms bursting forth. I really like the vibrant red of your Nandina... any idea of the variety? It is striking.
    Janet

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  8. Thanks for filling in for Tina. We are definitely looking forward to seeing some of those same blooms in our own gardens in the weeks ahead.

    Carol, May Dreams Gardens

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  9. Skeeter, I feel like I've been on a mini-spring vacation after seeing all this! Redbuds opening up and crabapples starting to bud...I can't wait! The video really brings it all alive. Thanks for the day brightener.

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  10. Good Morning everyone. I hope no one overdosed on Chocolates last night! We opt for pastries instead. :-)

    Les, thank you for ID'ing the native maple! I am trying to learn my trees but it is so difficult without someone here to tell me. The reference books are only so good for ID’ing them.

    MNGarden, I am lucky to live in a zone with an early spring! It is fun to travel to our parent’s home during spring as we can enjoy our spring then theirs a few weeks later!

    Frances, I would really enjoy taking part of the bird count but I just dont have the time to sit and watch the birds like I use too. Sigh, I did take a short video of the activity at the feeders yesterday in between running in and out of the house. I can tell you one thing, the Purple and Gold finches are thriving!

    Blossom, Yes, spring is here although a bit cooler today with a weather change. You are lucky to have such warm weather year round! Your Lily is beautiful…

    Tina, if you turn up the speakers, you can hear the birds singing also! I had a difficult time trying to capture the bloom without a car driving past to mess with the sound. lol. We are usually about 1 or 2 weeks ahead of your area of TN. A cold front past through and yesterday we went from short sleeves to long sleeves and jacket again. Going to be a cooler week then back to the really warm stuff again...

    Kanak, I know I have shown the nadinas before but they have never been as bright as this year! They were even brighter with the sun shining on them. A beautiful shade of red...

    Janet, This nandina was already here when we bought the house but some have suggested it may be "Firepower" It loves the heat and sun shine and very drought tolerant. This is the most vibrant shade of red I have ever seen on it. The Saints parents live in VA and you are usually about 3-4 weeks behind us with seasons. So soon you will have some yellow and other colors in your life. Hang in there...

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  11. Several of those plants can be found here in Belgian gardens too... but only from april onwards!
    And considering Dandelion and Chickweed... yes, you can call them weeds, but I prefer to call them 'native wildflowers'! (But of course... they're more 'invasive weeds' than 'native' in the US.) Last year several of the Belgian (wild)garden bloggers have been writing about dandelions, those 'golden beauties'.

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  12. Carol, It was no problem filling in. It was my pleasure. Yes, hang tight as you too will have blooms in a few weeks! It looks as though you are enjoying much color inside your home now. That is really nice. I cannot have much inside due to my cats which would eat it all...

    Rose, Thanks, I am glad you enjoy this mini Spring vacation with me today! :-) Did you hear the birds singing through your speakers? A bit difficult to hear over the wind sound. They have been singing away lately. Soon the warmer stuff will be your way, just hang on a few more weeks!

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  13. Anne, Hello and welcome over the ocean! Yes, I recall your area being a bit behind our Spring season. I too enjoy the cute flowers of the weeds or native plants as you call them. I just wish they would stay in certain places, and then I would not pull them up and toss them. They do have wonderful blooms full of color but they will kill my pretty green grass if I let them get out of control. If only other flowers would produce so easily for us!

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  14. Hello Skeeter, Beautiful blooms and I do adore the sounds of singing in the trees! The dandelions may be European wildflowers and weeds here, ...but they do provide food for the earliest bees! Have a delicious day and I hope you get time in your garden! gail

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  15. My garden is a bit behind you Skeeter. The Forsythia and Daffodils are full of buds just waiting to burst forth. You have lots of signs that Spring has arrived in your garden. Beautiful photos today!

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  16. I wish I had just one of those shrubs/plants blooming in my garden but it's still brown here Skeeter. Nice to see spring is around the corner tho ~ I'm waiting very patiently for it!!! Enjoy all your blooms.

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  17. Remind me again of your zone. You have so much in bloom. Everything also looks so happy.

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  18. Ohhhh, you are so lucky, Skeeter! I'm seeing green but it's not foliage!

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  19. So exciting --I can hardly wait for our flowers to start blooming. I am just so excited seeing all the green sprouts popping up. Imagine when the flowers open --look out --hehehe. My camera will be going crazy --I love to take pictures of all the flowers. Have a great day! And, yes Skeeter two kiddos got frogs dressed in red yesterday:0) heheh You know how they love frogs:)

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  20. Hi Skeeter, wow a Georgia February is like a Michigan April. Though we can't grow nandina... though I'm going to try in a bit of a microclimate. Thanks for sharing your lovely spring photos and I'm trying not to cry waiting for my own spring! :)

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  21. Great pix Skeeter. I have one lone buttercup blooming but a bud in another. My forsythia was blooming before the last freeze. It's not doing too good now.
    I'm glad you have so much blooming at your home. That Nandina is gorgeous.

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  22. Spring surely has sprung in Georgia
    and it all looks great, including the "weeds" but the Nandina is magnificence!!!

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  23. How pretty! You are months ahead of us. I think flowering crabapples are one of the prettiest trees in bloom. Thanks for sharing.

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  24. Skeeter,
    I just love the blooms on the plum tree. They remind me of cherry blossoms. It's wonderful to see some color outdoors. Spring is almost here...

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  25. Wow Skeeter you have quite a few things blooming there in GA. I need to peak at our forsythias, they might be preparing to bloom. I saw some cherry trees today that looked like the buds were swelling up.

