Some of the prettiest things in the garden aren’t plants–these ceramic mushrooms are pretty awesome.  Leon made them all and he continues to add to the grouping.  These are a great solution for this area that hasn’t been easy for growing anything very ornamental.

More toadstools along the fence.

A different view, showing all the different fungi.

The old Hellebore that friends Bonnie and Pam gave us maybe fifteen years ago still blooms reliably.  It is an amazing deep red color.

I take entirely too many pictures of the Masdevallias in the greenhouse, but how can I resist.  Especially welcome this time of year, when dreary days pile one on top of the other, I love stepping in to see these electric wonders.

Close-up.

 

Clivia miniata is a beautiful spring burst of color.  A few of them are early this year, but the rest are just budding now, so I should have flowers February through April.

Holiday cacti are still blooming, too.

 

Mom’s Cymbidium blooming in the greenhouse.

Older flowers on a different plant of Mom’s Cymbidium.  At least four of these plants have bloomed or are blooming in the greenhouse.

The pastel Clivia clone hasn’t opened any new flowers lately.  I watered everything in the greenhouse today.

A different holiday cacti flower.

Slightly different view.

Veltheimia budding up in the greenhouse.

Aloinopsis rubrolineata, grown from seed four or five years ago–getting a flower for the very first time!

Osmanthus in a pot starting to bloom.  The fragrance isn’t out yet, though–maybe all the rain washed the sweet smell away!

I pulled a few pots out of the cold frame of forced bulbs–they are looking pretty yellow, but should green up in the next few days and they should all bloom nicely.

Kalettes have finally formed on this odd plant.  I’m not exactly sure what to do with these!

Close up of the Kalettes.  They are kind of cool…

One of the veggie raised beds.  This one has all the garlic in it, including the elephant garlic I planted last fall.

Species crocus budding up in the Doug fir bed.

A different species tulip in the Doug fir bed–amazing color.

Another crocus bloom with Baltic ivy behind.

 

Group of species crocus in the Doug fir bed.  They weren’t open because the sun wasn’t bright enough.

Hellebore from Plant Delights blooming in the Doug fir bed.

Unfortunately, the flowers face down and the soil has sunk in that garden, so it isn’t easy to look in the flowers.  Maybe on a sunnier day they will open up more.

Stepping back with the camera, you can see that the plant is about two and a half feet wide.

Daphniphyllum seedling looking cold, but alive in the Doug fir bed.  This seedling is at least five years old and was planted out about two years ago.

The Hellebore from brother Tim is just getting flowers near the drain pipe at the front of the house.  This plant is easily two feet across.

Crocus next to the planting bed in the front of the house.

More crocus pics.

Another view.  These beauties weren’t shy today, despite the spotty sunshine.

Stepping back, the bloomiferous crocus against the brick.

I pruned the clematis and the climbing rose on the Jeff Tangen arbor today, and I have the scars to prove it!  This rose is very vigorous and I cut it back pretty viciously to get it to stick closer to the arbor and bloom better.

Tag to record the type of cherry in the right driveway bed–this is Vandalay.

Not a clear picture, but you can make out the many flower buds expanding on Vandalay.

Tag of the Morello cherry in the right driveway bed.

Flower buds on Morello.

Tag for Tangy Green apple.

Tangy Green columnar apple.

Slugs have have been after the primroses in the garden, but a few flowers are still showing.

Flower buds on the Beauty plum in the orchard bed.

Swelling buds on the Glacier cherry in the orchard bed.

Daphne laureola blooming under the Camellia near the north fence.  I rooted out about five or six seedlings from these weedy daphnes, but I do love the fresh leaves and the flowers.  I think they would be great for containers.

Blackberry bud on Apache.

Another shot of crocus flowers.  These were tough to ignore.

Bodhi and Mona were helping me out in the garden by warning me whenever any dog or person (or leaf) moved within their sight.  They got cold, though, and I had to let them in the house after an hour or so.

Close-up of Bodhi.

 

Ready to go inside–and letting me know about it.