Sweet Arnold

It will never be the most attractive plant in the yard.  It is not the brightest yellow nor the sweetest smelling.  In fact, if Arnold Promise showed its flowers in April or May we wouldn't give it much of a glance.  But what Arnold Promise does is to give us yellow blossoms with a lovely smell that really brightens up our January or February days.

Arnold Promise is a witch hazel hybrid, Hamamelis x intermedia so it is not a true native plant.  But it thrives in our mountains and gives us so much pleasure with the promise of spring.  (Wonder if that's why it's called Promise?)

The blossoms are not as prolific as Forsythia but right now it's the only thing blooming

 Our Arnold Promise is about six years old and about eight feet tall.  It is not a pretty shrub when it is little and unless a gardener tells you about it, you would not think to buy one.  They have bare twigs in the nursery since they will have already blossomed before the nurseries open for the spring.  Like an ugly duckling, it grows more attractive as it matures.

 Sweet witch hazel fills the air

 Arnold Promise is a slow grower and nurseries usually prefer plants easier to propagate.  So poor Arnold is not often seen and when he is seen, he tends to be overlooked amidst the more colorful plants.

 A true plant for the senses

Witch hazel has been used for centuries in many cultures.  The extract from boiling the bark and roots makes an ointment that is soothing for rashes and burns.  Barber shops used witch hazel as an astringent after shaves and hair cuts.  And the branches of witch hazel are the best ones for dousing (or divining) water.

But never mind the uses for witch hazel.  The thing that Arnold Promise delivers to us year after year is the wonderful sweet smell and bright yellow color of spring in the dead of winter.  And for that we are indeed grateful.

April Flowers

Cool weather has delayed spring around here.  And the ice last week made us fear damage to our plants, ready to blossom.  Fortunately, there was minimal damage.  A weekend filled with warm sunshine has popped everything out.

No damage on this beauty

But some did not do so well.

This white one was mostly spared

We love this one

And the bright yellow

Tiny blooms on the sage

And slightly damaged hellebores

Early bird songs with active courting antics are a sure sign.  We're waiting for the spring migration.  Oh, life is indeed good.

Lil' Ruby

Aunt Ruby is the single surviving sibling from my mother's family of seven girls and two boys.  She lived with us when I was very young and we were always close.  Since we  moved back to NC, I try to visit Aunt Ruby often and call her at least once every week.

She has tended a huge green plant for years.  It is so large that it reaches the ceiling and she has to get someone to move it for her.  It spends the summer on her porch and occupies most of the guest bedroom during the winter.  It is huge.  In October Aunt Ruby told me excitedly that her plant "had a baby," the second one in many years.  She said she had potted the "baby" for me and wanted me to have it.  I gulped as she said, "I don't know how many years I have left and this way you could have a little part of me."

I wanted to tell her that was a responsibility far too awesome.  (Not to mention that I tend not to have good luck with any house plants save African Violets.)  Aunt Ruby is active but she is elderly by any standards, so she does not have a lot of years left.  But the idea that the plant will represent her in some way is frightening indeed.  To make the "gift" even more burdensome is the fact that the plant is ugly.

But what could I say?  Except a gracious "thank you, I love it."  I made a visit to Aunt Ruby in late October and she proudly showed me the plant and gave me detailed instructions on re-potting, watering, fertilizing, etc.  When I got ready to leave, I tenderly placed the plant in my car.  As I started to drive away, my aunt called out, "Make sure you take good care of Lil' Ruby."  Lil' Ruby???  She has named the plant Ruby?  And I must care for it forever?

The plant had two leaves on it when I brought it to our house.  I put it near a window with south-eastern exposure and Lil' Ruby loves it there!  She has grown to a frightening degree and given me a new leaf already.

Little Ruby

The large leaf is more than 14 inches in diameter.

And still growing.

She ADORES my house!

I have no idea (nor does Aunt Ruby) what specific plant this is.  I suspect a type of Philodendron but only because I can't think of anything else it could be.  Every time I talk with Aunt Ruby, she asks about the plant as if it were one of my children.  She was delighted when I sent her a photograph of Ruby's new leaf.

So I'm stuck with a giant plant with an equally giant responsibility...to care for it and make it thrive at least as long as Aunt Ruby does.

I will share a secret with you.  I secretly call "Lil' Ruby" by a more appropriate name.  "Audrey II."

