hellebores emerge ..

in the winter garden hellebores are a foundational plant .. they provide an evergreen backdrop for many of the other perennials' performances .. from spring into summer .. autumn into winter .. they are steadfast in their presence .. and .. they have their moments of glory as well .. this one above .. helleborus niger 'white magic' shines more brightly every day .. it's a real trooper .. beginning with it's white buds rising up out of the earth as early as november it heralds the appearance of other hellebores to come ..

like this one .. helleborus foetidus .. who recently dropped its first bud from an tightly woven elongated green cluster .. 'foetidus' meaning 'stinking' in latin .. thus, this is the stinking hellebore .. i, however, wouldn't be able to testify to any unpleasant fragrance coming from these .. maybe i'm too wrapped up in their visuals .. i find the foetidus spectacular performers .. they provide me with months of peering as they ever so slowly come into their own ..

below is another variety of helleborus niger .. this one is actually growing in the new hellebore/twin flower bed in our back garden at home .. i found this little beauty in the local grocery store's floral department on sale last autumn .. it had a lovely cluster of flower buds which i've been watching for weeks .. anticipating the cracking of the bud .. the revelation of itself as a flower .. wonderfull ..

there's quite a lot going on in the winter garden these days .. even though all the movement that is going on is barely visible it won't be long before entry to the garden will evoke a sense of springtime .. even in our winter months .. along with the hellebores, a few other perennials and shrubs are beginning to awaken .. there are flower buds presenting themselves all around the garden ..

like these cyclamen coum buds that soon will be standing up straight .. like little soldiers ..  pink buds will begin their unfurling .. transforming the little soldiers into a whirling .. twirling .. ballerinas ..



meanwhile .. the witch hazels carry on with their own dance of life .. amazingly enough, the first one to present its colour .. back in november .. was hamamelis intermedia 'diane' .. she cracked open her buds and flashed out a tease of brilliant red .. then sat in that pose .. for weeks .. now, two months later she 'suddenly' looks like this ..

as brilliant .. as red .. as before .. yet now you can see how the tendrils are going to unfold out of that incredible confined space .. isn't it intriguing how they tuck themselves up inside there ..

then .. there's the hamamelis mollis 'pallida' .. whose tight little buds have remained tightly closed .. even though they've been present as long as diane's .. until just in the last week they've cracked their buds open and the yellow tendrils have already come out to begin the performance .. relatively speaking, the quickness with which the 'pallida' has appeared is like lightening speed in comparison to 'diane' .. it's magical really ..

it's brilliance in action .. i love it .. and how wonderfull to peer at these mysteries .. to observe the movement of life through a witch hazel ..

peace .. love .. happiness .. in 2013 ..

i'm a great believer in everything in its own time .. in the inevitability of life that all things come .. or work out .. when conditions are absolutely perfect .. and there's the kicker, isn't it .. 'when conditions are perfect' .. not when i think whatever it is is supposed to happen .. oh, no .. been there a million times in my life .. no.sir.ee .. doesn't even come close to how life actually works .. much as i might like to think to the contrary there's no forcing life .. it comes in its own time .. when conditions are just right .. then .. presto! .. everything magically and easily moves towards a perfect outworking .. i've seen it happen many times ..

for instance .. one place this principle is at work is in the forests here on the island .. when absolutely every factor necessary for its appearance is in place out comes the spotted coral root .. an absolutely magical plant that stays underground until just the perfect number of fir needles .. or moisture .. or shade .. or moss .. or any other unknown factors gather to provide the perfect environment .. and .. there you are out wandering about the woods .. when you look down and see it .. right where  you've walked hundreds of times before .. but now .. the time is ripe for this ethereal little being to show itself .. )wish i had a photo but am trusting you get my drift ..)

yet, here i am having been witness to such magic .. still thinking .. from time to time .. that i know how it's all supposed to be .. thinking that i can force things to happen by sheer will and determination .. i've even got my little box all ready to stuff it into .. whatever 'it' might be in the moment .. and then .. trust me .. it's blood .. sweat .. and tears .. with just the right amount of grunting and groaning .. cursing and stomping of feet .. trying .. with all my might .. to make things happen that simply aren't ready to happen .. it's a fruitless endeavour really .. not sure why i don't give up on it .. however .. over the years .. and much to my delight .. my experience of patience has grown .. i've even made it to the point, lately, when i can step back .. take my hands off .. and put my trust into the natural  outworking of life .. be patient .. and witness the outworking ..

