Monday, December 31, 2012

Looking Forward

It's December 31st, and it seems that I'm supposed to be looking back over the year.  But I'm not.  I'm looking forward!

Spring snowflake - Leucojum vernum

I'm not counting down the hours or minutes until midnight.  I'm counting down the days until the first irises, and daffodils, and crocus bulbs emerge.  Spring starts a whole new gardening year after being cooped up from the cold.  And I can't wait!

Irises

There's something magical about seeing the earth renewed after its winter slumber.  Something poetic.  Last year, Stacy of Microcosm, waxed poetic thirteen (or fewer) ways about the crocus, and asked us to join her.  It was a fun lesson in patience and anticipation waiting for the first crocus bulb to emerge.

Jasmine

But the best part about spring is that it turns gloriously into May.  I know - May is not technically a separate season.  But for gardeners, it is!

Roses

Before I started gardening, May was for graduations and holidays.  But now it's much, more more.

Hydrangea

It's the month I look forward to the most, because it seems that the entire garden bursts forth in blooms in the merry month of May.  You can literally watch the grass growing, and the buds opening. I guess that's why Carol of May Dreams Gardens named her blog after this particular month.

Gaura

Of course, May also heralds in the start of summer.  And when I think of summer, I think of roses.  Glorious, beautiful roses that bloom all summer and in my dreams all year long.  Some summers we have the nightmare of a drought, but the thrill of seeing the garden filled with roses blooming is what I most look forward to each year.

Roses

It's also always fun to find another gardener that has fallen completely head over heels in love with roses and has the same dream for their garden.  Recently, I've found the blog of a new rose addict, Janie of Alabama Rose and Flower Garden from a Non-Green Thumb, and her words make me yearn to see in my roses in bloom again.

Roses

Other rose lovers that keep me dreaming of summer (to name just a very few, and in no particular order) include:
Redneck Rosarian
Hartwood Roses
The Garden Diary
Organic Garden Dreams
Dirt Therapy
If Only Sweat Were Irrigation
Sequoia Gardens
Garden Musings
A Rose is a Rose
Joyful Reflections
 
Peacock orchid

Of course, summer eventually morphs into fall.  It comes late in Texas, but it does finally come.  And my eyes stray from the roses to the camellias.  Gardeners are a lot like playboys.  Every pretty bloom turns our head, and we can't be expected to have only one love!

Asters

And I'm not the only one that has fallen for the camellia's charm.   It seems everyone that has camellias fall madly and deeply in love with them.  Garden of Aaron and Christine of The Gardening Blog have both fallen under the spell of blooming camellias.  But perhaps the biggest camellia lover I know is Carolyn of Carolyn's Shade Gardens.

Hibiscus

But as beautiful as they are, when the fall blooming camellias begin to bloom, it's almost bittersweet.  I know that when they begin to bloom, winter is on its way.

Camellia

The garden begins to shed its summer clothing, and puts on her heavy coat of evergreens.  The gardener turns to books, berries, inside blooms, and of course, to dreaming of spring - and to another year of gardening.

Christmas cactus

Goodbye 2012.  I'm ready for 2013!

62 comments:

  1. I can't wait until March to get out a little but the best is as you say - May. So much to enjoy about the upcoming year seen in May.
    Cher Sunray Gardens

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    1. May should really be a season of its own! It seems that everything rejoices during that month! :)

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  2. Hi Holley, I like your approach of ending the old year by looking forward to the new rather than looking backward! I feel exactly the same. Thanks for the wonderful photos in this post, I am especially fascinated by the irises, the gaura and the bush of red roses, which I assume is a knockout variety? Thanks also for mentioning my blog under the "rose lovers". I am looking forward to following your blog in the next year and see what is happening in your garden. Cheers and Happy New Year 2013!
    Christina

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    1. Yes, the red rose bush is the double Knock out. They really put on a show this past year! I hope they will repeat it again in 2013! Happy New Year!

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  3. I'm hanging in there till March. It turns cooler, the rain comes - and I'll be harvesting bulbs to move to the new garden. And cuttings. And, I wonder, can I dig that up and put it in a pot ... The list scroll thru my head as I tend the garden.

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    1. Diana - I hope you can move as much as possible! It would be so nice to be able to see old "friends" blooming in your new garden!

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  4. It is always better to look forward than backward! Beautiful photos, as usual!

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  5. Hello Holley, thanks for the list of new blogs to visit, I will be looking into all the ones I’m not already visiting! I am also looking forward – and can’t wait for all the things that are about to happen in my garden. We have quite a mild winter this year and spring is already here, can you believe it, I have tulips on their way up! Loved all your photos, it reminds me of everything we have in wait for the next 12 months, Happy New Year, and all the best for 2013!

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    1. I can't believe you already have tulips emerging! We have had cold weather - colder than the last couple of years - and I'm yearning for spring and to get outside and go to work! Happy New Year!

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  6. May is a wonderful season here as well. I enjoy the "season"as you say. Winter just arrived and I hope to enjoy this season before the work of Spring sets in.

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    1. I have been wanting to go outside and work some, but the weather has not been good here. I'm hoping to get started on my spring chores early. I guess I'll just have to relax and enjoy winter for a while.

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  7. Hi Holley, It's hard for a gardener NOT to look ahead....We know what is to come in a few months, don't we???? Since you are in a different climate from us, your blooms will come earlier. We have to wait til at least March. BUT--we are looking AHEAD....

    Happy New Year and Happy Gardening in 2013.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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    1. The last couple of years were quite mild, and I had blooms all winter. This winter has been quite a bit different - much more 'wintery', so it will be interesting to see how everything performs in my garden. Happy New Year!

