My Spring 2013 newsletter is now up on my website. Enjoy!
Here’s my garden right now–full, glorious Spring. The azaleas will be at peak this weekend.
Posted under Books, Container Gardens, Garden Tours, Garden Travel, Gardeners, Newletters, Southern Gardens, Spring Flowers, The Spring Garden, Travel, Uncategorized, Writers
This post was written by Jeff Minnich on May 2, 2013
Here’s a link to my latest article for Wrightsville Beach Magazine, “Romancing the Azalea”, in celebration of the upcoming, annual Azalea Festival in Wilmington, NC. Enjoy and Happy Spring! (Hoping for a warm up soon!)
Posted under Garden Travel, Media, Southern Gardens, Spring Flowers, The Spring Garden, Travel
This post was written by Jeff Minnich on April 3, 2013
Woke up to this:
Every twig, every leaf, every surface has snow on it.
When I look up into the trees, the first thing that pops into my head is “reindeer antlers”, for some reason. What do you think?
Soon, I hope, the temperature will rise above freezing so the snow will begin to drop off the plants. It’s heavy and wet, and many of the shrubs are arching over a bit too much for comfort…I am praying for no breakage.
Checking my notes, I see we had a dusting of snow on March 27, 2011. The photos show the flowers much more advanced than this year. It’s been a cold, cold March–many days more like January. While snow is not uncommon this late in the season (and even a dusting on the flowers in early April is fairly common), I can’t remember having this much so late. I measure 3″-4″, and it’s still snowing.
The cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin are due to peak in a week–really? Hard to believe on a day like today, yet it will come to pass. My hillside of blooming daffodils is hidden under the snow this morning.
Can’t wait for shorts, flip-flops, and flowers!
Posted under The Spring Garden, The Winter Garden, Weather vagaries
This post was written by Jeff Minnich on March 25, 2013
Spring gardening tips in my article for the latest issue of Wrightsville Beach Magazine (Wilmington, NC).
http://www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com/flash/2013-3/#/62/
Posted under Garden maintenance, Pruning, Southern Gardens, Spring Flowers, The Spring Garden
This post was written by Jeff Minnich on March 4, 2013
Loropetalum beginning to bloom in our front yard
After what always seems like an eternity (in other words, getting through January), I made it down here to Steve’s in Wilmington. I’ve been here a week and, already, I feel the relaxation and calm streaming into my body and the stress and tension slowly draining out. The air is not all that much warmer down here–though I don’t sense the chill that emanates from the ground in Arlington at this time of year–yet the sun is much, much brighter, warmer, and intense. It’s done wonders for my outlook!
We’ve had lots of rain. That’s a good thing since there have been many years of drought and heat down here and the soil is practically all sand. Great for digging (compared to the rocky clay in Arlington); not so great for holding moisture or nutrients.
With the rain and warmer sun, the plants are responding with bloom.
Carolina Jessamine around our front porch
Camellia 'Taylor's Perfection'
Cheerful Daffodils in the bright sunlight
Carrying over from Winter, Tea Olives powerfully fill the garden with a deep, sweet fragrance
One of Wilmington’s crown jewels is the annual Azalea Festival. This year, it’s happening April 10th-14th. The entire town is filled with blooming Azaleas, gorgeous gardens (there’s a big fundraising tour) and glamorous belles–yes, in hoop skirts. I was asked to write an article on a couple of the featured gardens for the April issue of Wrightsville Beach Magazine. Today, I met my charming contact and she took me by two of the gardens. They are all that and some change, and I can’t wait for you to see them…but for that you’ll have to wait. Meantime, I did snap some close-ups of flowers in these two gardens, and I’m sharing those here.
Camellias...
Forsythia...
Variegated Winter Daphne...
And a lovely, canopied street here in Wilmington--appropriately called Live Oak Drive
Tomorrow, we are heading South for a week in the Low Country: Charleston and Beaufort, SC, and Savannah, GA. We can’t wait to get to our beloved Low Country and savor the gardens, history, architecture, and surprises along the way. We want to explore the Sea Islands and see as many plantations and gardens as we can.