now my friend, phil .. there was a patient man .. he knew he was on the way to breathing his last breath .. yet he was intent on creating a garden where one hadn't existed before .. and not only that, but a garden that would bloom in the darker days of winter .. in the shade of tall evergreen trees .. and, so .. with such a specific criteria each and every plant was carefully .. and lovingly .. researched with a view as to blooming between september and april .. whether or not they'd thrive in shade .. and how much space they'd require to grow to their full potential .. eventually .. years later ..  in fact, many years after phil passed on ..

i planted many of the plants in this garden .. i know what went into choosing each one .. the patience required to pore over gardening books .. make careful notes .. think .. and finally to choose each plant .. knowing that they'd be there for years to come .. after seeing many other gardens planted chock-a-block full of plants .. or planted helter skelter .. ( like my own at the time) .. i was intrigued .. and inspired .. by phil's conscious regard to the placement of plants in this garden .. even so .. they were planted much farther apart than my mind determined they "should" be .. i admit ..  i was a bit skeptical at first .. i hadn't yet gained the patience required to know about such things .. but phil knew .. he knew that with time .. and patience .. each plant in the garden would fill its alloted space .. and so they are ..

phil wasn't interested in forcing anything to happen .. even though he knew he wouldn't be here to see his creation unfold .. while he was here he was happy to simply watch the garden grow .. and now, more than  fifteen years later  i'm still here .. and i continue to watch this garden grow .. and flourish .. and i delight in the fact that slowly .. and steadily .. the space is filling in .. i think maybe i'm beginning to understand what is meant by the saying that "patience is a virtue" ..

i don't usually make new years' resolutions .. however .. as the new year draws closer i resolve that throughout this year .. in the garden .. and in my everyday .. i will continue to cultivate patience and put my faith in the power of life .. to unfold as it will ..

happy new year to you all ..

witch hazel progression ..

this fellow above cracked open a number of weeks ago .. in november, in fact .. teasing me with its brilliance of colour .. as if ready to ooze out .. spilling tendrils of crepe papery red .. well .. not yet .. here i am weeks later .. watching .. waiting .. it appears to have cracked and stopped right then and there .. yet i know it's still growing .. sloooowwwwlllly she goes .. and i'm there .. checking it every second day or so .. sometimes every day .. and still she sits .. buds cracked .. a brilliant red promise ..

there's a bit of a lovely story that goes along with this witch hazel .. it used to live out behind the house .. once phil wasn't able to get out as much, we decided to move it around to where he'd be able to see it .. and .. because it has a lovely elongated growth form we decided to espalier it against the fence .. mixed in with the strong, straight green stalks of winter jasmine .. how lovely they would be growing and blooming together, we said .. brilliant red and bright winter yellow .. well, i think one year since we moved it, i saw one jasmine flower and one or two witch hazel flowers .. and not even very close together at that .. but .. it had worked .. and because phil and i believed in the potential for it to work .. and because we knew that plants can take years to adapt .. i am still hopeful that the lovely image we had of these two growing together will one day manifest itself along the fence .. i'm willing to wait for it ..

there's also, around the corner .. this other bright bit of witch hazel yellow coming on .. hamamelis x intermedia 'arnold promise' .. what a little beauty .. these branches and buds remind me of the fleur de lis symbol .. standing upright and curling at the same time .. tanis and i just transplanted this fellow last autumn, so i'm delighted to see these buds .. wasn't sure it would flower this year .. the one has a strong .. almost pungent .. citrusy fragrance to go along with the brightness of the yellow .. 

and finally .. here comes the star performer .. you can just see the yellowness of the buds beginning to show .. this is hamamelis mollis 'pallida' .. the star by right of placement .. they're all stars in this garden .. last year this tree was dazzling in it's brilliance .. there were hundreds .. possibly thousands of butter yellow tendrils falling out of the buds .. this year not quite so many .. but i've noticed that there are a few  plants out there that like to take a break after putting out so much energy for an extravaganzic (is that a word?) performance .. 

that's okay .. the performance this year won't be a let down .. i can assure you .. by the time the tendrils have dropped .. spilling out their fragrance .. the yard will be alive with witch hazel show .. as well as many other star performers .. i'll keep you posted ..

do you have witchhazels in your garden .. ? ..

what 's blooming .. december 5/12

right now the vibirnum bodnantense is beginning to bloom .. there are several buds on both plants now .. full of the promise of what is to come .. and then there are these two beautifull blooms that have come out ahead of the rest .. one just beginning .. one in its full glory ..

