Here's my treat of the day, although I do have to confess to posting this first in the "please identify" forum (Viburnum). I have a shrub border along the driveway with mainly mystery plants which I hope to slowly identify as they come into bloom. In any event, these happy little pink clusters smell absolutely wonderful and I plan to bring some in for the first bouquet of 2010.
Looks like daphne to me.
From my limited visual research, most daphnes appear to have 4 petals per bloom, and this bush has clusters of 5 petaled blooms. The fragrance is just as pervading as a daphne, though. Another member identified it as Viburnum x bodnantense 'Dawn'. It's about 8 feet tall and has no leaves as yet. What do you think? Maybe I'll have to wait until the leaves show up and see what they look like.
No daphne that I know of is 8" tall so must be viburnum. I love those also, they are beautiful.
Willow, your photo reminds me to go check on my primroses (if it ever stops raining). They are tucked into an out-of-the-way spot and I often forget they are even there until I notice their jolly little faces poking out of the winter weeds. I also do have some winter jasmine which has been blooming since December.
That is so pretty. Wish I had a spot for it.
My Skimmia is getting ready to bloom
This message was edited Jan 4, 2010 4:59 PM
Bonehead - it is indeed V. bodnantense, fragrant & the first of the smell-goods to bloom. Be aware that V. b can get much larger than 8'. ooooh - that means more flowers!
Next in line is the Sarcococcas - mine are ready to pop now, and will flower until mid march or so. Then Daphnes, and Osmanthus and on & on & on.........
Bonehead, looks like my "Pink Dawn" viburnum and your description of the smell fits in. Mine is just starting to form flower buds, but I can get a hint of a sniff from a few now. I do keep min to about 8 feet but that means quite a bit of pruning each year. Seems to want to get long shoots, kind of like my forsythia do.
One of my skimmias succumbed to who knows what - perhaps a fungus - about 2 seasons ago. I'm left with only one of a pair and it continues to bloom for me each year, which is a bit surprising as I was told I needed one of each sex...?. I do have troubles with it reaching for sun and getting lopsided (eastern exposure).
My viburnum would love to be much taller but I try to keep my driveway shrub border to about 6-7' tall (about as high as I can comfortably prune without a ladder) .
Re sarcococcas, I have a big problem with something eating their leaves, any ideas?
This popped up in my garden tonight. Our blooms often this time of year is white.
Ahh, what a cutie pie.
Bonehead, the females will flower, but need both genders for the flowers on the female to turn into berries.
One of my skimmias was looking very sad at roundup this year and it was suggested that the cause was spider mites.
I will keep an eye out for mites, and I guess I will just do without the berries. Thanks.
The berried one right beside.
Very nice. Will have to look and see if my cyclamen and hazel are blooming.
Bonehead, thanks for starting this thread! It is nice to see the signs that winter may eventually be coming to an end! I have the same viburnum, and it is one of my very favorite early bloomers. Mine is not as far out as yours yet, but barring any freezing weather between now and then, it should put on quite a lovely show.
Willow,your skimmia is beautiful. My female is very happy and starting to get blooms, but my male had a rough season last year and there isn't a berry to be found.
Steve, Your January bloom is very cute, but I can't say that I am jealous of that one. Snow thrills me in December, but by now I am longing too much for spring.
Wow Pixy, I know you are warmer than us, but I am amazed how much further along your world is! My hellebores are just starting to break the surface, and my witchhazels are just thinking about showing a sample of their color. Love the combo in the garden!
Melissa - you're so far ahead of me. My Hamamelis is budding, but the buds are opening ever . . . so. . . slowly!!! I have buds on my Edgeworthia, too - can't wait for them to do their bit!
I probably am a little ahead of those of you at higher latitudes. Of course, these hellebores are in what passes for full 'sun' this time of year. The ones that are really in the shade, like they never see the light of day, are well behind these. I have a lot of bulbs coming up, too. (Guess that means that maybe I didn't lose all of them to bulb flies?)
Melissa, I'm looking forward to seeing them all!
yep - i have things blooming here - the Hellebores started last week; Hamemelis is going on its 2nd week; Edgeworthia - well, anytime; Sarcococca - starting; Viburnum B - for about a month.
Ah, to have a sunny slope . . . mmmmmmm, the Sarcococca is going to smell great.
Kathy - my Sarcococca hedgie thingy has morning sun only. It flowers well with as little sun as it gets.
I think you need to dig some of mine up & plant it - you might be surprised.
I do have some, but I've seen how much you have and I wouldn't mind helping you out (you know, if it's too thick). :-D
I was just thinking about the Hamamelis and the Hellebores - still a little while for me. Actually the Hamamelis doesn't seem to be early, even with the warmer temps. But the Hellebores seem to be a little earlier this year!!
