Garden Bloggers are The Best

Marian's Prunus mume 'Hokkai Bungo'
lovely cinnamon fragrance!

Hi!  Remember me?  Yes, I know it has been a while since posting my last missive.   Besides having had company for the last two weeks, I have been busy with driving (riding) to various military installations for a new ID card, organizing volunteers for our Home and Garden Show, and learning to play bridge.  One of the ladies in our neighborhood is teaching many of our neighborhood residents.  It has been fun so far.
Before life got all crazy busy I had the pleasure of visiting Marian, Hortiopia, who lives in Greenville, a short hour away.
Her front garden is on a slope and in the shade, quite lovely and full of many shade loving plants.  Marian, ever the generous garden, shared a big clump of Hellebores with me.  Wow!  Her back yard borders the Reedy River and has a lot of great wildlife.  Visit her blog to see more of her wonderful garden.

My visit was to talk about blogging as Marian is relatively new in the blogging world.  It was a nice visit, just like two friends getting together for lunch and a walk about the garden.   We talked gardens, birds (both love watching the birds), blogging, books, and the water we each live on.
Marian has the loveliest collection of gardening books.   Here she is next to the best collection of gardening books I have seen.   Again, this generous lady gave me a book by a friend of hers.   She was down to a precious few copies, and she shared one with me.

 Down to Earth a book  by Margot Rochester, written and published not too long before she passed away.  I have enjoyed reading through her book, wanting each plant she mentions.  I have added some Mexican Sunflowers to my garden -- ordered some seeds last month-- thanks to Marian and Margot.  

We hope to get together often --love having more garden bloggers close by!  

As you can see there are two books in the above photo.  Low Impact Low Carbon Gardening, a winning from Donna at Gardens Eye View.  Donna lives in Central New York, so her garden zone is quite different than mine, I thoroughly enjoy reading her blog.  Thanks Donna!  

Since my last post spring has come and then stalled here in South Carolina.    Many blooms have opened.  My Pieris japonica 'Valley Rose' has lovely pink buds and light pink blooms.  What a great shrub, while it is only about 8 inches tall, I have grand hopes for it in future years.

 Lots of daffodils are blooming, many of the white ones are blooming now.  Below is Narcissus 'White Marvel'  -- I was hoping I had it timed to bloom the same time the white fringe tree, Chionanthus retusus is blooming.   If the tree blooms soon I will have succeeded...though it doesn't look close to bloom time.

The banished to the garage Clivia miniata is in full bloom now.  Soon the warmer weather will allow me to repot it minus the nest of ants that caused it to be banished.

This is the time of year that the Loropetalum shrubs are blooming.   I wanted to share the difference of the two colors I have in the garden.  The one on the left is L. 'Ever Red' with its red blooms and burgundy foliage, love it!  The one on the right is L. Daruma, pink blooms and a green/red foliage, depending on how mature the leaf.

A spring post wouldn't be complete without the glorious Crocus blooming with the sun shining down, making them glow.   Crocus tommasinianus 'Ruby Giant'

Oh, remember the Home and Garden Show I mentioned earlier?  Well, I met another garden blogger at the show.  David from Pinewood Cottage Garden stopped by our Master Gardener booth and introduced himself.  What fun!!  We had talked of getting together, but I was surprised when he walked up and asked if I was the Queen of Seaford!  After a short conversation we agreed to visit each other's gardens once the weather allows spring to come into full swing.
I am sure spring is here...or very close.  I have found a number of ferns starting to emerge.  I believe this one is Woodwardia virginica, Virginia Chainfern.

Speaking of Virginia, below is one of the two Red Buckeye's  I brought with me from Seaford.  Both are doing well though this one looks as though it is going to bloom!  I await its bloom -- think it is going to be a hummingbird magnet!   Aesculus pavia

A new bulb in my garden is a miniature tulip.... Tulipa turkestanica, is blooming now.

Another garden blogger I have been planning to meet in Spartanburg is DJ from Meander Mountain.  DJ and Julie (Growing Days) and I have talked about a visit to Hatcher Gardens.  Garden blogging friends from the last fling getting together sounds like a good time doesn't it?

Our Red headed Woodpecker is a frequent visitor this winter.  Lately there are two.....doing a lot of fluttering around.  Could baby woodpeckers be coming?

On my way home from Marian's house I saw this ugly guy at the stop sign.  You will be happy that I cropped the photo to eliminate the road kill he and his buddy were working on.   These birds do a good job of cleaning up along the roadways.

As I said in an earlier post,  I will be working by way around to your blogs, catching up on my reading.   Time to get back into the routine of posting and reading.  I have missed you all.


©Copyright 2012 Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for The Queen of Seaford. words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.