i am intrigued by the life of plants .. for instance, the timing of blooms on a shrub .. what is it that keeps so many buds tight and held to themselves .. and what is it that determines that this one .. or that one .. bloom now ..

when i looked up into the cherry tree this morning .. prunus subhirtella 'autumnalis' .. i felt a bit startled .. is that the word? .. by the first flower .. until this morning what i'd seen when i looked at the cherry was buds .. many buds .. tight and not looking in the least as if they were about to burst .. then, a few days later one flower .. voila!

a light pink burst of colour .. like a beacon of pink-ness .. so sweet ..

then .. i wandered around to the side yard .. the sunny side .. and what did i see but this stunningly brilliant fushia ..

why .. this isn't our 'normal' bloom time for fushia .. usually they are coming into their own in mid to late summer .. yet here it is .. just as if this is where it's supposed to be .. and again .. i am intrigued ..

we've had a warmer autumn and late autumn .. there's no denying that .. but is it just weather that determines when a plant blooms .. is it light .. is it heat .. are there other less tangible factors in place that push one bud to open before another .. is there an order to it all .. ?? .. garden devas perhaps ..

well .. whatever it is .. i am intrigued .. entranced by the magic of it all .. and happy to watch it all unfold .. however and whenever .. i don't think it's really my place to judge .. just to enjoy any flowers blooming this time of the year ..

witch hazels ..

hamamelis intermedia 'diane'

by the time i started working for phil, he'd planted many different shrubs and smaller trees as underplantings to the towering firs and cedars that surround the garden .. all of these were chosen, specifically,  with "winter flowering" and "shade" as the criteria for their presence here .. among these are three different varieties of witch hazel .. two hamamelis mollis 'pallida' .. one hamamelis intermedia 'diana' .. and one hamamelis x intermedia 'arnold promise' .. (i also tend a hamamelis x intermedia 'jelena' .. a striking orange flowering one growing in a different yard ..) .. regardless of where any of these magnificent winter flowering trees are they are magic ..

h. intermedia 'diane' touched by sunlight ..

i'd never encountered one witchhazel before meeting phil .. let alone four .. i knew i was in for quite a treat .. as i'd started working with in the garden in march there were a few months to go before i'd witness the winter performance of these beauties ..

fall colour .. hamamelis mollis 'pallida' .. 

and beauties these trees are .. elegant .. charming .. true show stoppers in the winter garden time frame .. each one quietly drawing attention as their large, green, beautifully veined leaves dress the trees in summer .. then turn to brilliant golden yellows in autumn .. eventually dropping to reveal the buds of the flowers yet to come ..

this is the time of year when i really start to feel excited to watch the next stage of the performance .. a seemingly sudden burst of colour .. this year the buds of 'diane' started to break in the middle of november .. now my patience is put to the test as slowly .. slowly .. colour reveals itself .. just a tease ..

here we are at the end of november .. i walkabout the garden a couple of times a week as i await the presence of long, slender tendrils of colour to fully unfurl from these tight little buds .. it is reminiscent  of a butterfly emerging from a cocoon .. and again, patience required .. this process can take weeks .. however, with the warmth of this present year, it will be interesting to see just when the flowers do make their full blown appearance .. i'll keep you posted ..

do you have any winter flowering experiences in your garden? .. i'd be delighted to hear about them ..

a gift ..

so .. not long after my last post .. i was wending my way to yet a different garden .. as i turned the corner and started down the road this is what caught my eye ..

a gift .. from tanis .. she'd raked up the last of the leaves that fell from the maple at the winter flowering garden .. won't be long before our leaf gathering and mulching days will be over for another year ..

thanks, tanis ..

leaves .. leaves .. fall ..

as i wend my way up the road from my house i am greeted by this sight .. just beyond the mail boxes is the entrance to the winter flowering shade garden .. so .. any ideas i might have had about what chores i'll find in the garden are soon dispelled .. obviously, there's only one thing to be done .. rake leaves ..

as you can see .. the only stretch of the street with leaves is right where i'm headed .. that big leaf maple is the culprit .. there are three in the yard .. and this one has many leaves yet to drop .. oh, well ..

i'm delighted, actually .. all these leaves have purpose in this yard .. many will be raked up .. along with fir cones and sticks and stones .. and be taken back to the path in the "back 40" .. they'll break down back there and keep the path defined .. and free of weeds .. the remainder .. sans cones sticks and stones .. will be placed in the leaf bin that jean made us and be chopped with the weed whacker .. the beginning of lovely leaf mulch ..

so .. i'm a happy gardener ..