Container Mania!

We are currently in the midst of "container mania" at the big house, which means there are a gazillion things in flats all about the pool. I've slowly been chipping away at the major containers, and the first of the spring bedding plants are going into the ground! I am so excited with the "Honey Bee Lantana," with muted pinks, peaches, soft yellows, and whites all on the same plants! That's being planted in the beds under the crape myrtles, where nothing else has the stamina to fight the roots of the trees. Photos to come once it fully opens up.

People keep asking me about container combinations I'm using this year, so I'll get them up on here in the next few days. I'm a big believer that even with the same plants, every arrangement is different, since there is inevitably a different container, and a different "designer's eye" involved. I've borrowed some of my favorite combinations from friends, and find it flattering when people ask me to do the same.

One of my favorites so far for this year: Lion's Head Japanese Maples (Acer palmatum "Shishigashira"), underplanted with "Bonfire" Begonias (Begonia boliviensis "Bonfire"), finished with Creeping Jenny(Lysimachia nummularia "Aurea"). Very simple, very clean, very elegant, and really shows off the tree, which is the whole point.

I think I'm Beginning to Defrost!

If you are in Atlanta, and you weren't out in your garden today, you missed an amazing opportunity! This was one of those days that felt like spring actually could be coming soon.

The pansies look like tiny little green lumps from this ridiculous roller coaster weather, but we're hoping that today's deadheading and a good boost of Pansy Booster (along with some warm weather) will put them back on track. I used Delta True Yellow, Delta True Primrose, and Imperial Antique Shades this year. So far the Delta cultivars are doing a whole lot better than the Antique Shades, but we'll see what things look like in a month or so. I have mentioned before that I get my pansies from Kelli Green in East Cobb, and they never lead me astray, so I'm confident things will perk up as spring approaches.

I went a little crazy last fall with bulbs, and now the garden is like one giant popping bulb! The Crown Imperial just poked through the ground, the crocuses are starting to bloom (for some reason the yellow always comes first), tulips are a couple of inches tall, and there are daffodils everywhere! Irises are showing signs of life, as are the leucojem (one of my favorites!)

The first of the Scilla have started to bloom, and they're pretty adorable. Patti and I were walking along this afternoon, and it looked as though there were cherry blossoms that had dropped all over the ground. Since Patti is much more logical than I, she pointed out that (1) there isn't a cherry tree in that part of the garden; and (2) the cherry trees aren't blooming yet. If you haven't grown these before, I would encourage you to consider them. Obviously they are very early bloomers, in shades of icy white and blue, with a little pink touch here and there. (There's a picture here from Van Engelen, the company where we bought them. Ours have almost no leaves, though, just the blossoms!)

The poor koi were under a thin coat of ice this morning, and you could see them huddled together, just their lips moving every thirty seconds or so....by afternoon the sun had hit them, the ice was gone, and they were starting to slowly glide around the bottom of the pond. They're still a little slow for the next couple of months, but obviously enjoyed the sunshine and warmth today.

The days are getting longer, and things in the greenhouse are starting to explode all over the place! The mandevilla has looked sad (to say the least) for the past couple of months, but must have grown two feet in the past week. The lemon trees are in full bloom, and the scent is intoxicating when I open the door in the morning! The Cup & Saucer Vine doesn't seem to know it's winter, and continues to grow up the wall and over the glass ceiling! All of the Rex Begonias are also excited about the days getting longer, and have started shooting up those fabulous shooting blossoms!

Only a few more days until we plant the peas!

Buck Jones and The Duchess of Windsor

At this moment it is 26 degrees in suburban Atlanta, which is a ridiculous concept! Just needed to get that out of my system....

This was one of those days that reconfirmed why I like to garden, and spend most of my life surrounded by gardeners. I went to Kelli Green Nursery very early for pinestraw, where Kenny was completely bundled up in all of these layers, simultaneously talking about how frigid it was this morning and also enjoying the novelty of it all. In true gardener fashion, he was off to test the extra heaters that would be needed to keep the plants going through this cold snap. The others who work there were all inside, since "they don't know how to dress for this weather." I'm not sure why Kenny and I both felt there was something to be proud of in our actions....after all, the others were inside enjoying morning coffee.

I spent most of the day doing what could be done in the garden, spreading pinestraw, making sure the precious koi were doing ok in this arctic weather, tending some things in the glass house. As much as I enjoy being a martyr, it was an easy choice when Jean said, "What about Mexican for lunch?"

Later in the afternoon, I visited Buck Jones Nursery (another favorite spot!), on the never-ending hunt for the PERFECT plants for the Duchess of Windsor-themed display I'm doing for the Southeastern Flower Show in a couple of weeks. Some of you already know that the direction of said display has changed thirty or forty times, and I'm now buried under a number of different (expensive) plants, each representing a different season of the year (that is now not being considered). This latest incarnation is going to be representative of the winter season, after the Duke had died. (The overall theme of the SEFS garden design division is "Lover, Come Back")

In my usual way I pulled Laurie away from what she was doing to help me find the PERFECT plants, meaning something the world has never seen before, something that will make me look brilliant, and something that isn't expensive......oh, and they have to represent my statement that "winter seems colder now that David is gone."

We probably looked a little ridiculous to a bystander, each in our "this is really silly looking but is keeping me warm" outfit, but we did find a few great candidates. You'll be relieved to know that as of this moment, the climbing hydrangea (just starting to bud) will figure prominently in the display......or end up with the others, unused, in my garden later this year.

PS That's not Buck Jones in the photo with the Duchess of W

The Source for Awesome Plants

I think I mentioned it before, but I get virtually all of my annual flowers (summer and winter) from Kelli Green Nurseries in East Cobb. Elaine and crew are just amazing to deal with, and their products have never disappointed me.

I feel strongly about supporting independent local businesses, and Elaine has been involved at Kelli Green for many years; I'm not completely opposed to buying from some of the "big box" stores, but how often is someone from one of those stores going to grow your plant from seeds in her own home garden just to test it out?

The new introduction called "Joey" is something that Elaine recommended, that has been getting great reviews. Hopefully it's going to make an awesome "statement" surrounding a large birdbath at the top of a flight of stone steps.