Photos by the blogger; if you copy, please link back.
Posted under Fragrance in the garden, Garden Tours, Garden Travel, Gardeners, Southern Gardens, Spring Flowers, The Spring Garden, The Winter Garden, Travel
This post was written by Jeff Minnich on February 14, 2013
Now that we’re about at the halfway point of Winter, I start to imagine Springtime. The days are just starting to lengthen, and the sun is just beginning to feel a bit stronger. By Valentine’s Day, the sun begins to heat up the car again.
I’ve been AWOL for awhile, so may I wish you a Happy New Year, belatedly. My desktop computer is on its last leg (a new laptop has been ordered); my camera bit the dust (I got a new one); and we’re working on a new website and blog design. Those will debut this Spring. So I’ve been busy with the help of my trusty computer guy, Jason; my brilliant web/blog designer, Peter; and my smart partner, Steve, who chose my new camera for me (it’s the bomb!). We’ve got to update this blog–the spam is absolutely awful, frustrating and a pain in the you-know-what.
I’ve been on lots of fun trips this Winter already: the Chihuly exhibit in Richmond, VA, as well as a visit to the holiday-lit Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden; and yesterday, a trip over to a bald cypress swamp in Southern Maryland. I love swamps. I guess it’s that liminal space between land and water, and I love the mysterious blur between the two.
Last week, we got down to a low of about 15F, the lowest so far this Winter. We had a couple of light snow events, and an icy morning yesterday, followed by the Spring-like weather today. A couple more days of this nice weather and then it’s back to cold, as I’d expect this time of year.
I let the water run over the waterfall until just a trickle was flowing, then I turned it off so the pump wouldn’t burn up. Here’s what it looked like, frozen. It’s thawed out amazingly today. [you can enlarge the photos by double-clicking on them, I think.]
Frozen waterfall at Woodland Cottage
And a few palms in the snow…these are Windmill Palms (Trachycarpus fortunei) and yes, they are hardy–down to about OF, or the bottom of zone 7A. I have some Needle Palms, too–they’ll survive even lower temps–down to about -5F or -10F, or zone 6a/b.
I walked around the yard today and, so far, it seems like most everything has escaped Winter damage.
Last week, just before the snow, I had two young red foxes bound into the back yard, a male and female. Happily, I was able to grab the camera and get a few shots. They hung around much of the day. They are beautiful and healthy.
Just before the freeze, I went out in the yard and picked the few Camellias still in bloom. I’m glad I picked them because I’ve been enjoying them inside for over a week. They help me imagine Spring! I float them in shallow saucers and bowls–”Camellia bowls”. Many of the bowls are very old and were made for just this purpose.
I’m leaving in a few days for my annual time in Wilmington, NC, and I’m really looking forward to spending time with Steve. We’ll be touring lots of gardens in the Lowcountry this year, so I’ll have lots to share with you.
Photos by the blogger; if you copy, please link back. Thanks.
Posted under Animals in the Garden, Flowers in the House, Garden Travel, Random garden thoughts, Southern Gardens, The Winter Garden, Water in the Garden
This post was written by Jeff Minnich on January 29, 2013
Wishing you peace, joy and love as you celebrate your Holidays!
Posted under Holidays
This post was written by Jeff Minnich on December 24, 2012
My annual Holiday Newsletter is up on my website–here’s a link,
Here at Woodland Cottage, the last of the leaves are just about to fall after a gorgeous, colorful Autumn. The Japanese Maples were exquisite, and they still have a few red leaves. I’ve really enjoyed them. They took my breath away every time I looked out the back windows!
Beautiful 'Bloodgood' Japanese Maples in the back garden at Woodland Cottage
I’ve started decorating the inside of the house for the holidays, and I put up the outside lights this afternoon.
More soon–I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving!
