Winter White 0320 Swan Song

Thankfully, I woke up this morning and found the forecast for snow was not correct. Here we are at the equinox and no last big winter white. However, I do have a few photos to share with you.


This post might have a subtitle of "name that tree". Yep, I'm having a "senior moment" and coming up blank on a couple of tree identifications.

Thanks Linda and Annabel for confirming to me that this is a Star Magnolia.


Here's a more distant shot of the tree. It is growing in the neighbor's garden and they just had the early spring cleanup. Everything is neatly trimmed back and freshly mulched.


Fingers (aka buds) crossed, someone will be able to identify the tree!


Each morning, sitting at the breakfast table, I gaze out at this sight of spring peeking through from another neighbor's yard.


Not such a great photo but in the front left is a hellebore plant. This one I think is an older variety and there were several individual ones in this garden plot at a nearby historic mill property. The forsythia and daffodils are beginning their spring show.


Here is the up-close view of that hellebore plant.


Now, here is my own hellebore plant which did at last open up the buds that have been there since mid December. This plant was gifted to me from a friend's garden. She has given me three but this is the only surviving one and this is about the best showing it has given me in the several years I have had it. It seems to me there should be many more leaves and it should, by now, be a much more robust looking plant than this. Maybe I need to mulch it with some compost and see if I can get it to be a better plant during the months ahead and before the garden goes into hibernation again at years end.


Part two of "name that tree". Again, it is from a neighbor's garden. Fortunately I have several friends in the neighborhood who have told me to feel free to roam round taking photos in their yards. This closeup shot is from a row of trees that we thought were redbuds but...??


I was down at the Mill recently taking some shots for a specific purpose. This one did not work out to fit the purpose but I still like it anyways.


This is from the opposite direction and is looking along the top of the water race to direct the water down over the big water wheel.


Back in my own garden we had begun the spring cleanup a week ago when we had a run of fine warm days. All the birdbaths got a good scrub down and then re-installed on a level base to begin the season.


I'm going to close out with another shot of that rose from a few days back. I'm still not entirely sure what color to call it because it seems to vary depending on the light.

Moving on now from winter white I will leave you to wonder what comes next.