And Around the Front Yard

Plants are blooming all over the front yard.  Some are much earlier than usual due to the amazingly mild weather we have had.

The camellias often drop their buds but this year the blooming has been spectacular.  We are in a marginal zone for them but occasionally we get lucky.

One of the old fogeys with a stogie looks up at Lenten Roses.

This camellia has never bloomed before and gave us quite a surprise.

This bloom is on the lower part of the plant.

And this bloom is from the same plant.  About half the blossoms are pink and the others almost white.

Another old fogey, this one without a stogie.

We do have a lot of the old fogeys underneath the plants.

No southern yard is complete without at least one garden gnome.

At least this one brought his wheelbarrow and works.  BTW:  Did you know that these gnomes all have names and descriptions and many people collect them?  This one came with a family history!

St. Francis watches over all.  The vines that surround him will soon open to beautiful yellow blossoms.

I'll be taking a blogging break for a week or so.  We are finally able to get a DSL line so we will change from our wireless (inconsistent) provider to the DSL provider.  Definitely a change for the better because our location gives us a marginal wireless reception.  But still a pain as we make all the changes in email addresses, etc.  Have a wonderful week and a weekend filled with basketball as the teams head for the "Sweet Sixteen."

But It's Way Too Early

Daisy spends all her time outside along with several other pottery friends.  Even she is amazed.  But she doesn't seem at all concerned.  In fact, that is Daisy's most endearing feature.  No matter what the weather and no matter what the mood she still looks up at me with her happy friendly smile.

Why is Daisy amazed?  Because we have had too long a spell of above-normal temperatures.  While Daisy cannot be fooled by the weather, some of my favorite plants can.

Daisy makes me smile no matter what mood I am in.

The Lenten Roses are several weeks early around here.

We planted camellias knowing full well that we are on the cusp of their growing area.  Some years we see gorgeous blossoms and some years we see buds that get cold, turn brown, and drop off.  This week is far too soon for the camellias to have a chance.

 This bud is ready to burst forth.

 The limbs are heavy and full of buds.

 And we have some open blossoms!

So I will enjoy our flowers albeit a little early and I suspect for a shorter while.  The lengthy warm weather is a minor inconvenience to my plants.  It can be devastating to farmers and their fields and orchards.  Apple trees may blossom out only to be killed by a heavy freeze.  So, as much I have really enjoyed the warmer weather, we really need to get back to normal temperatures.  And soon.

Winter Flowers in the Snow

All day Monday, the rain poured down in buckets.  Inch after inch left runoffs, standing water in roads, and forced the rivers out of their banks.  Eight roads in our county were closed because of the flooding.

Two Golden Retrievers went through a lot of towels, coming back inside after the rainy trips out.  It was still raining when I went to bed on Monday night.  Imagine my surprise to awaken Tuesday morning to see everything coated white.

Snow dusted one of our favorite winter-blooming plants.  This mahonia is called "Winter Sun" or "Midnight Sun."  Bright yellow blossoms fill the plant this year and we enjoy watching the flowers and then the berries on this lovely plant.  The snow will not cause a problem because temperatures did not stay below freezing for very long.

These little yellow blossoms will turn into berries soon.

The snow clung to the trees with a light covering on the ground.  Fortunately the snow did not affect the roadways for long and with rising temperatures the snow was gone by evening.

Now THAT is the kind of winter snow we expect here during our mild winters.  Definitely not the 10-12-inch snows like the ones we have had during the past two winters.

This Year They Made It

Almost all our plants are native to the area.  There are several reasons for that.  The obvious one is that native plants are more likely to thrive with less intensive care.  Another is that we want to maintain a natural look to our yards.

We made an exception for one of my very favorite plants.  I love camellias.  We planted two of them knowing full well that we are on the border of their preferred regions.  Both plants have done well, despite the occasional pruning by the deer.  (BTW:  Deer do not know they don't eat certain plants.  Sometimes they come in large numbers.  One deer will take a bite and decide the plant is not good.  But do they communicate that to the other deer?  NO...every single deer has to take a bite as well.  Six deer can do a lot of damage to a plant they don't really like.)

The camellias have beautiful green foliage and that should be enough.  But occasionally there is more.  Every year, the camellias are loaded with huge buds promising beautiful blossoms to come.  And almost every year the weather decides otherwise.  Too often we see the lovely buds turn brown and fall off.  We know that is always possible...in fact likely.  Yet we remain hopeful that this may be the year.

