Photo Friday: Blooming Succulent!

It doesn't take much blooming to excite this Minnesota gardener in January. Especially when we've already had 45 inches of snow fall making for 5, 6, 7, 8 foot snow piles everywhere you go. We've gone from winter wonderland to arctic tundra. Ah, well. So you can see where this little beauty is a pleasant surprise. This is a crassula and I'm fairly certain this is called 'Springtime'. Misnamed apparently, or at least hopefully named because it's normal bloom time is in the winter. I planted it in a terracotta strawberry pot last spring to replace one my cat over-frolicked so this is it's first year and voila! Blooms! And the cat isn't the slightest bit interested in it. Success! After adorning my kitchen window for the winter, I'll put this container back outside for the summer. I hope I get many more blooms next season.

Photo Friday: Winter Wonderland

 

I'm taking a break from my spring reminiscence to take a moment to appreciate the beauty that is winter. Certainly one of the most gorgeous winter sights is when trees and plants are covered in frost. I guess we all know where the idea for flocked Christmas trees came from!  I think days like this also highlight how important it is to vary shape and texture in the garden for winter interest. They might not look like much most days in the winter, but on days like this? Yeah, you'll be glad you took the time to think about it when planning your garden. 

Photo Friday: Spring Tulip

 

Since winter is indeed in full effect, it's time to review last season in pictures!  What better way to counteract our snow than with pictures of flowers that will soon be here again? 

I love this tulip! It's a variety my daughter picked out to plant in front of her bedroom window. It's a late season type which means it usually blooms in May and sometimes into June. And the way it looks with the lysimachia is gorgeous. And it detracts from the ever present weeds as well...

Gardening Thankfully

The thankful reciever bears a plentiful harvest. - William Blake

With the wet and wacky weather we had this summer, it's easy to focus on the things that went wrong in the garden and overlook those things that actually went right. Despite all the things that died (and there were lots! It was a strange year), there were many things that continued to delight me in the garden. I am, as ever, thankful for all the beauty and bounty in my yard. How thankful? Let me count the ways.

1. I'm thankful for the blooming Black-eyed Susans that grew from the seeds my son and I planted a year ago. Black-eyed Susans really are gorgeous with Autumn Joy sedum.

2. I'm thankful for an incredible harvest of Carmen sweet red peppers. They are my favorite! I'm also thankful for the stores of them in my freezer that should last a couple of months at least. 

3. I'm thankful for the blanket flower that reseeded itself throughout my front garden because it's absolutely beautiful. 

4. I'm thankful for the Ornamental Kale I planted in the spring. It didn't look like much to begin with but the payoff was spectacular!

5. I'm thankful I discovered Swiss Chard this year. It's delicious, my kids love it and it's pretty.

6. I'm thankful for all the seeds my nasturtium plants produced. More for next year!

7. I'm thankful for the bumblebees who find my yard so endless fascinating because I, myself, find the bees endlessly fascinating as well. 

8. I'm thankful for the Soroptimist Garden tour for letting me peek into other gardener's landscapes to discover plants I absolutely must have. I'm also thankful they've chosen me to be on next year's tour. 

9. I'm thankful for my Henry Hudson rose bush because is just becomes more spectacular every year. 

10. Last, but not least, I'm thankful for my job which enables me to write about gardening, talk about gardening, teach others about gardening and most of all, to play in the dirt. I'm thankful for each and every person who spends their time to read this blog. Thank you!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Photo Friday: Ornamental Kale

 As you can see, I just took these pictures a couple of days ago. These plants are far and away the most showy plants in the garden now, even managing to detract from the weeds that got away from me this fall! I love the red variety with a doubt but the white really sparkles on these gloomy fall days. I also think the red and white a nice departure from the orange and yellow that dominates this season. So far these plants have endured several frosts and a layer of snow and they are still going strong. They've put on such a show that the mailman had to come up and ask what they were. 

Even though these plants aren't so much to look at throughout the summer they are so spectacular in the fall, I will definitely have more of these next year.

Photo Friday: Hawaiian Water Lily?

Obviously, this little beauty is NOT from Minnesota. We have nothing like this in November, or even October when I actually took the picture. I had to travel all the way to Kona, Hawaii to snap this. It was torture I tell you, pure torture! A cursory Google search turned up nothing specific on what exactly this plant is. I'm assuming this is some sort of water lily since it's growing in a fresh water pond. However, I found nothing matching this under water lily. No matter, it's gorgeous. I love it. I particularly like the coconut floating in amongst the plants. Perfection. 

Photo Friday: Endless Summer Hydrangea

Endless Summer Hydrangea nestled among Purple Ruffles Basil. Looks great, smells heavenly. As most of us here in Zone 3-4 are aware, Endless Summer is not fully hardy here. Also, our soil won't hold blue blooms for long. I do baby this little beauty by covering it with leaves every fall. It's been slow going but bit by bit this shrub has been growing and blooming more. By no means a showstopper and a little extra work but seeing this beautiful bloom at the end of September? Yeah, I'll take it.

Photo Friday: Wildflower!

The people in the cabin at the end of the road at the lake we visit each summer have planted wildflowers to combat the inevitable weeds. Every year, the flowers get more prolific and the weeds get less and less. And the weeds that are there? Don't even know 'em. They're outnumbered. I fell in love with this little beauty. Of course, I have no idea what it is. Anyone have any ideas?