Bloom Day January 2009-Few But Faire

If it’s the fifteenth of the month, any month at all, it must be time for the Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day post. Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Diane’ opens the show with something unusual causing, what is that darkness behind the twigs, shadows? Could it be the sun? This kind of light has been quite rare lately, we almost forgot what it looks like. Or how it brightens up photographs of the few flowers blooming now.H. ‘Diane’ is supposed to sport red flowers. These almost open blooms are the color we expect from this cultivar. Oh, back to overcast skies, is it? Even a brief glimpse of sunshine is welcome, even if it is just toying with us, and our camera.We will be showing closeups followed by a long shot for full disclosure of what the garden looks like mid bone chilling January. H. ‘Diane’ has many unopened buds. Last year there were only two flowers on this still young tree. Bud numbers have multiplied gratifyingly since then with extra water during bud formation last summer. The peak bloom is normally at the end of January here. If the sun can manage to show its face and warm things up, the witch hazel may burst forth right on schedule.Erica darleyensis ‘Mediterranean Pink’ and Calluna vulgaris ‘Firefly’ are a striking pair in the heath and heather bed. There are two types of the Mediterraneans in this bed, with both pink and white blooms open now on these heaths, but the white flowers are much more difficult to capture clearly so only the pinks are being shown.The heather bed long shot shows how miniscule the flowers are but the evergreen needle like foliage offers good winter interest. This bed is not meeting the vision and may have to be redesigned one of these days. I would like to see more of the reddish callunas and less of the green ericas in here, since the flowers make such little impact from afar. In fact, this whole bed needs a redesign. The Jane magnolia will be allowed to stay, seen in the far right of the shot, but everything else had better prepare themselves to be uprooted, moved and/or replaced.This Helleborus niger was purchased in bloom at the grocer’s at Christmas time. I was astounded to see it among the african violets, orchids and amaryllis there. There were two plants, I bought one. The next time I went there were none. I wonder if the other purchaser put theirs right into the ground outdoors like I did? Albeit in a protected spot next to a stump holding a sundial.H. niger planted by stump with tag.The newest planting of pansies show a few blooms worthy of a portrait since they are planted in a protected spot in the front between the garage and the main house.The blue pot collection got a new member during Christmas while we were shopping at a nursery near Chickenpoet’s northeast Tennessee home. When pots are half price, a new one usually wants to come home with me. Yellow tulips ‘Big Smile’ are planted under the maroon and yellow pansy mix. We hope to be able to show a photo of this combo in a couple of months.Some bloggers have shown their Helleborus orientalis in bloom already. There are many of those growing here and we have been checking the centers of the plants in hopes of a flower for this January bloom day post. This swollen bud looked promising on January 12, we will check back in a few days for progress.Uh oh, the intense cold has caused the leafy parts to close up even tighter.Are you still in there? Yes, is the answer, but please shut the door! It’s too cold out there for a floral display. Come back later when the weather is warmer, whenever than might be.Okay, we’ll go inside, my fingers are starting to tingle from the cold anyway. In the sunroom greenhouse Paphiopedilum Quasky #3 x Quaskey #4 has a couple of juicy fat buds. This reminds us of a little contest someone held last year around late January.It was a well known blogger, who posted about holding a Most Exotic Flower Contest. Fearless leader, Carol of May Dreams the very same thinker upper of Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day proposed a contest to showcase her night blooming cereus. As a new blogger with a little competitive streak, being naive and impulsive, I quickly located a photo of Quasky in bloom taken February 23, 2007 and entered it into the contest. Oops, the egg was on my face for I was the only other contestant. It was a rhetorical device, not a real contest it seems, and here I had thrown my paph in the ring. I honestly considered never blogging again, but instead picked my paph up, dusted my self esteem off and soldiered on. And am glad for it, too. Now a seasoned blogger of one year and one month, there will be no more entry into competitions, but we will watch from the bleachers and cheer for the particpants should any more contests arise.
Frances