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  26. Seeing these blooms and watching the birds........love is in the air!

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  27. Hi, Skeeter (and Tina and Dawn)--So I'm emerging from my cocoon, and how lovely to see Skeeter's garden already going strong! Mine's not quite there--but your lovely pictures remind me that spring is around the corner. Happy Bloom Day, and I can't wait to catch up!

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  28. Gail, I do enjoy the singing in the trees this time of year. Gets me out of the Winter Blues. It is always so hard for me to pull a dandelion as I know the bees enjoy them. I leave the yellow bee treats in certain spots so they can nibble until other flowers bloom. We must take care of the wildlife also and bees are wildlife as well....

    Raquel, Thanks for the compliments on the pics. If only you knew how many I had to snap to get one for the post. lol. Spring is on the way here and blooms opening all over town!

    Kathleen, thanks, I really am enjoying seeing all the spring pretties opening up from their long winters nap! This is my favorite time of year. We are teased with enough sunshine and warm days to get us all excited down here...

    Helen, Everything is happy and so am I! We are bordering zones of 7-8. I live near Augusta, GA on the SC boarder about 2 hours drive east of Atlanta. Our weather is much different then Atlanta as we are usually a bit warmer. We have early springs and late falls so a long growing season here...

    Dawn, So you are seeing green. Did hubby give you green money for Valentines Day or are you putting up Shamrocks getting ready for St. Pattys Day. I know there is not envy coming through the monitor...

    Anonymous, I just knew there would be Frogs in Red yesterday! I saw a cute statue frog in a store yesterday and I just thought of those two little adorable frog lovers you have! I will never look at frogs again without thinking of them both! :-)I would say you shall see your blooms in about 2 weeks if not sooner! Get that camera ready...

    Monica, I dont mean to make you cry today. :-(, just trying to get you all in the mood as Spring will be on the way soon. We are lucky to have an early spring but remember, we get all that stinking heat in the summer when you have a milder climate. So I will be shedding some tears then...

    Lola, I know I have shown the Nandina before but it was so bright and beautiful that I had to share the color with everyone. The forsythia is even fuller with blooms today as that pic was snapped a few days ago. The cold snap yesterday did not see to bother it. I hope this next cold spell will not do harm but fear it may. They say close to freezing so I will hold my breath and cross my toes and fingers...

    Jean, I was just telling Lola how I have shown that Nandina before but never has it been so vibrant! I wish everyone could see it as it is so beautiful! It really does brighten up the driveway island. It will be a while for spring to pop there but as you can see, it is on the way!

    Catherine, We are lucky to have an early spring in our climate. But we must deal with the heat of summer as well but a nice pay off I guess. If only we could have early spring and cooler summers! Guess we can’t have it all, ho hum, I can only dream. Hang in there as spring will be there before you know it...

    Liisa, the plum blossoms are dainty like a cherry blossom! The blooming time for it has been staggering the past few years and I hope to catch it in its glory being full of blossoms in a few weeks. The Cherry trees in town are in full bloom right now and gorgeous! I need to snap a pic of them for everyone to see. Soon the cold will leave your Zone 4 and Spring will be popping for you as well. Hang in there, as you can see, it is on the way!

    Dave, Yep the forsythias are in full bloom now! Really pretty and glowing in the sunshine. Calling for cooler temps in the next few days and I hope for little to no harm to the blooms. I would hate to loose them too soon. I spotted some type of Cherry trees in full bloom while in town the past two days!

    Darla, You are so right and perfect for Valentines Weekend! We have heard the mating song of the Titmouse, Cardinal, Hawk and Chickadee’s the past few days! Love is defiantly in the air! :-)

    Cosmo's, Long time no see stranger! Hope you have been enjoying life lately while off the blogging circuit! :-). I will have to pop over and see what you have been up to. Funny thing with catching up, last week I posted on my snow themed home and now this week spring has sprung! I spent the day today packing the snow decorations away. Sad to see them leave but happy to start setting up spring arrangements and bird houses on the front porch! Welcome back!!!

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  29. Yes, indeed, I do think spring is finally on its way. I have lots of blooms to show for it too. Love that Nandina!
    Brenda

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  30. Brenda, I am so glad you have some blooms to enjoy now also! Yes, Nandina is wonderful in her pretty red dress for Valentines! Hope you had a nice weekend...

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  31. I must say I am jealous of all your blooms. All our snow has melted which is nice but not a bloom in sight and most things are very much dormant still. If only the snow doesn't come back! Nice forsythia.

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  32. What a beautiful spring show you have going there, even though it's not quite spring yet! My favorite is the plum blossom.

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  33. Dan, If you are jealous of my early spring, I will be jealous of your mild temps when I am sweating in the heat this summer! lol. Having the snow melt is the first step so maybe you are on the way to spring! That forsythia is glowing in the sun today!

    Dreamybee, We do seem to be having an early spring here in GA this year! The plum has the sweetest blossoms and I hope to capture a picture of it while in full bloom this year. And hopefully, it will provide us with lots of plums...

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  34. Looks like spring is going strong! I'm full of envy:) It's so nice to see signs of spring!! I can't wait...it's such a wonderful time of the year. Thanks for sharing:)

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  35. Jan, Thank you, I am glad to share a taste of spring with everyone this weekend. Dont be too envious, the temp fell down to 32 this morning and hopefully the coldness did not cause too much damage. That is always an issue with early springs, with a freezing night here and there once everything starts to pop up. Soon you too will be seeing these signs of spring...

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