I’m amazed this year by the blooms I actually have in the garden. Maybe it was the warm snap, or maybe we’ll be lucky enough to have some great blooms each and every February.
My feature plant today is one that comes every spring much to the chagrin of the lawn lover. Tiny purple flowers bloom enmass across yards all over Tennessee making a virtual carpet of purple to gaze at. What is the feature plant? Henbit! It’s a cool season flower that most people consider a weed and will fade very quickly once the weather warms. For now it is very showy. I like it best in the lawn and not among the garden plants as it can be very invasive. I’ll take it any day over chickweed!
How about this lovely flower? It’s a Winter Jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) that I picked up at a plant swap last year. I didn’t expect much from it and while it is still very small I see potential for this winter bloomer on our front porch.
The other day I showed you the first daffodil bloom of 2009 and here’s one of its friends. Several of the daffodils have begun opening up to show us that spring is coming. Really, it is!
Have a heath? Try a Mediterranean White Heath that blooms in winter and lasts through late spring. You gotta love those plants that bloom for a long time especially in the colder months.
That’s about it right now in our garden. It’s more than we’ve had in the past at this time of year and I’m looking forward to adding more in the future. For now though if you want more February Blooms take a look at Carol’s Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day Post!
I’m interested in the seed swap but I’m way too far away from you guys. I love the pictures of flowers blooming in your garden now. Looking forward to more.
Hmmm… I envy you. I want some flowers to look at too. My roses are still just sticks, and no daffodils yet. Soon though I hope!
Your post proves that any plant can be a weed if grows in wrong place. Those purple flowers are adorable! Thanks for showing them large. Who could guess they are so beautiful.
HA Dave, I have to laugh at the henbit! It does look rather nice in your photos too. Little will some not familiar with it realize it has plans of world domination. Still, much better than chickweed. Hooray for your daffs too!
Frances
You make the henbit look really lovely. No daffys blooming in my garden yet, but soon. Love your jasmine. Good swap!
Hi Dave, I love henbit! I remember when you posted about this pretty weed last winter and I loved it then…which is a good thing, I have a bit of it! Have a good day…is it going to warm up?
gail
Henbit all around our yard! Pretty tiny purple blooms but a pest to me…
Great closeups of a pretty weed Dave, lol. Looks like your garden is coming alive and showing off its’ early bloomers. 🙂 My Daffs are budding up at the moment so any day now.
I’m not sure what it says about us gardeners that we’re excited to have even weeds in flower for Bloom Day. But hey, I’m right there with you, Dave! With the daffs and erica, you have great showing for what’s been a rough winter. Happy Bloom Day!
Lamium amplexicaule (henbit, hoenderbeet) is a native flower here in my country (Belgium), so I would like to have it in my wildflower garden… But guess… it doesn’t grow on my patch.
But I think that, even when henbit was growing in my garden, it wouldn’t be blooming yet. (Winter was/is rather long this year.)
I love the henbit. I’ve got plenty of it in my Indiana garden, too!
Thanks for showing us all your blooms, you’ve got quite a bit for February!
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
Thanks Dave, I will go native IF I go with honeysuckle. I know they so take over so that will likely be a last resort choice. LUV your blog, not only are you a great gardener but photographer as well.
Oh, I remember seeing that Jasmine in the Hort. society months ago. Damn me for not picking it up. I should go back to check it. Is it fragrant, btw?
The Henbit looks lovely!
Blossom,
No problem, most of those who mentioned interest lived outside of the US. I may give it a try again next year to see if there is more interest.
Lee,
Just be patient, it won’t be too much longer now!
Tatyana,
The henbit does look very pretty in its own way. Weeds are just plants in the wrong spot. Unless it’s ragweed!
Frances,
World domination could be worse, it could have been kudzu! 😉
Tina,
That was a pretty good one. You all should come to the next one in May, it’d be fun!
Skeeter,
At least it’s easy to pull!
Racquel,
The bloomers are coming alive, it won’t be much longer now!
Gail,
I’m glad you liked it, I seem to remember that.
Nan,
We are pretty desperate aren’t we? Still I do like the henbit. I’m just surprised on the daffodils, it seems so early. Hyacinths are beginning to rise. You have to love the Erica this time of year!
I totally forgot about adding Henbit to my bloom day post…LOL I sure have a ton of it blooming. Hey it counts!
I can see how the henbit would be frustrating if you were trying to cultivate the perfect lawn, but I think a lavender lawn would be awfully pretty!
Like a lot of others, I like the henbit…but, I can understand why it might get on your nerves! My daff’s are only just popping up ever-so-faintly through the soil. Happy GBBD!