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO thick...
Hams & Hells. what would people make of that?
Some of my Hellebores are in full swing. There is one I have repeatedly ripped out of the gravel path in my veg garden that is giving me the finger - yes, it's back & blooming. It's a Corsican, known for being defiant.
You and your Corsicans. Clearly, you have something to work out with Mediterranean plants in this lifetime. Hmmm, maybe this calls for firsthand experience. Road trip to Greece, anyone?
I've takento sneaking up on my Hellebores, so they won't feel like "watched pots." A gardening acquaintance gave me some eranthis (hyemalis) last year. I put it in front since it's so poisonous and since my dogs are known for their nibbling. I had given up hope that I'd ever see it again, but tonight I was out there (in the dark) and I think I see three buds coming up!!
Edgeworthia is still . . . slowly . . . budding . . . out.
Wester Flisk is going at it, too. I must gather seeds from WF - love this one.
As far as those Corsicans go - clearly they adore super well drained lean soil. They are immortal.
Well, I'm looking for some of your Corsican luck to rub off on me. Being somewhat impulsive, back when I was planting the corsicans, I thought 'plant in shade with rich soil'. Didn't bother to check the plant's requirements. Silly girl. They grew lanky and lax, flopping around like adolescent couch potatoes. I dug them up, moved them to sunnier, leaner climes. But really, none of my soil is what I would describe as 'lean'. How does one make soil more lean? And why do you not love the one growing in the gravel path? I was thinking of one I would like to actually plant on the edge of the gravel path.
What is it about the Edgeworthia? Mine is budding out too, but Ohh.... soooo....sloooowwwwlly! Since I bought this for its winter perfume next to the front door, I hope it is still winter when the blooms come.
I love the smell of sarcococca. I bought two of the 'humilis' species last year. They languished and then died. I have no idea why. I keep meaning to try them again in that back border.
I had the same issue with H. foetidus, Melissa.
The Corsican (argutifolius) I put in lean(er) soil and in (my) full sun at Kate's recommendation is doing great, though I wasn't sure that would be the case.
Now I need to start over and do the same with H. foetidus . . .
I too, have been trying to figure out how to "de-enrich" my soil. Gravel is the only answer I have come up with.
The Corsican in the pathway - it's in the way & it's irritating. I don't want to hurt it, but have had no qualms about ripping it out every so often! I think it's best to dig deeply & move it, but other things have taken precedence with so little time. But Hellebores & Euphorbias love the gravel paths in my veg garden. Well, so do the strawberries, which only tells me once again, that everything wants to live.
Would you like a Corsican, Melissa?????
My Edgeworthia - well, they just don't do anything fast. and so, I wait.....
Sarcococca - They get rainwater & a few hours of morning sun. Perhaps supplemental water when it's over 85°. Crap soil, too: rocky, BUT lots of worms. How about some Sarco?
DeEnrich = Sand and pine needles. Choice of sand Lake Michigan Quartzite, Sleeping Bear dunes.
Well, now I'm having trouble remembering if I have the Corsicans or the Stinky ones. I think I have a couple of both. Since they are evergreen, I'm putting them out front in the full sun area and letting them go. I wouldn't even mind if they grew in the gravel path, since it's quite wide. I have a Euphorbia rigida (I believe - the one in bloom) that gave me one or two little seedlings last year in the gravel on the edge of the path. I'm going to let it live there. If you have one that needs a home, Kayte, bring it on. I always have room for things that are evergreen.
A definite yes on the Sarcococca, if you're thinning it anyway. I wonder if I will live here long enough to see shrubs that need to be thinned. First they have to survive the winter.
Do they resent root disturbance?
Well, gravel is what I add to my soil to 'de-enrich' it. It's the best I can come up with, too. I add any kind of gravel or grit I can find.
Sofer, I have no pine needles to add. I have plenty of fir needles and they offer excellent drainage. Maybe you can advise on sand as I am never sure which sand is the coarsest. If I add sand that is too fine to my soil, it's going to create cement. I wish I had a source for really coarse sand.
This glacial drift is the source of sand in most of Michigan's dunes. The sands were either eroded from glacial drift along the coast by wave activity or eroded from inland deposits and carried by rivers and streams. Only the hardest, smallest, and least soluble sand grains were moved. Waves and currents eventually moved these tiny rocks inland, creating beaches along the Great Lakes shoreline.
I heard that you should use builders sand for flower beds, especially clay.
I would think it would be sand for concrete. Why else would a builder use sand?
