Hello sweet friends. After all of the cold weather, I am dreaming about all things gardening! Seeds have arrived…zinnias, sunflowers, marigolds and more!
“The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing.”
Isaiah 35:1-2a (ESV)
Find a cozy spot, grab a cup of coffee or tea, and join me for garden therapy in winter.
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One of the earliest blooming shrubs/trees is our Snowball Viburnum. The blooms are large, about eight to ten inches in diameter, and resemble snowballs. They are often mistaken for hydrangeas. The flowers start out lime green and then open to pristine white! You can see the changing of color in this photo.
The Lady Banks climbing rose is considered the quintessential cottage garden flower and blooms in early spring. Its buttery yellow double flowers are held in clusters and displayed on thornless branches. It was amazing how much it grew last year and completely covered the arbor and was climbing on the fence!
The Kwanzan Cherry tree blooms remain one of my favorites of spring. This tree is at least 50+ years old and was planted by the former owners of the farm. The wife was a gracious Southern lady and was an outstanding gardener. I still lay claims on the tree even though it is now on our son’s property!
Proven Winners Double Play Doozie Spirea’s foliage emerges in a brilliant deep red color in early spring. In late spring, these gorgeous flowers emerge and it keeps flowering during the summer!
Sarah Bernhardt is one of the world’s most beloved peonies! She was originally planted in 2020 and had to be moved in the fall of 2024. We were surprised how well she performed after being moved!
Clematis Jackmanii is a showy perennial of violet-purple five to seven inch flowers that typically have four petals, but can have five or six.
Peony Karl Rosenfield is a garden classic and considered one of the best double red peonies.They are prolific bloomers and our two produced at least 100 blooms last year. Hopefully they will do that well again!
The month of June is when the Daylilies put on their best show! ‘Endless Beauty’ keeps blooming after the other four Daylilies have called it quits! It is rose pink with a lemon ruffled edge and a large green throat. The bloom measures 7.5 inches in diameter!
Zinnias are a mainstay in our garden each year. We normally plant the seeds in three different locations, one of which is always the cottage garden. Behind the fence is one of two Chaste (Vitex) trees that are magnets for bees and hummingbirds!
I love the color of this ‘Rose Mallow’ hibiscus that is a hardy perennial, often called dinner plate hibiscus. It is named for its huge, 7-9 inch wide circular blooms.
The old fashioned gladioli makes its appearance every June! I love the memories that are attached to my maternal grandmother. She had a green thumb and she always had gorgeous glads!
This view is from the back of the garden where we have zinnias and giant marigolds planted. Hydrangea Paniculata are the stars of the July garden!
Giant orange marigolds and zinnias grew so large we could hardly walk between the two in order to dead head spent blooms. The orange marigolds typically grow taller than the yellow ones. Both are great for cutting and are prolific producers.
I was never a fan of marigolds until I discovered these giant ones from Johnny’s Seeds.
We have four varieties of panicled hydrangeas. The taller in the background is the Vanilla Strawberry. The shorter ones in the foreground are Little Lambs! All of their blooms are quite large!
By the middle of July our garden tuteur is barely visible!
We have been planting sunflowers for years! A favorite of mine is the Pro-Cut Bicolor with its mahogany red flowers with gold tips!
Our first time for this sunflower called a Solano Double!
Sunbright Supreme is just about perfect! Last year’s sunflower crop was a big disappointment after years of successful blooms. Our Head Gardener is trying something different for this year!
Zinnias and sunflowers are planted for their color and longevity during our hot summer days!
I love this variety because it has a long vase life and is cut-and-come-again, yielding multiple cuts over the season!
New last year were ‘Agave’, large cactus-flowered zinnias in sunset colors!
Our ‘Autumn Fire Sedum’ begins blooming in late August and is a great performer for the fall season!
One of my favorite garden photos from last year with our two Sioux Crape Myrtles in bloom!
Thank you for your visit and gracious comments. Wishing you a delightful week!
Linking with: Pieced Pastimes, Between Naps on the Porch,Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
Life and Linda
Thank you for the flower therapy this morning Pam! I’m so glad your Sarah Bernhardt rallied and bloomed after her move. I’ve always adored your sunflowers! 🌻I hope Butch has more success with them this year. I hope you enjoy the warming temperatures this week. I’m afraid it’s going to cause some plant confusion here. Happy Monday ❤️
Thank you, Mary. Yes, there will be plant confusion and another Asian beetle invasion😳 They have almost gotten the best of me!
The excitement of having monthly blooms is great garden planning! I hope yo see my grass and pansies again by Wednesday. Surprisingly, the pansies always seem to bounce bac through snow and even ice.
