Fragrant on the First- February

I know many of you have had freezing temps, snow, and plain ugly weather.  Here in the Upstate of South Carolina this winter has been really mild.   Fragrant blooms in the garden are continuing to shine, so without further adieu, here is my presentation of February's fragrant blooms.

Daphne odora aureomarginata

Close up of the VERY fragrant blooms, Daphne odora aureomarginata

I have two Daphnes, both were the small size when I bought them....now the one in the top photo is about a third larger than the one in the second photo.

Hamamelis vernalis, Ozark witch hazel

This witch hazel is a new plant, only about 24 inches or so tall.  Can't wait for future years to have a nice large clove-y fragrant shrub along the driveway.

Narcissus 'Grand Soleil d'Or' yellow paperwhites, now along the driveway, happy after the recent rainfall

Osmanthus fragrans, Tea Olive, has been blooming since early fall

Rosmarinus officinalis, Rosemary,  great shrub if you have the room

Now for some photos of last month's bloom -- it is growing more and more fragrant as more of these little tubular blossoms open.  Oh how I wish there was Smell-O-Vision.  I love this plant so much I bought another for an area by the front door in a large container.  The front door has a small alcove, the fragrance greets you as you go in or out....heavenly.

Edgeworthia chrysantha

Edgeworthia chrysantha

Edgeworthia chrysantha

And finally, some of my Hyacinths are starting to bloom.  In one area the Hyacinths have multiplied to a nice clump, can't wait for them to bloom!

Hyacinth 'Jan Bos' 

  What do you have blooming on February 1st?
©Copyright 2012 Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for The Queen of Seaford. words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.

A Warm and Balmy January Bloom Day

This winter has been so mild for those of us in the Upstate of SC.  Today I was able to plant two crabapple trees, Malus 'Red Silver' and M. 'Golden Hornet' and two Spirea van houttei that I ordered in November.  While working in the yard I was happy to see my Daphne odora 'aureomarginata' was starting to bloom.    I thought I would walk around the yard and get a few photos of all that is blooming today.  Carol from May Dreams Gardens has the Garden Bloggers Bloom Day each month on the 15th.  Be sure to check out what is blooming from other bloggers.

Ozark witch hazel -- fragrance of cloves
Hamamelis vernalis

This is the first year to have this one in my garden (note the dog hair!)

Osmanthus fragrans still blooming and fragrant

Drain field-  see the Paperwhites?

Here they are, Narcissus 'Grand Soleil d'Or'
They are so small, will move them along the driveway soon.

Distyllium myricoides is starting to open, a member of the witch hazel family

Camellia sasanqua 'Yuletide' has been blooming since October!

Daphne odora 'aureomarginata' Heavenly scent

Helleborus x ballardiae 'HGC Pink Frost'

Edgeworthia chrysantha with a visitor

Bee in midflight

See those orange bundles of pollen?

Paperwhites with Ajuga 'Black Scallop'

Rosemarinus officinalis in bloom

My new garden art with blue bottles, adding a little color to the shady part of the garden.

From another view.

Thanks for joining me to see what is blooming in my garden.

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

A Treat in the New Year

Every winter I marvel at the Paperwhites that bloom through December and January.

Challenges and May Blooms

Thought I would share one of the frustrations I have in my garden. I find these all over the garden...often where once there was a plant. I have moles and voles. The moles are carnivorous creatures-- going after everything from earthworms to grubs. The voles are vegetarian and will eat bulbs, (though not Narcissus) perennials, annuals, and even shrubs and small trees. To add to the subterranean wildlife we also have short-tailed shrews! One of the dogs heard/ smelled something in the garden and dug a hole in the Delosperma. Out popped a shrew!! These guys are about the size of a vole, but like moles they are carnivores. They tunnel though, therefore, more traffic lanes for the voles to travel!
See the two holes?

I do have lots in bloom this time of year, in spite of the voles. In the backyard in the L** Memorial Butt Garden, I have a couple roses. One is the parent of the swingset shrub rose, origins and name unknown. The other is the last of the rugosas. After floods and then heavy equipment putting in riprap, some of the rugosas died. This little beauty is Rosa rugosa 'Pink Grootendorst'.


Though not blooms, the hostas are all coming up and filling in. I like mixing different varieties of hostas. The Tradescantia mix adds more foliage interest. Some of the hosta are named, others not. There is Hosta 'Cadet Blue', H. 'Bressingham Blue', H. Frances Williams' and friends.... :-)



The right side of the house has a Honeysuckle mass that marks our property line. Though it is an invasive, it seems to stay put. You just can't beat the fragrance as the breeze carries the scent across the yard.


One the other side of the house is my Confederate Jasmine, Trachelospermum jasminoides, a nice evergreen vine with a sweet little flower in the spring. It is trellised with flattened old tomato cages, now almost hidden. It is creeping over and through the fence.

This past fall I forgot to spread my poppy seeds... oops! Lucky for me some reseeded on their own. I had one bloom waiting for me when I got home.


Almost a groundcover now, is a Dwarf Cranesbill, a true Geranium.



The Spirea japonica 'Goldflame' is just about to bloom. Another color interest -- this plant gives and gives.

I can't believe all the typos I had this morning...I apologize to those who have a critical eye.... guess I needed more coffee!
To check out my "Iris" go to my music page.

January blooms and berries

The paperwhites always surprise me. The first couple years I had forgotten they were planted by the back garage door. This time of year the rain really takes its toll on this area as the downspout empties next to it. The mole made a few tunnels under this garden but as paperwhites are in the Narcissus family, the voles leave them alone.

The true show stopper in the corner garden is the Nandina domestica. The berries are plentiful and seem to just pop. I will transplant some of the more mature seedlings from under the bush to another location this spring.