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Winter Blooms of Hamamelis x 'Jelena'

Won't be long now…

Yes, sure...it's still winter and it's darn cold out there. And yet...I don't know about you, but I've started to feel the change in season. A bit lighter day by day. The sun breaks are seemingly more frequent. Buds are swelling and winter blooms are becoming more commonplace. What have you been noticing?

Plants to Watch For This Winter

Arctostaphylos | Manzanita

I've been noticing the buds starting to form on the Arctostaphylos that I watch while on my neighborhood walks. Before long, they'll be covered in flowers and eager bees will be supping on their cupped flowers. I am thankful for their blooms in this quiet season, but as a group they offer much more. I especially appreciate the tracery of their smooth chocolate bark. And perhaps best of all, they are extremely well adapted to our winter wet summer dry climate; surviving with no supplemental water once they're established.

Xera Plants, a regional wholesaler and local plant nursery, grows some of the best varieties of manzanita. Below you'll find a link to a general info page on their website that offers a rundown on the cultivation and care of Arctostaphylos and a comprehensive list of the varieties they grow. I use this page often as I'm trying to ID the plants that I see out and about.

Camellia Varieties to Look For

I've collected photos of quite a few Camellia over the years and this video is a visual roundup where you can compare lots of varieties from the comfort of home. I talk about the differences between C. sasanqua and C. japonica and I touch on some species and hybrids as well.

Garden Design Tips

Among the most common garden challenges homeowners encounter when landscaping their homes is the need to create privacy, screen an unsightly view, or divide outdoor spaces into distinct living areas. Selecting the right plants for the job is essential to ensure success and these five tips will get you going in the right direction. 

Recently-Added Planting Plans

Selecting a palette of plants that work well together from both a cultural and aesthetic standpoint is an important first step. But once you've chosen the plants you'll use in your combination, getting them laid out in an artful, organized, and logical fashion can be daunting until you get the hang of it. This is where the planting plan downloads available on the eGardenGo site can be very helpful.

Having a landscape design plan is an important part of creating a successful garden. Think of it as a floor plan, but for an outdoor area that is drawn to scale and illustrates how you would lay out the plants to create the garden. The plans also show the layouts in elevation view to help you visualize how the plant combination would look in real life.

Until next time!