My favorite things that happened this winter

Who says winter in New York has to be a time of rest for the garden? Okay ... outside the garden is definitely in major hibernation mode. The yard is covered in an impermeable sheet of icy snow that is going to take a massive effort on Mother Nature's part to melt. But it will eventually (probably March).

Inside the house, there has been so much life and so really joyful plant milestones! 

My first year with a Vireya Rhododendron - These tropical blooms are so cheery. It's an easy plant that gives so much more than it takes

My Passiflora edulis bloomed inside the house & the fruit from the summer ripened. It tasted delicious!

My tree fern almost died ... but it's back! Tree ferns make me nervous. My Australian Tree Fern lost every leaf in November, but flushed back beautifully in December and January when I started to water more frequently (and top water).

The YELLOW Bird of Paradise finally bloomed. I bought this plant in 2018 and honestly didn't know for sure if it would be truly yellow or just a plain orange that's mislabeled. But to my surprise it was indeed yellow! (Peep the Queen's Tears Bromeliad)

In this first photo the yellow bird of paradise bloom is the last 2. The orange flowers look less orange under florescent lights.

The Flamethrower Palm is growing faster. My Flamethrower palm threw a gorgeous red leaf in January. It was the first time it ever did that inside the house. What was once an annual event has become semi-annual. How fun! 

I wonder what will happen next? 

Late August by my pond

I was so excited to have a pond when I moved into my place 2 years ago, but let me tell you it was a HUGE learning curve to landscape around it, but I think I have it sorted this year! There is SO much fun happening in this little pocket. 

A view from the top of the pond. I need to put a chair here (and wear more bug spray!)

Love this view! The Cordyline Australis is a winter survivor by the way! So is the Fiesta Hedychium ginger which is now MASSIVE!

I guess I won't get any blooms from my Queen Emma Crinum this year,  but it sure looks happy! My Hybrid Musa Sumantrana Gran Nain is really surprising me! 

Musa Sikkimensis is the star, but Colocasia Black Stem is catching up!

Welcome to the pond!

Hedychium Daniel Weeks. My easilest blooming ginger and defintiely my favorites

Passiflora is THRIVING!

Closeup on Passiflora Lavender Lady. It's a new purchase from Fantastic Gardens 

Love this little grouping. The medinilla magnifica is having an amazing year.

My panama hat palm was a perfect houseplant last winter. It's actually not a palm, but a relative of the prayer plant! Despite it's relation to those finicky cousins, this one seems easy. Botanical name is Carludovica palmata

Sanchezia noblis is a zone 9 perennial that can actualyl bloom! I think this will be hard to keep as a houseplant but it's an epic summer plant! My Variegated Monstera Thai Constellation looks great! 

A closer look at exotic "cold hardy" flowers

If you've followed along this blog for a while, you know I'm all about foliage over flowers. I don't like to rely on blooms to bring color to the garden (that's too much pressure to perform!) but there are some exceptions! 

Southern magnolias are a staple in the south (and they're native). The foliage alone gives them plenty of worth in any landscape (I can't think of another tree that stays green all year long with beautiful, glossy leaves). The leaves take a step back in late spring and through summer when the giant flowers open. We're talking bold, white blooms, 6 inches across! The flower parts look pre-historic, and they actually ARE pre-historic. It's believed the first flowers to ever exist looked like magnolias! Maybe that fact explains why these look so unusual up close! If you live in zone 7 or warmer, you definitely should consider this plant for your garden! 

Passiflora caerulea (aka Hardy Passion Vine) is another staple to the south and so beautiful. This species is actually native to South America, but if you're looking for a North American native, P. incarnata is a perfect choice! I've personally never had luck with P. incarnata, but caerulea has proven to be marginally hardy. During "zone 8" winters, P. caerulea is actually evergreen. These plants can become a bit "weedy" in warmer climates, but the flowers are definitely unlike any weed! 

 Plumeria is going to get a separate post entirely because in my opinion, it's the easiest tropical plant you can grow in a pot up north. Although they are far from cold hardy and will melt in below-freezing temperatures, they are very drought tolerant. They go dormant in the dry season in the tropics which makes for easy storage up north! Plumeria love hot summers and will not bloom well if summer afternoons don't regularly get into the 80s F (30s C). Typically a branch will send a big head of blooms every other year. Most of my plumerias have enough branches to bloom each season, but some years will have more bloom heads than others. The fragrance is unbelievable and instantly sends me to Hawaii. A must-have!

American Wisteria is a beautiful option. It's more behaved than Japanese wisteria, stays more compact, and blooms a second time in the summer! The blooms aren't quite as dramatic as the Japanese species, but it's a small tradeoff for a much more responsible wisteria! 

A few randoms... Enjoy! 

I love taking pictures with a camera flash!

Some people love it and some people hate it, but I really like the way pictures come out with a flash on my camera. It shows things more intensely than you would see under normal everyday light conditions. It's not necessarily representative of what you see in the yard, but it everything it shows exists.

So here's a few night pics I took tonight of the yard with a flash on.

Pool area looking nice

You can really see the brugmansia blooms looking their finest at night.

This picture didn't have a flash on. I thought the blue pool light made a cool effect with the blue flowers on the plant. 

I love spanish moss with a flash. 

Sunny Wind Hibiscus 

Cassia flowers in the foreg

Plumeria and spanish moss at night. 

Adondila palm with a lot of other assorted plants. 

Passiflora Berkley sharing a pot with my solandra maxima. The Passiflora is in it's second summer. 

I love taking closeups of this flower.