What do winter blooms, buds, bark and branches all have in common? You will have to look at the end of this post to find out. See if you can guess!
The Winter Blooms
The henbit in our area is beginning to show signs of blooming. Masses of little tiny flowers will over take yards creating a purple carpet for spring.
The lone cultivated plant I could find blooming was our Mediterranean White Heath (Erica x darleyensis).
It’s tiny white blossoms are just beginning the winter time show. These little plants will flower well into spring.
Do you recognize this dandy flower? This little flower brightens up yards and landscapes everywhere. It’s very easy to propagate by seed! I don’t think I’ll be putting any in my self-sowing garden.
The Buds
The leaf buds of a maple at rest waiting for the signal to grow new leaves.
The Branches
This tangled mass of branches belongs to a weeping cherry tree. When the leaves are gone it’s interesting to look at the shape and form of trees.
The Bark
Here’s the bright white bark of a Himalayan White Birch also known as a Jacquemont Birch (Betula jacquemontii). It grows up to 50 feet tall with a spread of about 35 feet. It’s a relatively fast growing tree and consequently has a fairly short lifespan. It’s also susceptible to borers but its bark is worth chancing their bite.
So what do all these things have in common?
They are in this post for January’s Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day!
*edit: All the plants in this post are at my parent’s house except for the Mediterranean White Heath!
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Those darned dandelions. I have them too. Yuck! Lovely pictures of it all Dave.
Though the weeping cherry three is devoid of its tear drops, it looks beautiful. The dandy flower is refreshing to the eyes.
Hi Dave, the henbit is forming buds? Yikes, that has to be the fastest blooming plant ever. The dandy looks sort of cheering, in a scary sort of way, maybe we should just call it a food crop and welcome it? Now is a good time to admire bark, your birch is a beauty!
Frances
Dandelions! It’s the wild onions that torment my garden.
I am sitting here looking at the sun bouncing off my Japanese Maple and can see that the buds are forming. It’s supposed to be 9 degrees Friday night — scares this gardener a bit!
Cameron
Good morning Dave,
Is it ever chilly out there…I love henbit…it is absolutely charming with it’s little flower. The dandelion will feed some hungry adventuresome bee that chances to visit when the days warm up. I like a few of the weeds that show up in the garden! …Love trees with showy bark and your birch is very nice.
Keep warm!
Gail
Heath is a cutie pie. Weeping trees are so cool looking even when just tangled branches. I was going to snap a pic of a dandy lion for posting until I found the Forsythia and Bridal Wreaths blooming. 🙂 Wonder if Alberta will take care of those dandy little blooms? Doubt it. Stay warm!
Tricky question Dave, lol. Interesting bark, foliage, & shape give us something to look at in the winter months. Happy GBBD!
Hey Dave,
Nice looking stuff! Especially like the look of the weeping cherry tree.
Great post, Dave!! Everything is natural and fits in perfectly! Well, except maybe the dandelion:) It’s fun to find things in the garden that we might otherwise pass by or take forgranted!
It’s the same in my garden – frosts killed off all the flowers I hoped to enjoy a bit longer, but the weeds are still thriving! Ugh. Nice post!
Great pics! I am looking forward to our season getting to where yours is.
If you’ve got henbit and dandelions starting to bloom, then there’s hope for me to see some spring sometime in the future, too.
Thanks for joining in for bloom day!
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
Well, Dave, it’s way more than what I have blooming in MY garden, but I could spot you a little snow, ice, subzero (fahrenheit) temperatures, and more snow. How would that be? 🙂
You may not be putting T. officinale in your self-sowing garden, but how do you plan on keeping it out? ;~)
I have to admit, I'd be happy to see even a Dandelion right now. I love Erica & wish it would grow here, but I must enjoy it vicariously.
I like your new header
So many people detest dandelions, but I love them! They’re as much a harbinger of spring for me as are the crocuses and snowdrops. 🙂
I love the leaves on the henbit and your birch is lovely! I like dandelions even though they have always been considered weeds everywhere I’ve ever lived. Now that I live in Hawaii, where they are very diligent about trying to keep invasive species to a minimum, I see dandelions for sale at Home Depot in the vegetable and herb section. Good luck keeping those in check if they ever make it out of anyone’s yard!
The Heather has such dainty flowers. I love the dandelions’ bright little faces. They herald the spring…and that’s good! It’s nice to see your signs of spring as we watch the snow falling…promising us up to 10 more inches before tomorrow.