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Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - March 2017

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day is hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens on the fifteenth of each month as a painless way of keeping a bit of a monthly journal of blooms from year to year and as an opportunity for us to see what's blooming in different climates around the world.  Be sure to see her blog for her own blooms and for links to those of other participating bloggers.

Hellebores are in full swing in my zone 8 Washington state garden.  Sorry about sharing so many pictures of them but they're so darned gorgeous.









Snowdrops will be bloomed out soon.

Daphne odora

Seems like there used to be quite a few yellow crocus around here somewhere but now the expanding clumps seem to be all purple.

Stachyurus praecox lost a lot of buds during our big freeze but is still putting on a nice show.
 Fall planted pansies.

Camellias


Narcissus 'Tete-a-Tete' just began opening.  

Viburnum x bodnantense 'Dawn'

Rosemary

Species tulips planted a couple of years ago returned in the hell strip.

Lonicera fragrantissima

Euphorbia wulfenii

Arctostaphylos

The patch of lawn violets that I'm hoping will take over the grass entirely.

Meanwhile, in the greenhouse...

Several abutilons are blooming.

A Christmas cactus.

Having been very busy recently, I didn't have time to visit the greenhouse for a couple of weeks.  One can get away with that sort of thing in the winter but not so much in the summer.  When I did go out, a delightful surprise awaited.

Kalanchoe manginii came home with me from Marbott's Nursery in Portland a couple of summers ago and was gorgeous.  However, last year it was beseiged by aphids, part of the plant died and it only put out one bloom.  I'm glad now that I didn't give up on it. a three foot curtain of blooms and healthy foliage.  Hooray!

Because one side died, it's a bit lopsided but I'l try to fix that once it's done blooming. 

Happy GBBD everyone!

27 comments:

  1. It's pretty cool when plants thrive on a bit of neglect. It's been hard to get photos of blooms in all this rain, but I did manage a couple. I'll post them later today. Happy GBBD!

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  2. Your Hellebore spread is pretty impressive and I love that pale yellow one! I now have a grand total of three, one acquired this spring. I'm determined to follow in your early-spring-flower footsteps. Happy Bloom Day, Peter!

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  3. Hellebores are beautiful! They deserve the spotlight
    Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!

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  4. I never tire of Hellebores or pictures of them. And that rosemary! Alas, all there is here are frozen tips of snowdrops sticking out of the snow.

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  5. You do have a lot of Hellebores! And managed to get a good shot of the Rosemary, something I have never been able to do. Love love love that Kalanchoe!

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  6. So many blooms! Do abutilons flowers all season long? "Didn't have time to visit the greenhouse for a couple of weeks" is just crazy talk. Or maybe that space is so magical to us readers because we don't have to actually do any work in it? :)

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    1. I enjoy being in the greenhouse but was just crazy busy there for a while. Abutilons do seem to flower endlessly although the ones outside usually take a break during the coldest months.

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  7. The Kalanchoe manginii is quite the sight. Any fragrance?
    You can't ever have to many Hellebores. My Hellebore silver dollar died this winter, maybe because it was in a pot. It's the first Hellebore that ever died on me.
    I'm enamored with the color scheme of the Arctostaphylos; it's So lovely.

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    1. No Kalanchoe fragrance but when the blooms dry, they still look interesting and when the breeze causes them to hit each other, they make a sweet tinkling sound.

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  8. What hellebore and camellia Peter. Happy GBBD!

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  9. You have so many gorgeous blooms! I dream of having a greenhouse one day :) The Stachyurus praecox is lovely!

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  10. I think I I zone-envy. ;) So many lovely plants.
    Kalanchoe manginii looks like a hundred little lanterns. Gorgeous!

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  11. Don't apologise for too many hellebores.. they only happen once a year!

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  12. I love the Stachyurus against the bamboo. Wish I had set aside space for a bamboo grove. Maybe in the next garden. That kalanchoe is stunning. I'm with you. I'd rather have those violets than lawn.

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  13. I'll have to check our violets! I hear there will be a gap in the rain tomorrow. Maybe I can get out to look around.
    Your photos are wonderful, as usual!

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  14. Oh my your Hellebores are just fabulous Peter , but that Kalanchoe ...I may need smelling salts.

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  15. That Kalanchoe is magnificent, Peter! As to the hellebores, they put my 3 flowers to shame. I wonder if it would help if I scattered ice cubes around the base of my hellebores to mimic a colder winter? It didn't work with the herbaceous peonies but maybe hellebores are easier to fool?

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  16. Oh wow - I missed Bloom Day... :( Bummer... Anyway, I love the Kalanchoe from Marbott's - very cool! And, I saw a Stachyrus without leaves today, and was trying to figure out if it was S. praecox or S. chinensis. After seeing yours, I think it's probably praecox. :)

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  17. So many beautiful flowers! I'd love to know what kind of manzanita that is.

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    1. Me too but I lost the tag years ago and am not familiar enough with the family to identify it.

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  18. We can take any amount of hellebore photos Peter, they are gorgeous! Your Kalancho is amazing, a curtain of blooms, maybe some plants thrive on neglect, whatever you did, it must be right!

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  19. There are never too many photos of Hellebores and I enjoyed all the varieties you have Peter. I have one variety, 'Shooting Star' and that's not nearly enough! Your camellia are also gorgeous!

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  20. Your collection of hellebores are gorgeous. Those double blooms are giving me a bad case of the wants. I always admire camillias too. I haven't had any luck with them in my zone 6. Happy GBBD.

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  21. I also would applaud a Violet (but not violent) takeover of my lawn. Love the big patch of purple Crocuses!

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.