Blooms in January

One of the reasons I love living in the Northwest is that you can have interesting things happen in your garden year round. I planted some galanthus bulbs last fall, which are starting to bring life to our front walk. Some hellebores were already in the garden when we bought the house and it's exciting to see them bloom in the middle of winter. Our camellia tree is covered in flower buds that should bloom any day now. The pulmonaria that I got from a friend and didn't expect to bloom this winter is loaded with little pink flowers.

While I appreciate all the beauty in my garden, I can't wait for spring. I can already see mysterious sprouts from perennial bulbs of the past. I've ordered hostas and designed two shade gardens for under our camellia tree and another under a conifer in the backyard. Anytime I have a minute to spare, I open our laptop and browse the web for container planting ideas. My friend, Amy, and I are planning on going to the Northwest Flower and Garden Show in February, and I'm sure that event will put me completely over the edge.

How did this happen? I've never been much of a gardener, and frankly, I probably laughed at gardeners as old-fashioned and uncool in the past. All I know is that I love seeing the life that our garden provides whether through plants or the animals and insects that find refuge in our mini-habitat. As I've gotten older, a garden is both a therapeutic exercise in teaching me patience but also helps me relax when the world outside seems chaotic and overwhelming.

2009 is the "Year of the Garden", and I will post lots of pictures of my work and the rewards throughout the year. To get us started, here are a few images of what I love in January:

The Galanthus, or Snowdrop, Flower

Green Hellebore

Another View of the Hellebore


Pulmonaria Doin' Its Thang...

Inside the house, I forced some Paperwhite bulbs.

More Paperwhites

Now let's just hope my dog-child doesn't kill anything...