Bogturtle's Garden- December 2022

This really tall Hydrangea has colored nicely. It blooms with white flowers that smell a lot like Johnson's Baby Powder. Strangely missing from my spreadsheet, it does not ring a bell. 

Zenobia pulverulenta 'Blue Form' has bluish green foliage, but turns these beautiful colors and keeps these deep into Winter. The Dusty Zenobia is a southern wetlands plant, and the only member of its Genus, to my knowledge. A truly rare shrub. Mine seldom gets much Sun, being overshadowed by a big Holly. It contrasts nicely with the almost evergreen Epimedium under it. 

Another shrub that has been here for decades, the Nandina domestica, or Heavenly Bamboo, form called 'Harbor Dwarf'. It keeps this color for much of Winter, and I think it is evergreen, but has never had flowers or berries.

I suppose most of these leaves will drop from this small Cotoneaster.  It does show some browsing from Deer, as they seem to be getting a little bolder. It's in the little rock garden right by the truck and car. Chosen because it is a dwarf, it is either C. adpressa 'Little Gem' or C. a. 'Tom Thumb'.

Mahonia 'Charity' keeps blooming, even as the weather gets below freezing on many a night.

One of the trio of Hamamelis, or Witch Hazel hybrids, and this one is named 'Rochester'. The earliest blooming sort I know of. Just beginning to open. Particularly annoying in leaf retention, but, for some reason, that's less this year. 

Between the trio of WitchHazels and the lawn, the far too vigorous colored bark Dogwood is colonizing. Into both the 3 trees and the lawn, if I let it. Bright branches are cut to add to the Christmas decorations out of doors here and at church. Cornus sanguinea 'Midwinter Fire'.

This pale deciduous Rhododendron held the attraction most rare things do to me. The pinkish purple normally colored shrub might have orange and red tinted foliage, now. This rarer white-flowered form of Korean native that blooms at the very end of Winter or earliest Spring, on leafless branches. R. mucronulatum 'Album'. Perfection escapes us, as, too often, the beautiful flowers are blasted by really cold weather, but if they, fortunately, escape the heavy frost.............. 

This native Chokecherry, Prunus arbutifolium, I think, carries brilliant red leaves. Sparse in the shade of the Dogwood, but it stands out against the Rhododendrons in front of the house. A special sort is sold, known for its brilliant Fall leaves, P. a.'Splendissima', and that is planted back by the little pool. Never a grand show for me at all, but it, also, is in considerable shade. The Chokecherries come in various heights and are much under-utilized in landscaping.  Fine white flowers in Spring, fine Fall color, usually, and worthy of much wider use. Not prone to buy so many new plants, but a ground hugging variety, that seems new, is interesting, and a sort 'Viking' is, apparently, a source of edible fruit. 

The Winter or February Jasmine is blooming. Jasminium nudiflorum. It's on the fence surrounding the pool deck. A rambling, scrambling tall ground cover trained on the lattice fence. Odorless flowers hardly more than half an inch across. Most likely fully in bloom by February. A little blurry because I was holding it up and might not be perfectly steady. 

Underused landscaping shrubs, the evergreen Barberry, or Berberis come in a good number of varieties. Some too tender for my 7A zone. But B. 'William Penn' has been here for many years. A little thin, now, being too well shaded by the deciduous Edgeworthia shrub, and what are, perhaps, two year old leaves have turned scarlet, before they eventually fall. 

Beautifully settled in, this Epimedium sulfureum has colored a little, for Winter. By February they look bad, and I string trim them down, to allow the cloud of yellow flowers to show. Expensive, slow growing, and I have never seen seed offered, but taller than the Periwinkle that makes the dark green, shining carpet in much of our woods. Epimedium takes over from the Periwinkle or inhibits its spread. Periwinkle looks good, all year, and has early violet colored flowers sprinkled on it. But it is a strongly invasive pest, weed, where unwanted. 

I assume the time is accurate, while it could be an hour off, because of daylight saving or no. Several deer, last night, but seeing them in the daytime is less common. Caught, also, on the trail camera by the barn/toolshed, but those videos last 20 seconds and blogger does not tolerate that length. Fat and healthy. Still looking for one with antlers.

Likely not to continue a lot of these, as, around 3 fifteen, in the afternoon, a group of 4 trailed in front of this camera.  Did not post, but they were not unusual in appearance, and as healthy looking as this one.

Just down the road on the most serene and quiet Winter day. Hardly a vehicle seen or heard, and only the distant rattle of the Belted Kingfisher. At the high tide, and not yet turned. The New Jersey the millions never see, as they swing through. Over the years I have seen a rare Beaver, Otter and Mink.

An unclear photo, but showing the very first of the blooms opening on the Wintersweet or Chinmonanthus praecox. The most ordinary looking shrub, with hanging leaves and nothing to commend it, other than its beautiful odor in this most frigid part of the year. Soon to be in fuller bloom, I will show better photos in the new year. Dull, straw colored blooms with a maroon center. A pure yellow sort exists, C. p. 'lutea', but people say the odor is not so remarkable or powerful.