Gray and Purple New Year

The New Year begins, but the continuing gray and cold weather reminds me that there is a long winter yet ahead.  I know I am supposed to be looking at the "bones" of the garden, those parts that continue throughout the year providing it structure.  I look at what is visible on a dreary day, and consider it fairly successful.  But that is not enough.  What colors can I find?

Purple, though not in vast sweeps or brilliant hues.  For one thing, there is the dark purple leaved Ajuga reptans, 'Black Scallop.'  As usual, nurseries like to convince the public that very dark purples are supposed to be black, hence the name for this dark beauty.  Growing in the shade under some tall pencil hollies, these would disappear if they really were black.  But the deep, blackberry purple color is very appealing when all around it is gray.

This Ranuculus ficara, 'Brazen Hussy" is often described with black foliage.  Fortunately it is much more interesting than that, with mottled green and purple, and bright green stems.  I originally chose this because the dark leaves set off brilliant yellow flowers when little else is blooming.  But now I know the leaves provide an early and pleasant surprise.  That is, if some small creature doesn't nibble them off like last spring!  It continues to be a challenge to find plants that don't provide unintended food for the wildlife.  Yes, I could cover it with wire, but there would be a view of the armor rather than the leaves.

So the third bit of purple, though technically a lavender, is provided by the Thymus vulgaris 'Argenteus.'  Its normal summertime feature is the white edging on the leaves, in contrast to the gray thyme or yellow-green of the lemon thyme.  That all changes in the winter when the cold brings out this soft pinkish-lavender color.  I wanted to verify I had the right variety name, but none of the online nursery sites talked about this characteristic.  All of my notes confirm these plants are Argenteus, so there you are!  I won't claim to be the first to notice it, but in case anyone cares, this is something you will never know about when you buy your plants in the spring or summer.

The Penstemon also has nice, dark maroon/purple and green leaves, but nothing that looked like much in a photograph.  So that is all for now, though I will continue to search for more colors among the gray.

Catching Up in the Labyrinth

If the Redbud bush is blooming, then Spring must be on the way!  This is a Cercis Candensis 'Don Egolf' that I bought from the National Arboretum several years ago, and it is finally getting to a significant size.  Not that it won't get a lot larger.  This year, with the sudden shift to warm daytime and night time temperatures, it is blooming at the same time as the Serviceberry tree next to the shed.  Usually the Serviceberry is several days ahead. 

A few of the hellebores are visible at the base, and it looks like there is room for more.  I do have some that need to be moved out of the North Garden, and this spot has potential.  Of course, once the Redbud leafs out, they won't be able to be seen.  But that is the why they will fit - seen when blooming, blending into the background the rest of year.

I will be happy when the Redbud will be visible in this view, across from the other side of the labyrinth.  As it is, if you look closely, behind the tree trunk, the very tips of the branches.   Lots of the bulbs are up, including the new grape hyacinths and anemones in the front, pink and blue Dutch hyacinths, yellow and white daffodils.  We scattered the bulbs, hoping and expecting that they will multiply over the years, to become large clumps over time.  That is already happening with the daffodils that were put in a year ago, and it is very satisfying.

You can see the zoysia grass is just beginning to turn green.  I also hate to admit it, but some of that green is wild onions.  I need to mix up my nasty blend of RoundUp with dish detergent.  Using a cotton rag and wearing gloves, I wipe the leaves a few times, and the detergent strips off the waxy coating, allowing the weed killer to penetrate. It is slow, but over the years, I have radically eliminated most of the onions with using extensive amount of chemicals.

 Here is a close-up of one of the hyacinths behind the new growth of the false indigo, with a bright yellow/green ground cover.  The early spring colors for many things seem so much more intense than later in the year.  The fast growing foliage has a flush of color once the plants attain their full height and harden up for the intense heat and light that is coming up.  Very soon.  There will be turning back once the cold air is gone, and the sun become more intense.

Finally, there is a Spring ephemeral making its first appearance in bloom, planted last year with the hope it would match the catalog description.  This is a Ranunculus ficaria 'Brazen Hussy.'  Bought from the Plant Delights Nursery I am particularly delighted that it was introduced by Christopher Lloyd, whose garden, Great Dixter, captivated me many years ago.  I have learned a lot from his books, and am pleased to have a plant that he introduced into broad use in horticulture.

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