Blooms and Foliage December 2014

Today, there's not a bloom to be found at Clay and Limestone, the way too early Arctic cold front flash froze everything except two stalwart plants, Hamamelis virginiana and Symphyotrichum praealtum. They put on quite a nice show until just last week, so I felt fine sharing them for my Bloom Day post!

Willowleaf aster

What's left to make a gardener smile on a winter's day?

Ostrya virginica

 Trees that hold their leaves all winter!

Foliage that twists and curls.

 Grasses that accent evergreens.

 Ex-aster's seed heads.

 Amsonia hubrichtii beginning to curl

Fluffy Goldenrod ready to spread its progeny out into the world!

Copper tubing, cobalt containers and golden panicums!

Hypericum frondosum

Hyper-colored Hypericum frondosum!

I hope your garden is making you smile!

xoxogail

Now make this garden blogger smile and pop over to May Dreams Gardens, where our delightful hostess, Carol, has set up the Mr Linky magic carpet ride to take you to more Bloom Day posts than you can imagine and to Pam's Foliage Follow-up on Digging....because blooms aren't alone in making a garden beautiful.

Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.

It's Mid December and You know What That Means!

A Twofer! Garden Bloggers Bloom Day and Foliage Follow-Up!

Alas, there is only one bloom in the garden for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day and I have had to resort to sharing my beautiful grocery store tulips with you all.

 Cut flowers are wonderful and necessary on gray and rainy winter days.  The kind of weather we have too frequently in Middle Tennessee.

I love orange tulips, especially, the over the top multi-colored varieties.  I plant a few in the garden every fall and cross my fingers that they survive the rodents to bloom in the spring. I must admit that it has only been in the last few years have I come to appreciate this intense and vibrant color.

Spirea's orange and golden leaves in a cobalt container

  I know it's an over used word, but, orange does pop almost anywhere in my garden.  It cozies up  beautifully in containers and it looks stunning with the purple benches and chairs that are focal points at Clay and Limestone. 

If you don't mind plants arrayed in shades of brown, red, orange and beige, you'll find plenty of beauty in the garden! 

 Like Hypericum frondosum which is still  hyper-colored. 

 Or, the wispy and fluttery River Oats.  Rain makes them stand out.

 I love the wild and natural look of my almost winter garden (I garden for wildlife) Seed heads are left standing for winter interest and food for birds and other critters. I think they're beautiful.

Switch Grass (click for link)

Grasses like Panicum virgatum 'Northwind' add movement and color until late winter.  But, they're more than just a pretty face; they're  a host plant for the caterpillars of many Skippers (here for their story) and provide a cozy place for small critters and birds to hide on snowy days.

I love when trees and plants hold onto their leaves. 

Exotic cabbage and kale no longer seems out of place in the garden. Come spring they'll bolt into yellow blooms and provide  nectar for early visiting pollinators. (Cabbages and Beautiful Things)

I appreciate the cool  architectural statement Yucca makes year round.  I knew they attracted a special moth to pollinate them, but, I didn't know that they provide a cool respite for insects to hide  during the hot weather.

Although, my garden is mostly natives, I flipped for Spiraea thunbergii ‘Ogon'.  Take a look at its wispy leaved, golden late fall color and then add to that, very early blooming, honey scented flowers covered with bees and you'll totally understand how come this exotic made the cut.   I had hoped it would be dressed in its fall colors when the asters were blooming, but, I believe I appreciate this late color even more.

Last year my mettle was tested

The flowers may be gone for the season,  but, a gardener can enjoy cut flowers in the house and textures, foliage, colors and art in a garden year round.


xxoogail


PS Now, please pop over to May Dreams Gardens, where our delightful hostess, Carol,  has set up the Mr Linky magic carpet ride  to more Bloom Day posts than you can imagine.   After that, make sure to stop by Digging to see Foliage Follow-Up. Pam says it’s a way to remind ourselves of the importance of foliage in the garden.

* magic carpet clip art
Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone."