Winter Cheer

My experience so far in Middle Georgia has been that, even among the people that like to garden, most only garden in the summer time. The most popular garden plants are crapemyrtles, azaleas, petunias, and geraniums--all plants that bloom while it's warm outside. Being from South Florida, I don't care much for the cold, but I love the outdoors and can't imagine not spending at least a little time in my garden every week, if only to see what's in bloom. I make sure to plan my garden accordingly, so there's always some beauty to enjoy in my garden.

I used to love pansies until I moved to Georgia. You can't really grow pansies in South Florida, but here, they are all you see in commercial plantings from November to April. To make matters worse, people often use these pansy color mixes that combine bright colors at random like a bad '80s outfit. When I ran across some pansies in a lovely shade of red, though, the color was so pretty and so unusual, that I took home a six-pack to brighten up my beds. Maybe I'll have to re-evaluate my view of pansies.

I really love how violas spill out of a pot, so this year I filled up two small pots for my patio. I remembered planting bulbs among the pansies while working at Callaway Gardens, so I decided to try giving my violas an extra punch by planting some tulip bulbs first (tulips like to be planted at a depth that's three times the size of the bulb) and adding the violas on top. Tulips really prefer colder climates, but there are a couple of species that tolerate Macon's mild climate better than others. Of course, those were not the kinds of tulip bulbs they actually sold at Lowe's or Home Depot around here (I'll have to remember to order bulbs next fall), but at least the bulbs were half off when I bought them. Even if they don't emerge beautifully in the spring, at least I only spent a couple of dollars on my experiment.

I planted the tulip bulbs (left) under the violas (right).
Here's hoping they emerge as pretty as the picture!

I couldn't imagine our first Christmas in our house without a few lights outside and a wreath on the door. I thought I might be creative and make my own wreath this year, but in the end I decided to save time when I saw a lovely fresh wreath at Home Depot. With a mind on the budget, we kept our outdoor Christmas decorations simple, but I'm pleased with how it turned out.

Merry Christmas!

Fall planting

Most people get planting fever in springtime or late winter, when the first warm days arrive after the long months of cold. In Middle Georgia, though, where spring is short and summer is long, many plants are happier being planted in the fall. By planting in fall, the plants have many months to grow strong and healthy before the grueling summer hits. Even in December, a heavy frost is still unlikely for a while. (For example, the highs have been in the 70s this week!)

Unfortunately, plants are harder to find in the fall. I went hunting at my local garden centers, and the particular perennials I was looking for simply were not available. You can usually get some good deals on shrubs that need a little TLC, though. Last fall I purchased a camellia & a rose at half-price. This year I got a similar deal on a 'Twist-n-Shout' hydrangea. Unlike most hydrangeas which only bloom for a couple of weeks out of the year, this variety is supposed to bloom all summer. Mine still had a bloom on it when I planted it in October.

Endless Summer^® Twist-n-Shout^® Bigleaf Hydrangea

Even though I didn't buy much, I still had plenty to plant! The same friends that gave me cuttings from their yard also dug up/divided many of their self-propagating plants, including irises, bugleweed (Ajuga reptans 'Bronze Beauty'), hostas, elephant ear, and ferns. I planted in October and early November, and they all put out new growth before the cold slowed them down (as you can see in the pictures below). I also divided some lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) which was a gift from a previous year.  I can't wait for them all to take off when the warm weather returns in full force in the spring! (Maybe then I can figure out exactly what species/varieties I have.)

Happy gardening!