Happy New Year to all my SOS friends! It is good to be back in the swing of things! I finally know what day it is! To mark the occasion I went out into my garden this morning in my pjs to take some photos! The good thing is my neighbors were already up and at ’em to the Saturday market and I don’t think anyone would bother watching me from the dog park……..so I just strolled around and took my time………….so here is what’s up this morning in my garden. Literally….

I got the ornamental cabbage at one of the big box stores to just put in here and there….. It really has perked up the front garden!

I also planted bulbs and such, in the Fall, to bloom this Spring…..first time I have ever done that. I love old, old, old time plants. My favorite place to shop for these old, old, old flower bulbs is from Old House Gardens Heirloom Bulbs. I shop for the bulbs that were once in an old lady’s garden……You see they tell you a little history of the bulb and what year they were from. Is that the year they were named? I don’t know that much about it, but I love the stories and the gardens they come from.  Interesting stuff. I am hoping one day to be remembered as that old lady, who liked to look at her garden in the early hours in her pjs! Ha!

So, I planted Irene Copeland, 1915, a double daffodil. They said these would look good on an Edwardian ladies Easter bonnet and had photos of Irene and her sister, Mary, with stories from Irene’s daughter. Now how could I pass that daffodil up? And another Daffodil was Broughshane, 1938. It was named for the Irish hometown of it’s creator, Guy Wilson, the grand master of white daffodils. Did I tell you I love white flowers? I do. And another daffodil was Beersheba, 1923, introduced by the good Reverend Engleheart in his 70’s and was praised by Guy Wilson as a “flower of arresting beauty and outstanding purity.” It’s a lovely warm ivory color. My other daffodil choice was a Silver Bell from 1604. It is a southern belle heirloom that is “short and sweet, with creamy white blooms and the epitome of Spring!” These were all considered rarest of bulbs. They were planted throughout the Formal Garden, the Cottage Garden and in the Fern Preserve in  the Woodland Garden. I also added grape hyacinth in whites, blues and deep, deep blues and more daffs in light yellow called “Smooth Sailing,” from a local grower. And some ornamental alliums called “Allium Hair”, that are wild looking and scraggly like my hair, only they are green, with some Dutch vintage alliums called “Bubble Blend” in purples and white. I can hardly wait to see how all these bulbs do! I am now wishing I had planted snowdrops all over my Woodland Garden. Putting that down for next year! You see, it’s a brand new year and I am already planning for the next year!

The camellias are full of buds…………..

and the agapanthus that I planted last year is looking very green………..

The mahonia always is a great boost of color and texture at this time of year…….

And, last but not least, I planted over 100 pansies………… in yellow, white and purple.

I plan on spending the rest of the day in my jammies and will do whatever I want to do. With the holidays, and all the family here and cooking, I am ready for a day all to myself. I have had a chance to catch up on your blogs. That is a feat in itself, because I love reading so many! And I have stocked up on my gardening book reads too. I love the English old, old garden books.  I am currently reading Miss Willmott of Warley Place: Her Life and Her Gardens, by Audrey la Lievre. Have any of you read it or been to her garden? Have you any more suggestions on old gardening books to read?  Last year I read all of Beverley Nichols books and loved them! I am into my pre-Spring garden book-athon! See you next week in the garden!

Won’t you join us with your SOS?

The instructions for SOS are easy. The photos can be flowers, vegetables, a garden design, whatever, as long as it’s garden related and posted on Saturday!  So, it’s six photos . Of Gardens. On Saturday. Easy Peasy. To see all the SOS’s look at  SIX ON SATURDAY, hosted by the Propagator, to check out all of them each Saturday! See you next week in another spot!

PS Going over the stats of my blog for last year, the SOS posts were rated some of the highest in the search engines for my blog! Ta Da! Thank you, Propagator!