Every year during the gray, gloomy days of winter I walk around the garden and see what is in bloom. The Camellias are expected but I am always surprised by some of the other plants I find in flower, especially in light of the cold weather we have had. It is a real pick me up during the nasty weather. This year's list:
Abutalon
Alstroemeria
Azaleas
Camellias - various
Hardy Gloxinia
Jatropha podriga
Lemon marigold (Tagetes)
Leonotus
Loropetalum
Quince
Roses – various
Salvia
Sedum
Viburnum suspensum
Winter Jasmine
Blooming in January
SC is such a different world! rub it in why don't you, gosh you're lucky. I have a couple of things blooming in the GH, but not one thing outside
the camellia has been budding for ages.....all I can do is wait for the winter daphne and crocus...lol
It always amazes me what a difference a hundred miles can make, Ardesia! The ONLY thing I've got blooming right now are Camellia japonica, and they're looking pretty ratty. The short-but-hard freeze we got here last week bit the buds pretty bad. Everything else is long gone---Tagetes, Tacoma, Barleria, Cassia, Clerodendrum, Cestrum, Vigna caracalla, Alamanda, you name it, it's gone till spring. I'm glad they always seem to come back from the roots, but the shorter gowing season here detracts from their major display of color. Hate that. Price I pay for "zone-stretching", but it's kind of fun in a warped sort of way.
I too had a lot of damage from the cold; it was unusual because the temp never dipped that low and the damage was so spotty. I posted a picture a while back of a plant that had one half frozen, the other half was fine.
The Abutalon and the Jatropha are in pots on my front steps and the morning sun warms the containers that is all I can think of that might help them bloom. The Alstroemeria like warm days and cold nights and this is almost the only time of year we have those conditions.
It is funny Stono, we are nowhere near 100 miles apart as the crow flies. I think Edisto is about 10 miles, straight across the water. Years ago when we lived on Maryland's Eastern Shore there was an invisible line. Everyone who lived south of the line could grow gardenias but those of us a mile or two north couldn't.
Pretty much limited to oregon grape holly blooming now at my place, too late for the sasanquas and too early for the Japs. The new growth on the lenten roses is popping up and some of the azaleas leaves have turned to a pretty color. Speaking of which the leaves on the cotoneaster repens are a nice burgandy this time of year and I still have burgandy leaves on the oakleaf hydrangeas. The buds are swelling on the witch hazel (Diane), it shouldn't be long now before it bursts open with the pretty orange flowers, and that means the forsythia can't be far off.
Ah to be just ONE zone warmer!
I have only the Camellias and they're still just buds. The hellebores are looking like they might get started eventually.
Other than that, just a couple of brave early snow drops.
Deb
here it is pomegranate and poinsettia and tea olive
My tea olives are in bloom and the camellias of course. That's it I think. Ardesia I have know idea how your salvias are still blooming. Mine died back in december. What salvia(s) do you have?
I can't believe this was blooming today in the GH. It's 'El Capitolito'. It's hardly got any foliage, but the bloom sure is wild
Core, I have one that only starts blooming in late fall and there are still a few flowers on it. It is dark outside now but I'll take a picture in the morning if I remember. I am not sure of the name but it is a huge 7' plant, gray green leaves and the flowers are large and a really deep, hot pink.
Mine, which sound much different than yours, are in full bloom now and bloom almost continuously year round. They also smell heavenly. Ardesia, are yours lorepetalum?
Don't recognize the name, Tropicana. Is it some form of Hibiscus? It's gorgeous!
It's a tropical hibiscus. I wish I could show it off more, but it's pretty much a couple of little twigs with a few buds. Plus my GH is looking rough this time of year, can't wait until it's warm enough to hose everything down.
Here, the list is very short this year.
Prunus Mume----This is my favorite flowering tree but this year the flowers are tiny and damaged.It was loaded with buds and then came 16 degrees.
Mahonia
red sasanguas and Japonicas loaded with buds and almost ready to go
small hyacinths planted 2 years ago they get smaller each year
A few really early daffs
Diehrd, I do have Loropetalum blooming but the salvia is something different. This is a shot of the tip of a branch this afternoon. This plant is huge (7') and looks pretty ratty right now but there are a dozen or so blooming branch tips and at this time of year I'll take any flowers at all. The flowers are large too, at least 1 1/2 this time of year and larger in November when it is at it's peak.
Still don't know the name of this one; I got it from Richard DuFresne at a plant show years ago.
I was in Beaufort today and these were peeking through a fence.
:)
Deb
narcissus!!! Spring is soon!!!
That was my exact thought when I saw them. :)
You should have let me know, I would have met you for lunch or something.
Ardesia: I will be there "on business" every Monday for the next month. I'll D-mail you. :)
lol deb, great minds think alike
Deb, looking forward to hearing from you.
Surprised me that it was a tropical H, Tropicana! Flower form looks more like H. coccineus "Texas Star" on steroids. Really pretty!
I didn't take pictures today but the color faded a little to more of a rose-pink...awesome
here's another one from yesterday, though...I didn't want to show it .... the GH is a mess and obviously I ran out of pots cause the barcode's still on it (looks terrible)---
LOL Tropicana, about your GH being "a mess" and the barcode "showing"! You must be new to GH gardening, else you'd know that EVERYBODY'S GH is a "mess" at this time of year! It's part of the deal. Too much to do, too little time/space to do it. If I knew how to do it, I'd send you a picture of my "mess" that would make you absolutely giddy about yours!