Thanks Rita. Hopefully you will see grass and pansies this week!
Your garden is amazing. I love gladiolas, and yours are such a pretty color. The variety of peonies you have is wonderful.
Thank you, Carole. As you know, there are garden successes and garden fails. I would love to plant more peonies!
Waking up to all your beautiful garden blooms was a treat. I would like to have one of the snowball viburnum but I’m not sure if it would survive our low temperatures and altitude. I do have roses, peonies and clematis. Still waiting for the tulips and buttercups to break this hard soil.
Thank you Alice! I am happy it was a treat for your morning. Have a wonderful week!
I think a lot of us are dreaming of spring but seeing your gorgeous blooms reminds us that yes, it will come — eventually — and with it, all the beauty and color we’ve long awaited!
Yes, spring will come! Thank you Jeanie.
Pam, what a glorious reminder of the beauty that will be returning! Everything just looks sad now. Only 38 days until spring. It is supposed to be 73 tomorrow, so I hope to get out with my pruning shears! Hope you and Butch have a very good week. Hugs!!
Be careful with the shears Roxanne! Take care and don’t overdo!
Ahhhh what beautiful flowers. I think with this cold winter we all need a little flower therapy. I am hoping March will get here soon. We will then begin to warm up. Have a great new week. Hugs. Kris
Thanks so much, Kris! Spring will come!
Thank you Pam for your beautiful array of flowers this early morning…it brightens my colder than usual start to the day. Knowing that the warmth will soon wake up these colorful blooms each in it’s due season, makes me smile. This week SW Florida is supposed to reach normal temps again and it can be none too soon for me. Have a wonderful week my friend. Blessings
Thank you Kari. We are back to more normal temperatures. Blessings!
Your garden is always beautiful. Each spring Im amazed that while everything looks dead, it is not. God’s world is beautiful. This morning when I walked outside there were hundreds of birds singing all over our neighborhood. It was glorious. Thanks for your pictures each week.
Thanks so much Cherry. Wishing you a lovely week!
Such a nice treat this morning!
I am so glad you enjoyed Sue!
Breathtaking!!! Made me smile! Fantastic garden, just heavenly…
Thank you Maristella!
Oh my, you are making me sooo excited for Spring!
I would love to come see your gorgeous gardens.
I have 3 hibiscus like yours, and every year they have beautiful blooms, but something eats all the leaves off? Do you have any remedy for this? I have looked, and looked, and I don’t see a culprit! Have a blessed day, Sharon
Thank you, Sharon. My husband said whatever eats on the leaves do it at night. He has tried to research it! I will get him to try again!
Oh my goodness – flower therapy – yes, thank you Pam! I am always ready for spring and I can’t even say we had a bad winter here (you’ve probably had it worse than we did). I love all the photos of your gorgeous flowers – the peonies and hydrangeas are favorites, but the sunflowers are wonderful too. I’m taking it all in as hubs and I will begin landscaping this summer and even though I know our zones are waaaay different, I’m pretty sure they have hybrids that might grow here. Here’s hoping. Thank you for sharing your wonderful garden – oh and the hibiscus is a show stopper too (not a chance any hybrid will grow here lol). Have a wonderful week and Happy Valentine’s day!
Thank you Kim. How fun to begin work on your landscape this summer. I certainly hope you will share! Happy Valentine’s Day to you and your hubby!
What a delight to see your beautiful garden all through the spring and summer months! What a treat for my eyes! After being buried in snow and ice in Pennsylvania, I sure did need some flower therapy. Thanks so much for warming me up with your array of gorgeous blooms!
💐🌹🌼🌸🌺🌻🌷💐
Happy Tuesday!
Thank you, Nancy. I am so happy you enjoyed my friend!
Pam, thanks for inspiring us with these petals of joy from you garden! It puts a smile on my face every time!
You are so sweet Mary. Thank you!
Oh what a beautiful, colorful and happy post to see on this dreary day! It sure makes us long for the beauty of Spring, Summer and Fall, doesn’t it? Thank you for brightening my day. 🥰
Thank you, Kitty! I am so glad you enjoyed!
Such a beautiful post, so full of God’s amazing creation! I read this as the snow is flying thick and fast around our home here in the mountains! Spring seems a long way off, but that is a-okay with us. As Kevin and I were watching the snow fall, he mentioned how much he loves winter. Neither of us is looking forward to the summer heat, so we will cling to this as long as we can! God bless you all today!
I am so looking forward to watching as your garden comes to life again this year. Your photos leave me in anticipation.
Thank you, Karen. We will begin planting seeds in April!