A Year of Gardens - Day 21

How about this for a creative hedge? These 'Little Gem' magnolias are pruned twice a year to keep them around 3-4 feet high around some of the homes at Watercolor Place in Florida. Plants are planted when they are 3 gallon size pot size.

A Year of Gardens - Day 1

Call me CRAZY but I really liked the challenge of having a daily blog post, especially if it involves something as simple as just posting a picture or a quick tip. Since my blog has been somewhat of a virtual diary for the last few years rather than a serious attempt to "cultivate a culture of gardening", I've decided to go back to my roots (ha-ha) and post a daily picture, tip, or thought on gardening for the next year.

My first thought was to show what was going on in my own garden over the next year, but then realized that I am going to be on the road a whole lot this year. 

  And most of that travel time will put me in other great garden areas that I can post about.

This is my goal: chronicle a year of of the beauty, mysteries, and adventures of gardening in the world around me.  

But I will start with what is commanding my attention today - January 1, 2016. Check out these winter blooming camellias, with the flowering quince blooming in the background.

 Flowering quince Chaenomeles typically is my harbinger of spring in mid-February but is in mid bloom today. With temps going in the mid-twenties for the next week, this plant is going to be confused. 

Bridal
veil Spirea blooming also. 

Welcome to a year of all the things that make gardening such an adventure! 

Around the Garden World In 365 Days - Day 5

 Jardin Jeanne-d'Arc is a sunken garden within the larger National Battlefields Park. In the center of the garden is a statue of Joan of Arc that was donated by sculptress Anna Hyatt Huntington to "the most beautiful city in the world". The garden was designed in 1938 by landscape architect Louis Perron.

 A great combination of Blackie Sweet Potato vine and blue scaevola.

 The play of color and texture was fabulous throughout the garden like these black rubber plants contrasted with red gerber daisies and the fine texture of Fireworks grass pennisetum seen in close up below.

 Cool idea to put these trellised mandevillas behind the rubber plants (ficus elastic).

 Another great display of color and texture using Princess grass, banana trees, and an assortment of other plants that I wasn't too sure about.

Love Anemones!

 I won't grow blood grass here in Tennessee because it is so invasive but adore the impact it gives in the landscape.

 Sweet dahlia - these look like "Bishop's Children" Dalhias.

 Black Pearl pepper are perfect in from on these orange blooming cannas.

Photo bomb by my friend Cindy Shapton!

 A paint brush stroke of echinaceas.