Today it's just photos of my winter garden. Obviously, this time of year, the focus is more on foliage than flowers. Winter is also a good time of year for succulents and for evergreen trees and shrubs. So today's photos reflect these garden conditions.
Helleborus argutifolius Pacific Frost. This speckled leaf variety features the same pale green flowers much beloved by those who covet the rare beauty of green blooms.
Nandina Firepower. This variety of Heavenly bamboo gets its variety name from the red leaves it produces, first in spring and then again in the colder winter months.
Lachenalia aloides Orange. Not sure where the 'orange' comes in as this cowslip's flowers are clearly bright pink with a light tip but in any case it's always one of the first of my Lachenalias to bloom.
Tillandsia tectorum. The most spectacular of all air plants (in my humble opinion). Spidery, pure silver leaves multiply over time and even though the flowers aren't dramatic, that foliage is to die for (this shot was taken under cloudy skies so doesn't accurately reflect how luminous the foliage is).
Good things come to those who wait. That's certainly true for my Duranta Gold Mound. It took forever for it to establish but now it makes for quite a commanding show of color year round.
I took this photo as much to show off this lovely ceramic pot as for the snapdragon it contains. Carefully chosen pots add their own sense of color to one's overall garden scheme.
My Erica canaliculata Rosea keeps adding more and more flowers. Bees adore the flowers so I'm very happy to have this winter bloomer around for them.
Anisodontea 'Strybing Sunset.' This lovely malva is just getting going (It was started from a 4" pot). Malvas can be prolific in both leaves and flowers, as my Sphaeralcea Newleaze Coral has proven.
Here's a full shot of my driveways bed out front. It gets all day sun so I've filled it mainly with Australian natives and succulents.
I mentioned foliage in my intro and this Coprosma Pina Colada is a great example of how to add color to a garden through use of foliage.
Callunas are, like Ericas, types of heather and here is my Calluna Firefly. It sports attractive dark foliage in the winter time, providing a nice contrast to the predominant greens of other shrubs.
Chamaecyparis Barry's Silver. One of my favorite dwarf conifers, in large part due to its silvery green foliage.
Here's a close-up shot of my dwarf conifer bed. I also refer to it as my Japanese garden, as many of these conifers are found in traditional Japanese gardens. And though not visible here, I have two pieces of Japanese statuary and some mossy rocks to complement the look of the conifers.
Adenanthos sericeus. Better known as Wooly bush, this Aussie native has the softest foliage imaginable. And though you need to look closely, it does indeed bloom, producing tiny orange tubular flowers.
Though the lack of sun and the slight overexposure of this shot doesn't show the beauty of this Camellia reticulata Frank Hauser's flowers off to best effect, I'm including it anyway. The combo of the wavy petals and that rich color make these flowers one one of the most striking in any garden.
Microlepia strigosa (Lace fern) is one of my favorite ferns. As you can see, it's also an evergreen species. A classic looking fern!
Camellia hybrid 'Winner's Circle.' This Nuccios Nursery selection is very hard to find, if you can find it at all. A semi-double with ruffled leaves, it features a yummy orchid pink color. Spectacular!
Finally, here's a new piece of art added to my garden. The body is made of glass and the rest is metal. Very intriguing.
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