They are predicting cold rain for tomorrow night and Saturday morning, but for now, Sadie the Dog and I are enjoying a pretty fabulous day! At the moment it's 58 degrees and sunny, so we're both happy campers!I spent a few hours this afternoon with Patti at the penthouse garden, starting to do some pruning there. We're doing a major "re-do" of the planters, so today was the day to prune some of the junipers and yews on the living room terrace. I will never understand how yews have managed to stay alive on the 42nd floor with a Southeastern exposure, in Atlanta, for ten years....but who am I to question?
At the Big House, the osmanthus (and even some of the camellias) are looking rather fried from the crazy cold windy weather of last week, and in the stepchild garden, the Chinese Mahonia is definitely a "gonner." (That's what happens when you plant a Zone 9 plant in Atlanta!) At the penthouse, even the aspidistra is looking a little stunned from the weather.
All around, though, there are signs of spring, which is keeping me in my happy mood. At the Big House, the Prunus Mume "Peggy Clark" has three blooms on it, and a ton of buds, so there should be a photo of it later in the week. Bulbs are sending up foliage everywhere (there are 5000 daffodils planted there, as well as all the rest), and here and there the muscari is in bloom. Lots of people think they're weeds, but they are one of my favorite signs that winter has an end each year. Behind the garage, the winter jasmine (above) is starting to bloom. It is not particularly pretty 11 months of the year, but winter is definitely its time to shine!
Hang in there! Spring really is coming!
I love all the names of the gardens..Im newish to your blog, were did the names come from?
ReplyDeleteso soon. I've got to get out and spray!
ReplyDeleteHow lucky to have so many blooms there already! I love Muscari too, although no signs of blooms on mine yet. It's so nice to see signs of Spring now.
ReplyDeleteDear Mr. ManDish, I work primarily at just one house (The Big House). Because of privacy issues, you'll find that the owners are often referred to as "Mr and Mrs". The Penthouse is another residence (and another couple), also usually referred to as "Mr & Mrs." At the Big House, it is a 4 acre suburban English-French-Southern sort of garden with all the bells and whistles. At the penthouse, it's 42nd floor, and all containers. "The Stepchild garden" is my own at home, which is generally messy, organic, and the home to lots of wayward plants. (For example, there is a bed in the Stepchild Garden called "the other ferns"; they have all been rescued and/or moved from other places with no rhyme nor reason.....) If there is a design rule known to man, you can assume I've broken it in the Stepchild Garden, but it's mine, and I think it's pretty.....
ReplyDeleteI thought all those gardens belonged to the same people. Of course, if you're the gardener, they really are yours.
ReplyDeleteI've always wondered if I could live in a highrise. Even a tiny condo with a tinier patio wasn't enough. Can you imagine what it was like for me there? I was climbing the jasmine covered walls.
Spring is coming, but this weekend is going to put a damper on things.
thanx for explaing...the step child garden sounds delightful;)
ReplyDeleteTim, does Atlanta still go out big for garden week? Back in the day when my aunt lived there it was a "BIG DO", almost a Gardening Mardi Gras. - G
ReplyDeleteOur Prunus mume's are also in full flower making it feel a little more like spring! Enjoy the touches of it, knowing the cold is still going to rear up before it is all said and done!!
ReplyDeleteGary, the SE Flower Show is next week; like all cities, though, it's been scaled back over the years. This is going to be something of a "measuring stick" year, to see how people respond. Tom, we lived in a highrise in midtown Atlanta prior to moving out to the burbs; the lack of outdoor space made me crazy, as well. At the penthouse where I do work, though, there are six terraces, each 12 x 60, so it's not so bad. (They also have a large traditional garden in Santa Fe, though, so it's a different world than mine.)
ReplyDeleteI am surprised that the Chinese Mahonia was not hardy for you. I am at the upper extreme of zone 8 and mine seems to be fine, plus we had one in the display gardens at work which is 7b (until it fell victim to drought). I recently saw a new Mahonia at a trade show called 'Soft Caress' which is not prickly and looks more like a very dark green Bamboo or long leaf Nandina. I ordered 20 on the spot.
ReplyDeleteFrom my view of the weather map, you are a lot colder today. We missed the storm as it all went south and I think you are going to get some of it. I hope it is just rain and not ice.
ReplyDeleteSpring will be along soon :-) The problem is now that I have reached the 50 something mark I don't want time to pass too quickly. I intend to enjoy each season for what it is :-)
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger a plant that looked just like that used to grow in our backyard. My dad used to always cut switches off of it. My mom always wondered why it never seemed to grow.
ReplyDelete