Bloom Day February 15 2017

A mild winter means we have early blooms.

Tulip magnolia:

Star Magnolia, Leonard Messell:

Azaleas are opening much too early. Frost could ruin these but others are holding back, just in case. Mostly it depends on whether they're protected from cold wind.
This is Pink Pearl azalea:

Back when Loropetalums were first popular, the famous hort guy at UGA dismissed the white as not of any consequence. I did not agree and when Miss Billie offered me seedlings, I took them. Later he changed his mind as to whether they were worthwhile in the landscape.

White Loropetalum:

Rose pink Loropetalum:

Loropetalums tend to make trees when not kept harshly pruned into hatboxes and meatballs as landscapers in town do.

I let mine grow into trees and prune the bottoms:.

Some daffodils are just beginning to come up. The season is long if you plant different ones.
The early ones like Ehrlicheer and these Sweetness jonquillas are blooming:

This was not a good year for Hyacinths for lack of chill but some are blooming, just not very tall.
The darker pink one had an earlier bloom; this is the second bloom.

It's fun to have something besides the usual daffodils, hyacinths and iris.
Snake's Head Iris:

 The 3 Camellias below are seedling plants that I planted seeds some 15 years ago. They're not outstanding but they are a novelty.

The Camellia below is more than 40 years old and embarrassingly gaudy when cold doesn't take out the blooms:

White Camellias are my favorite.

Long may She Wave!

Happy Windy Bloom Day.

Bloom Day links are Here.

My Garden Becomes a Photo Studio, sort of

Steve Asbell suggested using a piece of black poster board as background for houseplant shots. Now,  I don't just run to the Dollar Store like it was around the corner -- it's fifteen miles one way. I did have a little pack of cardstock and a piece of cardboard so I improvised.

I want to make a post on winter weeds, the good and the bad. Weeds show up in photos as a blob of green and more green. What do you think of the Henbit above with its nice neutral background rather than weeds and dry grass? I think you could identify Henbit from it.

Henbit is one of those weeds that get to stay because beneficials seek it and the little flowers are kind of cute.  It goes away when the weather gets hot.

Dianthus 'Bath's Pink.'

 

Cardstock backdrop in hand, I was all over the garden.

 

Hyacinth. Pink when it opens.

Dogwood seeds and buds.

 

Early White Azaleas.

I kind of experimented with letting the background show. Yes.

 

Lantana, a favorite of American Painted Ladies when it's warm.

Oxalis blooms and Parsley

 Orchid, inside the house. I had a terrible time with these before because they're in front of a window.

Many of the plants pictured above are here on Secrets of a Seedscatterer.wordpress. Yesterday there was no backdrop so you can see how they look with their normal background. I thought it an improvement, what say you?

Joining Tootsie Time for Fertilizer Friday. Come join the fun!

Azaleas and Tigers Are Here

Papilio glaucas arrived yesterday. Azaleas are opening everywhere. Butterflies are swarming them.

 A Tiger Swallowtail on 'Pink Pearl' Azalea.

 Let's look more closely.

 I wanted to show you every color of Azalea and the Sulphur and Spicebush Butterflies, too. They'll be here for a while. Let's savor this one.

We're celebrating Fertilizer Friday at Tootsie's. Azaleas are fertilized after blooms fade. Pruning is done after bloom also. Azaleas like a little leaf mold and/or pine straw mulch over their shallow roots.


Flowers and text are from the garden of Nell Jean blogged on Dotty Plants Journal in warm, humid Southwest Georgia.