That is a flower form of Hibiscus I've never seen before. Admit I'm new to Hibiscus (never really liked them), but I'm starting to pay more attention lately. Even started growing a few...what's the name of that thing?
It's 'El Capitolito'. It's not that uncommon, but mine came from someone I trade with in Puerto Rico. I was ready to swear off tropical hibiscus entirely and then that one decides to bloom this time of year and make me reconsider....lol
hardy hibiscus are super easy but they're also japanese beetle ambrosia.
it looks bad in there with the plastic and the barcode...ugh....and I wish it would just be warm for about a week so I could really wash everythng down...this is the first winter, yes. lol
Tropicanna I don't believe we have japanese beetles down here. Never seen one. I have about 12 different hardies right now. I'm adding to the collection slowly but surely. Also I have a couple of tropical hibiscus. I was surprised how easy they are to grow. I read about people doing all this stuff to their tropicals and thoughts that it sounded like to much work. My neighbor scored some common tropical hibiscus from a landscaper who was ripping them out. Short story, hibiscus in the ground don't really need that much water, sun or fertilizer. Mine bloomed with little care all the way into december untill the temps hit sub 30.
I have Viburnum 'Tinus' getting ready to burst into bloom! Always amazes me. Looks like a regular shrub through the rest of the year, then just when I've forgotten, it brightens the winter and smells amazing.
There is a peach El Capitolio also and it has a deep red throat; it is a really neat hibiscus. The El Caps are among the easiest hibs to root cuttings of.
no kidding ardesia, mine were pretty bare twigs, they're still small though.
Core, I wonder why y'all don't have japenese beetles. We have droves but there are lots of farms around here, too. They kill the garden but they really love the hardy hibscus. if you look really hard on the left in this picture you might be able to see the exoskeleton of a plum crazy. I guess I'm disappointed with the other tropical ones I have cause they haven't even thought about blooming for me yet
Hmmmm, I'll have to check but isn't Plum Crazy a hardy?
yeah, ardesia, that' what I'm saying, the JB's devour the hardy ones at my place
I gotcha Trop, I wasn't reading carefully.
No jb's here either, sometimes I wonder why but mostly I just thank my lucky stars.
For you tropical Hib enthusiasts check out this website and drool away.
www.barryschlueter.com
Barry is a hybridizer, he does not sell or distribute but licenses his plants to other growers. There are a couple of online nurseries that carry his plants but most go to a large distributer who, sadly, does not distribute in the Carolinas.
No JB here either, Ardesia. Until 2 years ago. Found a couple of the noxious critters on my Tea Roses. Blew me away! Don't belong here.They always seemed to start with the roses up north... I hate those things so much I went ape. Pyrethrum first, then Sevin dust (10%), then a coating of DiSyston around the roots and a week later sprayed everything within 20' with Merit. Sounds like overkill, but if you've ever had to deal with the massive assaults that these things can launch, you'd understand. I HATE using inorganic pesticides on anything (and don't). Except Japanese Beetles! I'd nuke them if I knew how! I sure don't want them to get a toe-hold in the low country. You have to have been through it to understand...Think Boll Weevil...
Gracious, I hope you don't ever get angry with me. LOL
...I am cracking up at Stono. On an emotional level I totally relate..lol. I try to do everything as organically as possible, but I'll be doggone, as hot as it was last summer I was not about to stand out in the heat with a bucket of soapy water thumping thousands of those things. There's nothing you can do but let them kill everything, leaving behind lacy putlines of demolished plants. They love the veggies, but the hardy hibs must taste even better.
So Stono, did all those chemicals work? lol
I usually have a billion jbs since I seem to grow all their favs...roses, beans and more beans and more roses. This past year, nothin'. Couldn't figure out my good fortune until another thread mentioned 4 o'clocks as being poision to jb's. Guess what I grew a big mess of for the first time last year? Thanks to jackieshar for the carrots!
Much as I hate to admit it, Tropicana, yeah, they did. My draconian measures resulted in minimal damage to my tea roses, and the adult nefarious versions of the bug got killed by the pyrethrum in my "noxious cocktai"... Still don't like to use a Howitzer when a pistol would work...I just didn't have a pistol available in this fight...
teehee.....Bev, my four o' clocks go totally unnoticed, they even started on the musas last year. And I've got 4 o'clocks everywhere...some right under the hibs...lol
Stono....lol.....your method sounds so much more evil than a bucket of soapy water, but I actually kind of like it...lol
Well South Carolina you are so lucky... i have only snow on the ground:( am lookin so forward to spring i want daffiodils like the ones in the photo peeking between the fence!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! they are my absolute favorites. today the weather is near blizzard conditions and wind.... and lots of it the temp is 7 and the wind chill is below zero....all of the schools are closed and the kids are rejoicing... could more people there post more pictures please???? it real is uplifting to see them and love the ones ive seen believe me im not depressed im only jealous and cant wait to see my spring bulbs emerging from the ground... thanks from the cold michigan.. ronna