Birds in Snow

This Viburnum has never been more popular.

Mourning Doves in a Pine Tree . . . .

Ornamental grasses make a good perch and feeding opportunity.

I'm glad I stocked up on bird seed, but twenty-five pounds may not have been enough! The fat Cardinals intimidate the smaller birds.

Do they want to come inside?

Third Time's the Charm?

More like "Fifth Year"! Thursday is the fifth anniversary of this Viburnum (Viburnum plicatum tomentosum 'Mariesii') arriving in my garden. I bought it because I had read a description of it in my favorite gardening book: "When the flowers come in April, they emerge on top of each branch, covering it all the way to the tip. Then it appears the green cake has white icing - a spectacular sight!" It was not in bloom when I bought it, but it was a young shrub, so this did not bother me. Then it did not bloom in 2007 either, or in 2008 and I began to wonder if I shouldn't just dig it up and throw it out. I didn't, because even without blooms it was a spectacularly beautiful plant. When it still did not bloom last year, I sent an e-mail to the growers, asking if they knew what might be wrong with it. The answer that came back told me there are "many reasons" why a Viburnum might not bloom, the most common being that it does not get enough sun or that it has been too rigorously pruned. I wrote back that this baby gets plenty of sun and a pruning tool had never been within ten feet of it (something to that effect - a bit politer). Growers were not heard from again.

And now look - this Viburnum in early April 2010 is full of buds and it looks as if five years after I brought it home I will finally get to see that "icing on the cake" in a week or two!

The Sun Rises After The Snow

Just as the sun was rising this morning, the cardinals (here are three of them in a Viburnum) and other birds came looking for food. The sun caught the bent grass in one of the containers on my patio and then targeted its rays on a Crape Myrtle. It is still very cold (23F, -5C).

Snow in North Georgia

The snow yesterday was magical and unexpected. The forecast had been for snow "mainly below I-20" with just a little (one to two inches at most) expected in some areas north of Atlanta. And what did we get? Four inches at least. It was spectacular.

In my garden, I photographed, from top to bottom: Sedum, Viburnum, Hydrangea, Crape Myrtle, Pyracantha, and Fothergilla.

Viburnum tinus 'Spring Bouquet'

Another beautiful Viburnum, this one was photographed in the booth of R.A. Dudley Nurseries of Thomson, Georgia. Some web sites rate it for Zones 7 to 10, but I would hesitate to put it in a North Georgia garden. Maybe in LaGrange, Macon, Augusta and farther south?

Viburnum

If there was one plant at the just concluded WinterGreen conference and trade show I could have scooped up and taken home with me, it's this one: Viburnum tinus 'Gwennllian'. Described as an evergreen with shiny dark geen, ovate leaves, it progresses from pink buds (spring) to white flowers (summer) to these gorgeous deep blue berries (fall, winter).

Good thing I did not have that chance, because this beauty would not survive Zone 7 winters; it's hardy only in Zones 8 to 10.

The white (washed-out) flower behind it is on a Camelia hybrid 'High Fragrance', and the yellow blooms in the top left are on a Mahonia x media 'Arthur Menzies'. It's indicated for Zones 7 to 9, so it should work in North Georgia.

The photograph was taken in the booth of Green Nurseries of Fairhope, Alabama.

Viburnum

O.K. - one more today! This no-name Viburnum, flanked on the left by Lavender and on the right by Sedum (with just the tip of an Astilbe showing above the right bloom), is blooming its sweet heart out - becoming more attractive by the day.

Viburnum Carlesii

Another sign of spring! I had been afraid that this Viburnum Carlesii had become a victim of Tuesday night's freeze, but apart from the leaves, which have not quite unfurled, looking a little ratty, it seems to be in good shape. Certainly a lovely flower in April, and the shrub is full of bud clusters. Another week, and you'll see it from miles away! O.K. - so, not 'miles", but certainly 'yards'!

Perfect Spring Rain

Yesterday, it "almost-rained" all day - a gentle, intermittent rain that came straight down from the sky. It refreshed my garden, providing hope to many plants, and aiding the pop-up of some flowers, including both the cultivated and the wild violas. Is there a prettier green leaf in late March than that of the Doublefile Viburnum (above). Its color contrasts beautifully with the somewhat darker and subdued green of the Yarrow beneath it.

Heaver rain is, weathermen on TV inform us, on its was from Alabama and Mississippi; its incursion into my garden may not be so gentle. But yesterday . . . ., if I could have ordered rain and this is what I received, it could not have been more perfect.