February 28, 2014 by Sandra Jonas

SPRING!

Spring is announced in the ‘Wordsworth Meadow’

It does fill my heart with joy!

Every year the display increases. Presently scouting old abandoned homeplaces to rescue more Narcissus to add to the meadow.

If you have been reading this blog then you know these are ‘old timey’ bulbs that have survived for years unattended. The modern cultivars I originally planted disappeared after a season or two.

The sweep of Narcissus on the left in the above photo is a younger planting than the one on the right, equal number of bulbs. Time is a huge element in garden design.

MORE SCENES FROM AROUND THE GARDEN:

Prunus ‘Okame’ and Spiraea, wish you could hear the bees a -buzz at the ‘all you can eat buffet’

Helleborus orientalis & Narcissus and the ghost of last summer’s Hydrangeas.

Of all the garden areas, it is the ‘Wordsworth Meadow’ that holds my heart. It is still unfinished….

February 3, 2014 by Sandra Jonas

POLAR VORTEX UPDATE

The Polar Vortex that crippled the south last week wreaked some havoc in my garden.

I could tell from the window that the Michelia foliage was damaged and the Camellia blossoms were brown and mushy. Today I ventured out (74 degrees) to access the damage.

Although there is some browning of foliage, it is not nearly as bad as I had anticipated.

The Michelia (now reclassified as a Magnolia) looks awful, but the buds seem to be viable in their protected furry coats.

The camellias, on the other hand did not fare as well. The good news is the plants survived, however, many tight buds came off in my hand when I touched them.

The few that are okay are on the underside of the foliage so I guess that was their protection . ( Like all gardeners, I wish plants could talk!)

Now for the bad news… I doubt there will be Hydrangeas this year, most of the buds are frozen & dead. While the stems appear fine right now, only time will tell.

Above, my Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis)… bit the proverbial dust.

Hellebores (Helleborus orientalis) (above) may be short in the stem but they are coming along.

Above, Winter Daphne ( Daphne odora aureomarginata) unscathed & looking cheerful. Waiting for another few sunny days to unfurl and envelope the garden in its wonderful perfume.

And, as always, there is something cheerful waiting to brighten my day…

Early species crocus.

What damage if any, did your garden experience?

February 18, 2013 by Sandra Jonas

WHY DON’T YOU…

Have a garden with presence in the winter.

Use evergreen groundcovers and some large evergreens for height.

Here, Vinca and Helleborus mingle at the feet of deciduous hydrangeas. Can you imagine this space without them?

Yes, I just viewed Diana Vreeland, The Eye Has To Travel. can you tell?

January 15, 2013 by Sandra Jonas

JUNE IN JANUARY

The temperature here in Georgia is an unseasonable 76° F. I should not complain about this (coming from Canada), however all the buds on the spring bloomers are swelling and the cold, that is sure to come, will inevitably kill them.

In a ‘normal’ year the Japanese Flowering Apricot (Prunus mume) above, starts to bloom sporadically mid to end of January. This year on the 15th, it is almost done, its petals adorning the ground.

The Helleborus, commonly called Lenten Roses, should peak, you guessed it, at Lent. Not this year,(below)

I’ll not whine any longer. The camellias are putting on a spectacular show…

and Margaret Moseley’s favorite, ‘Fragrant Pink’ is perfuming the air with its rose-like fragrance.

This is also the earliest I have ever seen Edgeworthia crysantha open.

All in all this is going to be a very interesting gardening year.

It is never too late to wish you all a wonderful healthy & joyous New Year.

March 3, 2011 by Sandra Jonas

CAMELLIA MADNESS

The Camellia Walk is in full flower.

The Helleborus are also at their peak, I love them together, makes for a lush planting…the only kind.

Just about here, I turn around to see………

The daffodils in The Meadow.

Up close & personal………

February 18, 2011 by Sandra Jonas

FRECKLE FACE!

All of the Helleborus in my garden are seedlings. Each one has different colouration …. all stunning, all with freckles.

Only one named variety from the Heronswood ‘Party Dress’ Strain. It is a double, and not open yet.

