Sunday, February 5, 2017

A Beautiful Day in the Garden

Saturday was cool but sunny and after a day or two of foggy cloudy days it was very welcome.  Flocks of robins were everywhere and it was too glorious to  stay inside. So, I grabbed my camera and started taking an inventory of my garden. My first reflection was: in the winter when the garden is sleeping I like the pop of blue of my cast iron architectural piece.  
 
I had a surprise visitor this week that I was able to capture. I've been putting meal worms out hoping to attract bluebirds. The worms disappear and I haven't seen who is eating them but finally I was rewarded. Actually, there were three bluebirds at the same time on this little feeder but when I got my camera they flew away.

 I have a thing about bluebirds. They are so sweet and pretty but they are really sensitive to movement.


 This sweet little bird didn't mind me at all but I'm not sure what kind of bird it is.



Is it some kind of finch?



The camellia is the the Alabama state flower. This camellia variety is named Professor Sargent.




 About three years ago, a friend gave me a cutting of this plant called Variegated Daphne. It has an intense sweet fragrance and this is the first year it has bloomed. It is a welcome evergreen plant in your garden and smells delightful. It likes a shaded location and will grow to a height of 4 or 5 feet so I will have to move it to avoid crowding.
There is something quite rewarding about rooting a plant from a cutting.



 Snowbells are one of the first spring bulbs to bloom in my garden.


 You can see the slight damage from a hard freeze on the buds on this camellia.



 It was a surprise and welcome sight to see a pot I had abandoned blooming. I used this oxalis in a St. Patricks's Day tablescape last spring.


 And this is a burgundy shamrock with pink blooms. Another pop of color at a welcome time. 

Daffodils are so cheerful and happy. I found two packages of bulbs in my garage refrigerator recently I forgot to plant. My goal this week is to plant them. We'll see what happens since it is rather late to plant them.
Look closely  and you will see caterpillars on this parsley plant taken late summer or fall. I believe they are swallowtail caterpillars. Not once but twice they ate the parsley in this urn down to the nubs and it grew back.

Here on the bottom left is the revived parsley picture taken this weekend after the caterpillars feasted months ago. Don't despair when you see caterpillars on your plants. The plants will grow back and you will be rewarded with butterflies in the summer and fall. See swallowtails here.
 
Hen and chicks succulent is a slow grower but does well if it likes it's spot. After the stroll through my garden taking inventory something clicked in my mind. I remembered a picture from an old Southern Lady magazine of roses and succulents for a Valentine arrangement. The wheels started turning and I began cutting camellias and succulents.





Viola! A new vignette to enjoy. 
Thanks for joining me as I strolled through my garden on a beautiful day. 

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27 comments:

  1. Beautiful! Thanks for sharing a stroll through your lovely winter garden! I can't wait for the flowers to bloom in my neck of the woods. Here in the northeast the weather is still cold and the ground actually frozen, so I will have to patiently wait a little while longer. Love the "heart" of succulents and camellias!

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  2. So beautiful, Bonnie! I must have a Variegated Daphne. LOVE your Valentine arrangement. blessings ~ tanna

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  3. Bonnie, your winter garden is thriving with beauty and interest. I love the camellias, and can't figure out why we never get blooms. Our next phone conversation must include camellias! I love to see a bluebird, they are small and shy! Your heart of succulents and camellias is just stunning and I must say what a great memory to think of a picture from a magazine. Well, I have certainly rambled...Happy Monday

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  4. Oh Bonnie, your garden is lovely even in the dreary month of February. Of course being a little further south helps. You know how I love your camellias, they remind me of my MIL's gardens where she had such beautiful blooms. I love the blue birds as well and we have them on occasion bug I haven't seen any this year. We are seeing blue jays and usually get the robins. My daffs and snowbells are up and the lilies. If we get a frost or freezing temps the lilies won't bloom. Your hearts and succulents made a beautiful arrangement to enjoy. I need to get busy or Valentine's day will be missed.

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  5. Good Morning Bonnie,
    I love your gardens every time of the year, they always hold such magic.
    What a darling little heart vignette...oh those wonderful Camellias!
    Happy Monday,
    Jemma

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  6. Awe, loving your winter garden! WOW...I can't believe how pretty everything is. And that vignette! Girl, you have a green thumb to go along with your creativity! Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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  7. Oh, Bonnie, what a rewarding day in the garden! I wholeheartedly agree with you in that there's something very satisfying in growing a plant from a cutting. Your variegated Daphne is pretty! And the bluebirds....love! I need to focus on attracting them, such a sweet and hard-working couple they are. I enjoy them vicariously through my sister's garden. You also have me thinking about planting camellias, yours are so pretty. I'd be willing to test try them in my sheltered brick landscape, even though they're borderline when our winters are tough. That is an American goldfinch in question, another welcome visitor. We are in sync today with our posts on the winter garden, but mine is at least two months behind yours. Have a great week.

