Yes, it's supposed to be random Friday but why wait to share the joy. I have the same philosophy when it comes to egg nog, fruit cake, and cookies; why wait until Christmas, they put this stuff on the shelves in October for a reason and who are we to postpone the enjoyment of it all. Life's getting shorter every day. This also explains why the only clothes I feel comfortable in of late are sweats, but I digress. Here, without further ado are some shots of things in my garden that made me smile when I saw them.
The golden winter sun shining on the buds and branches of Paulownia tomentosa with real live blue sky in the background.
Dried seed heads of lunaria annua. Yes it's a weed but I always allow a couple to grow because they are kind of sweet!
I got this fern in a pot this summer, was told that it's evergreen and is called fan fern. This doesn't look anything like any of the fan ferns I've seen online. It's certainly evergreen and very pretty. The saying ignorance is bilss must true as I'm a very happy person. Anyway, if you know what the real name of this fern is, please let me know. (I promise to still be happy.)
The gold culms of Phyllostachys bambusoides 'Allgold' always make me happy to be alive and they're this color year round!
Late fall through spring are the only times of the year that buddha and the gunnera leaf are visible behind my pond. The rest of the year, the magnolia leaves mostly obscure this view. I leave it because the magnolia blooms with the blue leaf and buddha make quite a lovely combination.
Yup, it's an Alberta Spruce in a gallon pot. This Christmas, I decided not to decorate because I'm basically a grinch and a sloth. My sister who lives in Alaska and, like our mother, decorates everything that doesn't move decided that I simply couldn't let a Christmas pass without some sort of decoration. Came a box to my door this advent from Jackson and Perkins containing this sweet little tree tarted up to look like one of those ladies of a certain age that wear purple hats, red boas and the like. I put it on our coffee table and plugged it in. Voila, instant Christmas along with a reminder that I'm also of a certain age. After enjoying the tree for a respectable period of time, I rescued it from it's festive garb and placed it outside.
Here's a picture from the Jackson and Perkins website. See why it makes me smile?
My ilex verticulata finally produced berries this year. It's been a 15 year wait but the berries look amazing in front of the oh so blue Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Van Pelt's Blue.'
I guess I need to put on my raincoat and go outside to see if there's anything worth smiling about in my garden...
ReplyDeleteWe could smile because we don't live in Truth or Consequences NM where your recent pictures showed pictures of extraordinarily dry landscapes!
DeleteThat tree is sooo tacky it's cool!
ReplyDeleteI like this random happiness feature. We have a sunny day and lots of work to do in the garden so I will smile at the results.
It's the first Christmas tree I'd ever seen that was wearing a boa! I kept all of the doo dads and the ornamental pot so that next year I can re live the magic.
DeleteYea for a sunny day and time to be able to work in the garden! Hope you have lots of fun!
Glad you're happy...now I am, too.
ReplyDeleteI want to be happy but I won't be happy 'til I make you happy too!
DeleteSuch a happy, positive post, it made me smile :)
ReplyDeleteYea! Glad to pass a smile your way!
DeleteCongested soft shield fern?
ReplyDeleteI have a couple of cone shaped Coprosma 'Karo Red' in red pots that I gave my spouse for Valentine's Day. I draped them in beaded garland, and added a tiny star on top. They weren't as gay as your tree, but they looked charming on the front porch.
Oh....and women of a certain age wear red hats and purple boas. My sister, the miliner, says they've ruined the market for red hats. They only want silly cheap ones, and no one else wants them at all.
Much like Congested soft shield fern but there is a fanning out at the top of the frond rather than the usual tapering to a point.
DeleteYour decorated Coprosmas sound like a delightful Valentine's Day gift!
Sorry about the red hat market! Red is such a lovely color for smart hat!
Loved seeing all that made you happy. I didn't know the money plant was a weed. I've always wanted one.
ReplyDeleteI love money plants and have inherited them in my last couple of gardens. They're biennial and do seed around quite a bit but are easily pulled. I love the magenta flowers at late tulip time!
DeleteP.S. remind me in the fall and I'll save seeds if you'd like some.
DeleteYour bamboo brightened my day. I have been cooped away, rolled up in the fetal, and trying to convince myself it will eventually warm up.
ReplyDeleteIt will warm up someday! In the meantime, enjoy a long nap (say for the next couple of months.) but do poke your head out on February 2 and let us know if you see your shadow or not.
DeleteI don't think of money plant as a weed! I've purchased the dried branches to use in arrangements.
ReplyDeleteIt is beautiful but because it grows effortlessly in alleys and abanoned places it isn't held in high esteem by some folks. Funny isn't it that we want tough plants but when they oblige us, we think less of them. Fickle people!
DeleteAhh, I have a weak spot for Lunaria as well...especially during winter.
ReplyDeleteThose seed heads catch the sun (when we get it) so beautifully.
DeleteWhat a lovely post. It's so nice to reflect on things that make us happy in the garden instead of always thinking about the next project, the next weekend of weeding. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing what made you happy--and now, you've inspired me to spend some time thinking the same about my garden. Thank you! (Our poor Buddha lost his head in an unfortunate incident involving a garden hose. We need a new Buddha.)
ReplyDeleteYikes! Buddha lost his head? Was it a clean break? Could it be glued back together? Could you put a funky head on in it's place like the face of Bozo the Clown, an animal or something from a religious statue? If he's seated, could he be holding his head in his lap? So many possibilities! Yup, thinking about what makes me smile in my yard is a great way to avoid actually doing all of the work that it needs to have done.
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