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Garden Bloom Day January 2008

January’s Bloom Day posting for Carol at May Dreams Gardens completes the first year of Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day. Congratulations Carol – you have organised this well! I am delighted that you intend carrying on with this for another year.

Okay, if you are a new visitor you may be wondering what this is all about. Well, on the 15th of every month Carol has invited others to join her in posting on what is in flower in the garden with photos or lists.

The plan is then to go to Carol’s post and leave a comment to say that you have taken part. From there you can browse the other posts and others will visit your posting. It is a great way of discovering new garden diary/blogs. I began taking part in May last year and am very interested now to compare last years flowers with this years.

The photos above show penstemon, skimmia with euphorbia (I like the red berries and the red stems here) and finally polygala which has still so many buds. One very interesting thing I have noticed about the polygala. I have a good sized planting covering part of my rock garden which began with the purple variety which you can see in the smaller photo below. I only had a little of the yellow but it now the yellow seems to have dominated this whole area! The brave little single purple flower was on its own at the back of my rockery – hiding from the yellow perhaps?

Crocus and daffodil bulbs are now pushing through my lawn. Although some did get a bit flattened after the last fall of snow with my daughters running up and down the lawn with a sledge. My new tulips bulbs that I have planted in pots in my border are also pushing through – I think they are perhaps too early so I may add some more soil on top of them to bury them a little deeper. My Sulphur heart ivy still has a number of flowers but they are beginning to go past now. I still have a few new euphorbia flowers and the purple-black berries of the ophiopogon still shine beautifully in the winter sun.

Tiny delicate arabis flowers are still hanging on – I had no idea that it could flower for so long either. It should be getting full sun but in the partial shade of my back garden it is still going strong! I have also noticed the buds are forming on my magnolia but I didn’t expect new growth on my clematis ‘Miss Bateman’. I have just looked this up. ‘Miss Bateman’ is listed as a Group 2 clematis which flowers on the current season’s growth. The book suggest that I should prune before new growth starts – oops too late there then. Mmm I wonder what I should do now.

As you will have noticed I have posted a few rather lengthy posts recently. I am now going to take time over the next couple of nights to visit some blogs myself. I have a lot of catching up to do with my favourites and I am also looking forward to seeing all the Bloom Day posts too!

All photos above were taken in my garden on January 15th 2008.

12 thoughts on “Garden Bloom Day January 2008

  1. Hi Shirl, YOu have some nice blooms for this time of year. I like the one with the deep pink coloring. I am not sure what it was even tho you posted what it is. I must not be tracking tonight.

  2. Thanks for joining us again, Shirl. Your garden does have quite a few flowers in January. I bet you still get quite a few birds, too!

    Carol, May Dreams Gardens

  3. Amazing how different each garden bloom day report is, Shirl. I love this, and seeing the plants that aren’t familiar is especially fascinating. Plus seeing things still blooming or getting ready to flower already makes me a bit wistful, but only a little. Great show!

  4. I share your concern about the Type 2 Clematis. My ‘Henryi’ has started sprouting leaves also. This cold snap will put a stop to that. I guess to be on the safe side you’re going to have to prune ‘Miss Bateman’ in Fall after it goes dormant.

  5. Happy New Year to you, Shirl 🙂

    I’ve enjoyed myself catching up with all the posts I’ve missed. I love your robin pics and those of the siskins, female blackcap, goldfinches and the blue-tits. Lots of precious little videos of your garden visitors too have delighted me once more.

    looking at the transformation through your garden photos, showing no trellis or pergola, to jungle area and a trellis covered beautifully with climbers is so interesting and helpful to other gardeners too.

    Thanks for sharing your garden of delights 🙂

  6. Hi Shirl,

    Thank you for coming to visit my blog!
    One of the joys of GBBD is seeing plants we can’t grow in other gardens – what interesting little flowers the Polygala Chamaebuxus and Skimmia have. Since they’d hate my alkaline clay and hot summers, guess I’ll have to enjoy them in Scotland. I’m amazed that you’ve had -7C and these plants still look so good!

    Annie at the Transplantable Rose

  7. Hi again Lisa, Carol, Jodi, Carolyn gail and Sara 🙂

    Lisa – Thank-you, I was surprised at what I had! Yes, the Polygala Chamaebuxus is so pretty and appears to have had such a long flowering time 😀

    Carol – you are most welcome! I always enjoy taking part and I am yet to get to a years worth of posts myself – I started with May. Ah the birds… yes we have loads at the moment. I hope you are getting more now yourself I’ll pop by soon to see 😀

    Jodi – Thanks – it is isn’t it! I too find it fascinating to see what is in flower in other gardens in other parts of the world 😀

    Carolyn gail – Thank-you, I’ll pop by to see what’s flowering in your garden over the weekend 😀

    Sara – I so agree! I considered showing the lovely purple polygala as the main photo of the bulb montage but I too loved to see the bulbs shooting through my lawn 😀

  8. Hi again, Mr McGregor’s Daughter 🙂

    I hoped someone else was considering this problem. I guess over the weekend I will go out with my pruners and sadly cut it back! Good luck with Henryi 😀

  9. Hi again, Wildlife Gardener 🙂

    Good to hear from you and glad you had a great time with family over the hols. Yes, I have been busy since your last visit 😀

    Ah.. the robin photos that was a lovely day working in the garden. Yep, the bird photos in my ‘Hot spot’ post really were quite special too – I loved the colours. I’m glad you are still enjoying my garden bird videos. Funnily enough as your comment came in earlier my latest wren video had just been processed:-D

    Thank-you – I too found looking back at the changes in my garden interesting. It would be nice to think that my two posts of Arbours and Pergolas could be of help to other gardeners – especially new ones 😀

  10. Hi there, Annie 🙂

    You are most welcome! I enjoyed my visit and plan to return again 😀

    I agree about seeing other plants that we can’t grow – it is much better seeing them in other gardens than a glossy pic in a book 😀

    The skimmia is a relatively new plant in my garden and has a lot of promise but it has yet to really capture my attention. However, in contrast the little polygala has just been a good background plant until now! Since posting photos for GBBD I have realised it is quite a valuable little plant 😀

    I agree my plants, for the moment, appear to be quite tough little things 😀

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