Winter

Winter

Friday, February 29, 2008

First Daffodil

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Although the narcissus has been blooming for several weeks now, this is the first daffodil to open in my garden this year. A sure sign that spring is not far off.




Copyright © 2006-2008, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved



Friday, February 22, 2008

Winter In My Garden #10 - Hellebores

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I'm still recovering from the flu, there's no food in my kitchen (that I've cooked, anyway), but the sun came out today if just for a little bit, so I went out and snapped some photos. Gotta do something to chase these flu blues away.
This is Hellebore. They usually begin blooming in late January in my garden and, aside from the early-blooming narcissus, are some of the earliest winter blooms that I get. I have a variety of colors of Hellebore, from this greenish-white to a beautiful deep maroon.





Copyright © 2006-2008, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved



Saturday, February 16, 2008

Winter In My Garden #9 - Correa 'Alba'

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Correa 'Alba', a native perennial of Australia, has appeared here before but I never remembered the name of it. Happily, having recently passed by a potted cutting for sale, I can give both the name and some current photos. Blooming now in my garden, this is an unassuming shrub with none of the attributes to recommend growing it - no rich scent, not particularly attractive foliage, etc., - but it does make a nice thick hedge and gives the outdoor cats a place to hide behind. It's also darned difficult to photograph as my camera wants to focus on anything other than the blossoms.



Copyright © 2006-2008, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved



Friday, February 08, 2008

Winter In My Garden #8 - Iris reticulata 'Harmony'

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Corita Kent, also known as Sister Corita (does anyone remember the L O V E stamp?, created a serigraph, a silkscreen print, in the '80s of a simple line of crocuses in bloom. The caption read, "So far the crocuses have always come up." I was so enchanted by that simple, hope-springs-eternal phrase that I purchased the 200th print and to this day it has a place of prominence in my home.

Much like Sister Corita's crocuses, these miniuscule iris bloom year after year in my garden, often catching me by surprise in early February just when I'm thinking that winter will last forever. Hope.




Copyright © 2006-2008, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved



Monday, February 04, 2008

Birthday Sunset

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While taking a walk on Trinidad Head the evening before my birthday, I was given the gift of this glorious winter sunset.





Copyright © 2006-2008, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved



Sunday, February 03, 2008

Winter In My Garden #7 - Peppers and Parsley from the Greenhouse

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Way back here, I was sure that the greenhouse was all finished for the summer. Sure, there were a few peppers in a pot hanging on for dear life, very green and not looking at all like they were going to get red like their siblings had done. But since they were quite alive I let them be, watered them now and then and was so surprised a few weeks ago, when we had a couple days of sunshine, that they began to change color. And even more surprised when the parsley kept on growing and growing and is still growing. And then saw that the oregano plant had started to put out succulent new shoots.

They practically cooked themselves. All I did was stuff the peppers with steamed rice that I'd seasoned with the oregano and parsley, topped off with some great goat cheese, put the pepper tops back on, baked them in the oven and dinner was served. Ya gotta love a greenhouse.





Copyright © 2006-2008, Raven Ridge Gardens. All rights reserved