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  8. I enjoyed the tour of your garden, Bonnie! The birds and the camellias are delightful to look at on this dreary Monday morning, although Saturday was a gorgeous day! I love the succulent arrangement. Great minds must think alike because I've asked for one for Valentine's Day from Terrain!

    Have a blessed week!
    xo,
    Ricki Jill

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  9. How lovely to find so many nice things in your garden! Your valentines arrangement is cute isn't it!

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  10. Oh Bonnie, I am aching for weather like this. Not that I can complain too much about this winter. It's comparatively mild. But the birds at my feeder are there in large part because there is nothing on the ground for them to eat until a thaw. Your photos are lovely! Happy week.

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  11. Bonnie, taking a tour of your beautiful garden brightened my day! I loved seeing the blue birds. I have a few that visit my yard often, and I enjoy them so! Your floral arrangement in the heart box turned out so pretty. You did a wonderful job! I hope that you have a blessed week!!!

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  12. I always enjoy strolling with you in your garden, Bonnie! Your camellias are so beautiful and what a pretty arrangement you made with them and the succulents. I love hens and chicks and grew them in Ohio, but I don't have much luck with them in Texas. Maybe I haven't found the right spot? Your birdie pictures are wonderful! Have fun watching all those beauties in your yard.

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  13. I love seeing your garden come to life!

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  14. Your gardens are so lovely Bonnie. Bird watching is a lot of fun. I always feed the birds and sit and watch them. Yes, we definitely were on the same page with the Valentine idea. So cute!

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  15. You have a most beautiful garden...I would love to plant snowbells....they are beautiful..and I have camellias but it has been a battle keeping the deer away from them!

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  16. Hello Bonnie, I really enjoyed that little trip around your garden. I didn't realise that bluebirds have red breasts, like a robin. Oh my goodness those caterpillars are huge, you are very chilled about them eating your parsley! The variegated Daphne is lovely I am not familiar with the plant. Love your romantic arrangement too. Have a happy day, love Linda xx

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  17. My garden wants to look like yours when it grows up someday Bonnie. I adore your sweet tweets and your vignette is perfection. I hope you will stop by and enter today's giveaway.

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  18. Lovely pictures! We are so anxious for spring but I know we could have a couple months more of snow and frigid temps. Thank you for sharing with us this week at Celebrate Your Story, have a great week.

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  19. Your garden is so beautiful Bonnie, it must be wonderful to stroll around this spot of heaven right outside your door. Your Valentine creation is so fantastic, prettier than the one in the magazine! I love that your discarded plant decided to come back and surprise you :) My favorite bird is cardinal, I always feel so lucky when I spot one!

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  20. The wheels sure did turn. I love your version of the succulents in the heart. Have a wonderful weekend!

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  21. So beautiful. Thanks for sharing. I can't wait to get out into the garden. Thanks for sharing at Monday Social.

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  22. I love winter flowers. Each is more precious when there are fewer flowers around.
    Amalia
    xo

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  23. Oh my....what beautiful photo's. You are so lucky to have caught the bluebirds on the bird feeder. What a great shot. Your nature photos are amazing. Brightened up my day. It is still cold and will snow many more times. Have a wonderful week.

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  24. I enjoyed the walk through your winter garden, especially the photo of the sweet blue bird at the feeder. I can imagine how lovely your garden is once everything is in full bloom.

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  25. I *heart* your succulent arrangement Bonnie! I have the same issue of Southern Lady and admired it then. Your camellias are beautiful and I have a thing for bluebirds too. We've had several pairs in our yard recently and usually have some that take up residence in one of our houses. Your other sweet visitor is a goldfinch. It's fun to watch their feathers change from their winter coloring to bright gold in the summer.

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  26. What a beautiful garden Bonnie and it is so full of life in the middle of winter. I was really surprised to see all those caterpillers running around but like you said the reward of butterflies is coming. Your heart vignette is adorable and just in time too.

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  27. What gorgeous gardens! I love the camellias, and didn't know it was Alabama's state flower. Here in Texas, they bloom in late January. Unfortunately, we had a hard freeze for several days this year and my buds all froze. Hopefully, next year I'll see some blooms again.

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