The Garden Calleth.....................

I have been inside doing my end of year clean up and I had to walk the dog.  Aminia has been so loyal since I have been inside and under the weather.  When we came out of the house, I was greeted by the most perfect bud......

What a way to start the day!!!!  When I came back from walking her, I realized that I needed to take a walk through my garden....just to see what was going on.  Imagine my excitement when I realized....hmm....December, almost New Year's and a relatively warm day in winter........what season is it????  It is Hellebore season of course!!!

Left to her own devices, my Hellebore Heaven has given birth to some wonderfully healthy babies!!!!!  My Hellebores are nestled beneath a Cornus Florida from Biltmore Estates (I need to plan another trip down there.  Their wine is absolutely divine....their plants are wonderful as well!).  I mulch this area in the Spring and use Kelp as a fertilizer a few times over the season and it seems to be the right spot to increase my brood of Hellebore's.

I seriously anticipate this time every winter.  It is a sign of the season to come and is also more important than the seed catalogs.or the Garden Club first meeting in the new year announcement....yep these things add some kind of excitement to a cold winter day if you are a gardener)!! It is a sign of survival...a sign that my method of xeriscaping has been tried and true for 6 years now...how exciting is this...at least to me it is!!

Since I was outside, I decided to check the pots of pansies, I bought too late, but put them in anyway.....

Yep....still looking good to me.  Which made me think.......what else is gong on out here, while I lay inside nestled under covers with my trusty Aminia by my side......well let me share.................

(Why is this tree peony singing Donna Summers - I will Survive.....as I always say, disco is not dead!!)

Tree peony buds always seem to say - even if you did not water me, I have been known to live for hundreds of years,,,,just check out the tree peonies at the Woodrow Wilson House in Staunton, Virginia.  A intimate garden at the rear of the house has a substantial stand of tree peonies that have been there for quite some time or take a trip to China and see them growing in the mountains. A Xeric gardeners dream plant!  I won't tell you about the blooms..wait til Spring!!!.

From the Dutch Iris...

to the German Bearded Iris (this one is a clear sunshine yellow)

to the Sedum "Neon".....there is a lot of activity in my garden right ow.   uh oh...what s that....I forgot something....drats......I thought I finished ........oh well.....I have a little more work to do....where is that sot ground when you need it!!!.

Let's see what happens!!!!  See ya in the garden.............