Well, this is in fact the year.  The camellias, so filled with promising buds are now in glorious bloom.

I stop every time I pull into the driveway and admire the camellias.  What a wonderful bonus.  One of my favorite plants tells me spring is definitely here.  Oh, I know I will have to pull out the sweatshirts again.  I'll have to close the windows and turn on the heat again.  I know the weather we are enjoying is quite unseasonable.  But you know what?  I'm going to enjoy every single blessed day.

Mother Nature Will Win Every Time

When you live in the woods, you live close to nature. We have no grass and have carefully selected our plants. We have plants that are native to the area and generally not attractive to the deer, rabbits, and other nibblers.



There is an exception. I love camellias. I have loved them all my life. We live in an area that is not ideal for camellias. They are not native to the area. But I love them so we have them.



Every year we have tons of buds on our camellias. And every year they freeze, turn brown, and fall off. Fortunately, there are almost always three or four buds that make it to flower and warm my heart as winter comes to an end. This year we have six or seven flowers and more buds that might open.

The leaves of the camellia are a lovely green so even if we have no flowers we still enjoy the bushes. Not this year. I was too late with the deer deterrent and the lovely little beasts spent the evening munching on my camellia, stripping one side of this bush. I'm sure the leaves will return with no permanent damage.

I don't blame the deer. I'm sure they are grateful for the delicious treat I provided. They will no longer be interested in my camillias when I spread the deterrent and I will enjoy the few blossoms I have. Logic would tell me not to grow these lovely plants in our area. But logic doesn't appreciate my love for them. Every day I go out to admire the few blossoms. And sometimes, that is enough.

The Annual Divide

Several weeks ago our community garden club held its fall Great Divide. The gardeners re-pot all the divided plants every fall and offer them to neighbors. In the past, the plants were free. Unfortunately too many people came early and took far too many than the allowed two per family. As a result there weren't many choices for those of us who came to the event at the proper time. This year the club decided to charge a small fee for each plant and you wouldn't believe how much difference that made. These "freeloaders" were reluctant to pay a few dollars for a 25-dollar plant! It almost makes me wonder whether they actually planted their freebies in the past. It makes me sad to think they didn't.

Plants that deer aren't supposed to like are always a high priority around here. The club had a nice selection of deer "resistant" plants, but made it clear there is no such thing as a deer proof plant. (We found that out last year when the deer stripped our rhododendron buds.)

All of the artists selling their wares actually live in our little community. Gourd art is a really big hobby here and I am always amazed at the results. (I wish I'd taken a close-up of the turkey in the upper left.)

One of my favorites was this cut-out of autumn leaves.

We have several artists who carve decoys.

And quite a number of talented painters.

The divide always has a section for free glass. Anyone can drop off or pick up a vase or two.

We bought several beautiful fall-blooming plants. The girls were quite interested in them.

Lucy is our "sight" dog and she doesn't miss a thing in sight. Ellie is our "scent" dog and she catches all the smells. She is totally absorbed in this plant. I hope she will like it as much when it is planted.

If there was an election in your area yesterday, I hope you got out and voted. Further, I hope your candidate won.

Arnold Always Promises and Delivers

I rarely see a barber shop with its candy-striped pole any more, but when I was a little girl they were common. One of my earliest memories is that of going to the barber shop with my daddy. I loved the haircuts, shaves, and conversations. I loved the lollipop the barber always gave me. Most of all I loved the intoxicating smell of the witch hazel the barber used as an astringent.

It is not surprising then, that one of my very favorite plants is Arnold Promise, a bright yellow witch hazel. While very attractive, Arnold is not so interested in looking good. He does what few other plants will do. In February when other plants are sleeping, Arnold gets dressed up in his yellow finery and blooms for us. You can't imagine the excitement around here when Arnold begins to bloom. This blooming plant marks a passage of time for us.

Arnold's blossoms spread throughout the plant...bright yellow on bare stems. When enough blossoms are open, the heavenly fragrance wafts through the air and you no longer have to stick your nose in the plant to smell it. Your mood is uplifted the minute your walk outside.

Arnold has showy green leaves all summer. They turn a beautiful orange in the fall. If you live in the proper area, consider getting your own Arnold Promise witch hazel. It will bring more joy than even the first crocus or daffodil. I promise.