Perhaps because there are so few blooms at this time of year they are all the more appreciated.

February 12, 2011 by Sandra Jonas

MEANWHILE, IN THE GARDEN..

On a tour of the garden today, signs of spring …

The Meadow is coming alive..

Soon I’ll post the results of 13 years of rescuing daffs and trying to achieve the ‘English Thing’.

Meanwhile the Winter garden is doing what it is supposed to and is at its peak….The “peak” lasts a few months… Above, Prunus mume & Helleborus, below, a camellia…

Below, evergreen shrubs make this is a very satisfactory garden area.

Notice, below, the variegated Boxwood, the berries on the Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina domestica ‘Alba’) and the groundcover Sweet Flag (Acorus gramineus ‘Ogon’ )…

This is usually the time of year projects get started &/ or continued to be worked on, some, for many seasons. There are so many projects…..

When we started this garden, we did not consider, EVER, declining physical stamina.

January 12, 2011 by Sandra Jonas

AN INDISPENSABLE PERENNIAL

I am not a huge proponent of perennials. I find they require too much maintenance for a very short show and then, even the foliage disappears for the winter. There are of course exceptions. Peonies for example are worth whatever effort is required for even one day of bloom but of course they do last 10 days to 2 weeks in the garden and are stunning in a vase (see Reggie Darling on the pronunciation). The foliage too is quite handsome for most of the summer and useful in arrangements with other flowers as well.

The perennials I consider indispensable are those that have evergreen foliage. Perhaps the best of these are the Hellebores (Helleborus species).

They exhibit handsome leathery foliage, appreciate shade, and furnish the garden with much-needed greenery when it is most welcome .

I particularly like them planted at the feet of deciduous shrubs…

and at the base of large trees where not much else will grow.

Planted in masses, they make an effective ground cover.

Even in northern climates where there is snow cover for most of the winter, their flowers popping up through the melting snow is a sight to behold.

I do hope you include some in your landscape.

October 15, 2010 by Sandra Jonas

THE CAMELLIA WALK

When I was planning my southern garden, I knew I had to have a Camellia Walk.

Many years ago, when I lived in Massachusetts, I would regularly visit the Lyman Estates. It was there that I saw my first Camellias. A visit to Mr Lyman’s greenhouses in February was an incredible sight. There were greenhouses where grapes were ripening during winter, fragrant Jasmines & Daphne. One greenhouse was devoted to Camellias and they formed a spectacular avenue. It was a southern garden in a series of greenhouses.

I know that this was where the seed for our move south was sown. I wanted to garden & live where it was possible to have Camellias bloom in the winter. I am by the way Canadian, a native Montrealer, so I am no stranger to long, grey, dreary winters. Below, my antidote…

the entrance to The Camellia Walk …AKA …The Winter Garden.

Truly Southern with its swept dirt, curved path; it leads from the back of the house to the compost & (former) chicken house.

Underplanted primarily with evergreen ferns & Lenten Roses (Helleborus orientalis), it never looks bare even in the dead of winter. In fact, that is when it comes to life!

Stay tuned for more!

May 15, 2010 by Sandra Jonas

TEXTURE

How important is Texture? Texture can be more pleasing than flowers, and persist longer. In smaller gardens where every design element is seen up close, it is of particular importance.

Here the bold glossy leaves of Lenten Rose (Helleborus orientalis) stand in a mass of delicate Maidenhair fern (Adiantum capillus-veneris).

Plants used for background need to be fine, dense and matt in order to be a suitable foil for either statuary or flowers. Above St. Fiacre against a matt evergreen Arborvitae (Thuja plicata). On either side the coarse, shining leaves of Gardenia (Gardenia japonica) and Banana Shrub (Michelia figo), reflect too much light to be an effective background.

Contrasting textures apply not only to plant relationships.

Here the fine ferny foliage of Japanese Maple ( Acer palmatum) stand out in sharp contrast to the smooth Bluestone walkway.

The best effects are achieved with simplicity. Texture = contrast = beauty.