Posted under Holidays, Newletters, The Fall Garden
This post was written by Jeff Minnich on November 26, 2012
As more information becomes available about the landfall of Hurricane Sandy, it seems that the Mid-Atlantic will be affected, perhaps severely. Begin to prepare now while there is still plenty of time. We don’t know exactly what conditions we’ll experience, of course, until it happens, but best to be prepared. As many of you know, my garden suffered tremendous damage during Hurricane Isabel in 2003. I lost three 100+ year-old trees and it took a couple of years to get the garden back in shape. Remember, Isabel was only a strong tropical storm/minimal hurricane and she did a lot of damage. If you choose to make preparations, here are some thoughts:
Put away in your garage, shed or inside, as these can be blown around and cause more damage, or they can be damaged by wind and/or debris—basically anything that can move or is not planted:
–Trashcans
–Empty pots/containers
–Statuary/birdbaths
–Outdoor furniture
–Awnings—secure or take down
–Umbrellas
–Tools
–Grills
–Wind chimes
–Potted houseplants and outdoor plants, including hanging baskets
–Secure gates so they do not swing/blow off.
–Utilize outdoor working shutters over your windows if high winds are predicted. And pull indoor shades/shutters/curtains to protect windows, and put down the storm windows if you have them.
Other precautions:
–***Clean gutters, clear drains so water can flow. This is especially important now because the leaves are falling.
–Unplug irrigation, outdoor lighting systems, and pond pumps to prevent damage from power surges if the storm is imminent. Unplug major appliances and computers for the same reason.
–If your garage, shed, basement are prone to flooding, get things up off the floor.
–From an Arlington friend: Unlatch the garage door from your electric garage door opener so you can operate it manually and get your car out of the garage.
In my neighborhood of North Arlington, we lost power for 10 days after Isabel, and had no landline or cell phone service for the same period. For this reason:
–Have a transistor radio on hand—get your batteries now. This was great for me as I heard the latest information and it really helped kill the boredom!
–Likewise, plenty of candles and matches, and some good books!
***Please be aware that unattended candles is a major cause of house fires. And do not run generators inside!
–Have flashlights and plenty of batteries on hand.
–Have a car cell phone charger just in case the cell service comes back on, but the house power doesn’t.
–Have a manual can opener.
Fill your car with gas, get some cash, and get your medicines refilled. You can’t do these if streets are blocked or power is out. Run the dishwasher and wash clothes while you can.
Have a first aid kit handy.
***Very important: Fill at least one bathtub with water. I learned this from my youngest sister, who lives in hurricane-prone Eastern North Carolina. Why? In case the water-treatment plants close or lose power to their pumps. This happened to one of my best friends in Fairfax County during Isabel. You can always boil water if you have a gas stove or outdoor grill. And you will have water available for washing and, especially, to manually flush your toilets.
Another learned lesson: If a neighbor’s tree(s) fall into your yard, their homeowner’s insurance likely will not pay for the damage past their property line into your yard. Your insurance could pay for it, so know what damage your insurance covers. I was told after Isabel to pay for the tree damage on my property and save my homeowner’s coverage for any future, major damage to my home since many insurance companies will discontinue coverage after a couple of big claims. Just thought I’d pass this on.
If you have power, and some of your neighbors don’t, offer to store their perishable food and suggest they can charge their cell phones in your house. Likewise, showers, etc. These were great helps in our neighborhood, which suffered sporadic, long power outages, during the Derecho. We must all be available to help one another during the period after rough weather.
Our gardens will recuperate if damaged—and remember: Look on this as an opportunity if damage does occur. My garden suddenly had some sun after the trees fell, and I had lots of empty holes to fill with new plants (empty holes in the garden are a gardener’s dream!!). Years after Hurricane Isabel, my garden is so much better from the changes. But all that said, I sure don’t want to go through it again!
Be safe. If you can’t get in touch with me, I will get back to you when I can. I was basically incommunicado for 10 days after Isabel.
Posted under Weather vagaries
This post was written by Jeff Minnich on October 26, 2012
After the Summer’s heat, it’s time to get back out in the garden and put it to bed for the Winter. Here’s a link to your chores!
Camellia sasanqua 'Setsugekka' at Woodland Cottage
Posted under Garden maintenance, Houseplants, Insects in the Garden, Pruning, The Fall Garden
This post was written by Jeff Minnich on October 3, 2012
