Our yard is planned so that there is something blooming almost all year round. One of our favorite winter bloomers is mahonia japonica, also known as grape holly. These shrubs start blooming in December and continue until March. The yellow blossoms are a delight for the eyes and the sweet odor fills the yard.
Here is the mahonia last year
Fragrant blossoms that turn into clusters of berries
Unfortunately, this year's freezing weather did a lot of damage to these lovely plants. They are very brown and we are uncertain whether or not they will survive.
This year
Dried up and sad
Time will tell how much of the plants are salvageable. One thing for certain. If we lose them we will definitely replace them. The winter fragrance alone is worth the effort. But I do so hate to lose one plant, much less three.
9 comments:
So nice to have fragrant flowers in winter. When we visit Santa Cruz, our old home town, I'm reminded why we loved it so much in winter. Flowers everywhere. So beautiful and a wonderful balance to the short days and long nights. I hope your grape hollies survive and thrive to bloom again next winter.
Good luck! Hope they aren't dead... just stunned. I'm hoping the same thing for my brown plants. They have definitely been shocked and stunned this winter!
I know how you feel about your plants. I do hope they come back….such a welcome punch of color for your winters.
Oh dear, it does look sad but I have seen worse make a comeback. Here's hoping.
I hope they make it! They sound (and smell but I don't say that from personal experience) fabulous. Our surroundings are completely natural, minus a few hydrangea and lily's planted by the previous owner. We don't have any winter bloomers.
You live in an amazing place if you can keep plants beautiful all year around!!! I sure hope that holly recovers. It sounds like a real joy (most years) near the end of a long winter.
I had never heard of these plants before reading your post. Hope you get a survivor in the group.
That would be sad if none of the three make it! I don't believe I have ever seen the plant. It would be a wonderful thing to have that color for the winter months.
Thanks for your comments, everyone.
KB - Yes, we are lucky. But then you have those wonderful columbines and spring wildflowers.
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