A Garden Stroll in Winter

First Snowdrop

 

The weather has been quite mild here during the past week--a welcome break for December--so I went out to take a stroll through my winter garden to assess the deer damage thus far. I was so happy to see the first Snowdrop of the season popping up, incredibly early! A few more in the patch are breaking through, but this one had the only fully-formed bud.

 

Bergenia

I originally planted three Bergenias 'Winterglow', (I believe it was that variety) but the deer managed to destroy two of them. The last surviving one I put behind a mesh barrier, and it's holding its own, but I haven't seen any blooms for several years. Let's hope that the plant has recovered sufficiently to bloom this coming spring.

 

Holly 'Nellie Stevens'

Just above the Bergenia, the Holly 'Nellie Stevens' continues with its lovely display of berries.

Dwarf Nandina 'Fire Power'

I bought a dwarf Nandina for the front entrance the first year we lived in this house, and liked it so much that I bought a second one for my woodland garden, shown here. The shrub has grown well and the deer don't seem to care for it.

 

Gautlheria 'Fiesta'

 

The three Gaultherias 'Fiesta' that I planted last spring have proved to not be very deer-proof--a lot of the leaves and all the berries have been eaten back a lot! This specimen is the one in best shape. I'll have to buy more wire cloches to protect these plants or I won't have anything left by spring!

Hellebore 'True Love'

No buds on either of my two Hellebores, but it's too early for them yet. I must obtain a plant of  the 'Niger' variety that blooms at this time of the year. The foliage of Ajuga 'Chocolate Chip' makes a nice contrast with the leaves of Hellebore 'Flower Girl' in the woodland garden.

Hellebore 'Flower Girl' with Ajuga 'Chocolate Chip'

The Clary sage has re-seeded itself in the Herb bed, ready for next season's growth. Nothing much else is of note at this time of the year in my garden, and the coming chill doesn't exactly invite one to stroll outdoors.

Seedlings of Clary sage/

I wonder if we'll get any significant snow this winter--the past few winters have brought us very little in the way of snow.