Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Just About Ready!


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I’m so very excited about the jump start I have on spring this year. I don’t ever remember having the garden cleaned up and ready to go so soon. There are still a few minor things that need to be done, but nothing of any major significance. It is such a relief to have all the hard stuff out of the way so I have nothing to do but enjoy planting next year.

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It never ceases to amaze me how empty the garden looks in the winter time. The vast majority of the plants I have die back to the ground in the winter. Last year, being by myself and just having back surgery I had help cleaning everything up. He came back about midsummer for a visit and even he couldn’t believe how different everything looked.

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I took the ‘Sweet Autumn’ clematis down from this arbor this year. It was just becoming way too much vine for it. I have two very healthy vines that I’ll be removing and passing along to a friend. I was thinking about maybe planting black eyed susan vines on it. They come in so many different colors now a day. It’s not written in stone but that’s the idea I’m kicking around at the moment.

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The Crepe Myrtles are starting to get some good size on them too. I’m going to be highlighting them with spotlights. I went yesterday and starting pricing the items I need to put the lights in the garden. I thought I would go ahead and buy the transformer and put down the wires this winter and I can always add lights all along. It’s going to be an expensive project so I thought I would reduce my eating out and purchase a couple of lights a pay period until I get everything like I want it.

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Meanwhile, the camellia my grandmother rooted before she died has more blooms than I’ve ever seen on it before. I’m really starting to appreciate camellias in the garden. The pretty flowers in the winter time and the evergreen leaves have been a real treat for me this year. I need more evergreen shrubs in the garden and Camellias might be the way to go. My only concern is they grow so slow, it’ll take years for them to get any size on them. Just a thought…

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Hope this finds you all well and happy.

12 comments:

Jan Goldfield said...

Yup, a garden in winter, but what great bones you have installed. It will be a joy to work in this spring.

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Aren't you the one getting so far ahead of the spring mania. All I can say is that we were covered with snow this morning. It is slowly melting now. Your garden looks so neat and tidy. I make a prediction that by summer you will have more than just a light project lined up to do. Gardens are never static. Things are always changing. You have a clean palette to work from now. Have fun.

Gary said...

Randy,

This is truly something to be excited about, should the rest of us be so lucky. I don’t know if I would use the word empty to describe your garden at this time of year. With your garden statuary, the outline of planting areas, and bare trees all of which I feel give quite a sculptural appeal, so empty it is not. I think calling it “less lush” would be more appropriate :-) Because those of us who have followed for sometime know how you plantings, leaf and bloom, burst forth and spill out in shear lushness. Looking forward to project updates. – gary

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hello there Randy : )
I hope you have been enjoying the holidays and that the New Year will be a grand one for you : )
I adore your camellia ! You are so lucky to have such gorgeous flowers in your beautiful garden!
I hear you about Sweet Autumn .. even here it can get a little crazy .. in fact I am going to take out the other clematis I have with it because the poor things are smothered with it .. I'll just have to find other homes for Niobe and Henrii .. I love having them together especially for Canada Day .. that red and white theme thing .. boy am I getting ahead of myself ? haha
In any case thank you for stopping by Randy .. I lose touch with some of my blogging friends and it is nice to say hello again!
Joy

Les said...

I can't imagine a garden without camellias, and I am sure you know they are your state flower. Plant more of them.

Tatyana@MySecretGarden said...

Hi Randy! Your garden looks so clean and yes, ready for spring! The lawn is as green as ours, here in the Pacific Northwest! Alabama and Washington look the same, isn't it funny?
Have a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Darla said...

Everything is so tidy! I love seeing gardens when the majority of the plants are sleeping...

Jan said...

Your winter garden looks great, and you sound eager to begin planting. I am finally feeling the gardening urge again. 2011 was not a good year for my garden, but I have a feeling 2012 will be better.

Jan
Always Growing

Phillip Oliver said...

It looks so neat and tidy! If you run out of things to do, feel free to come by and putter in our garden! :)

JPL said...

It really thrills me to see you back at work in the garden again, Randy. It's bittersweet to read the blog, but I derive much pleasure from reading your posts. Keep up the hard work, because that garden will be remarkable again in the spring.

The Bama Gardener said...

I don't have any camellias in the garden, with it being the state flower maybe I need to get on that! :)

Jim Long said...

Randy, while it's true there's little color in winter, I love seeing a garden in that season. You can see the bare bones, the underlying structure and design of the garden best in winter. And it makes you appreciate the season to come! It's easy to understand why ancient cultures celebrated the coming of spring with such glee.