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  8. 'gardeners are like playboys' LOL, are we ever. My favourite flower is always the latest one in bloom. Definitely looking forward to another garden season here, now is when I plan and dream about it.

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    1. I, too, love whatever is in bloom. I think that's why I love roses - they bloom from spring to fall, while most perennials just bloom a few weeks. Happy dreaming!

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  9. What a lovely piece of writing. I exactly echo your sentiment - waiting for spring to come. As I am impatient, I have started it indoor, growing things under light. May is indeed the magical month with all the growth suddenly speeding up. Happy New Year.

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    1. I am going to start things indoors soon, too, I think. I am hoping to learn more about gardening from seed and propagating this year. Happy New Year to you!

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  10. Ah so am I! I am putting my pennies aside for the plants that I would like to purchase. Unfortunately I won't be able to get them all but you have to start somewhere! I so love that you cherish roses. It brings back sweet memories of my grandmother's rose garden. I only wish I would have had time to learn from her before she passed. Great post...Happy New Year to you!

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    1. Happy New Year! I am trying to decide upon my budget this year, too. I may have to start with tiny, tiny, little plants this year! My great-grandmothers both had beautiful yards, but I, too, lost them before I could hear all their secrets.

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  11. Happy New Year! I'll have to check out some of the blogs you have posted about. I love May as well... for the reason you stated and it is my birth month :)

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    1. How fun to have a birthday in such a beautiful month! I bet you have fresh flowers every year! Happy New Year!

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  12. Looking forward is the way to go! And yes, May is a fabulous month indeed! Have a wonderful New Year ahead!

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    1. Happy New Year to you both. I can't wait to see how all of our gardens change this year!

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  13. Awww, thanks..Holley...it's true I am a rose addict and thanks for the link...I still have thorns in my fingers from the last purchase.

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    1. Ouch! That's the bad part about loving roses - they hurt! I swear every year I'm going to wear my rose gauntlets, but they are so hot I never do. I pay for it in scratches, though. I hope all your new roses do well!

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  14. I planted daffodils, snow crocus, Iris, tulips, grape hyacinth...and one more thing that is escaping now...when do these things bloom? My first time trying them..I am in zone 8b.

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    1. Depending on the weather, the grape hyacinths (muscari) will bloom first, around the last of February or early March. By mid-March, most of your bulbs will be blooming gloriously! Oh, it will be so exciting! :)

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    2. I am glad you said that. I have planted roughly 300 of them. It is my understanding that some will not come back because it's too warm here. This winter has been mild. I haven't noticed before gardening but today, for example, it was a high of 72 and a low of 51. Since gardening, I have been very cognizant of the rainfall.

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    3. Some will come back, but some, like the tulips, probably will not. We just don't have the cold they need. I always find cold winters a mixed blessing. I don't like the cold, but I know some of my plants will do better with a good chill. Good of you to take note of the rainfall. It can shut off before you realize it! I can't wait to see pictures of your garden when all 300 bulbs emerge! It will be glorious!

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  15. I look forward to the surprises of spring and how the garden will look...it is different every year and I love that about the garden!! Here's to 2013!! Happy New Year Holley

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    1. You are right about the garden being different every year. It's always fun to see what pops up! (Well, not so much the weeds!) Happy New Year to you!

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  16. Hehe, I love the comparison of gardeners and playboys! How very true!
    Holley, I wish you and yours a happy, healthy and prosperous 2013!

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    1. I hope you have a great year, too! I was surprised when going through my photos just how many different blooms I found that weren't of roses, or camellias, either. A pretty bloom always makes us look! :)

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  17. Here is something fun for May. In England at least, on the first day of May, go into the garden early and wash your face in the dew. I forget why, but I think it would be restorative and peaceful and connect one to nature.

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    1. I've never heard of that! It's so dry and hot here, I'm wondering if we would have dew on May 1st! But that would be a fun thing to try!

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  18. I loved this post! I enjoy looking forward to Spring too but use this time of year to reflect on my achievements as well as the disasters! Happy New Year x

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    1. Oh, I hate to reflect on the disasters! ;) And with gardening, the achievements of this year may or may not be achievements next year, at least not for me. So, I like to just go with the moment! Happy New Year!

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  19. For me too there is something to look forward to in each season but spring is the best. I am looking forward to it too... Happy New Year, Holley.

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    1. I always loved autumn the best, until I started gardening. Now I know why gardeners look forward to spring! It's not just the warmth - it's all the blooms!

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  20. There is so much to look forward to as the year progresses! Thanks for sharing your lovely photos through the seasons. Happy New Year and happy gardening in 2013! I look forward to seeing your garden as it unfolds through the months. As someone who has always wanted a real water feature and never had one, I also look forward to seeing what you decide to do about the pond!

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    1. I look forward to seeing the gardens unfolding, too. So much to anticipate! I really have no idea what I'm going to do with the pond. I love it, but it can be quite the headache!

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  21. I am also trying to think about what's coming in spring. First the snowdrops, then the crocuses, then the species tulips and narcissi ... It helps me as I trudge through the cold.

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    1. Usually I have green shooting up all winter. This year it's been so cold, there is no sign of spring, and it's quite depressing. I will be so glad when warmer weather comes along!

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  22. Lovely way to get us ready for the year. And thanks for introducing us to some garden blogs you enjoy. May we all have a beautiful garden this year. Happy 2013, HolleyGarden!

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    1. Yes, we only get one chance each year for our gardens to be beautiful! I hope 2013 will be a great one! :)

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  23. Wow, that Double KO really lived up to its name this -- er last year! Gorgeous! Does anyone get as excited about a new year as gardeners do? We get to see old friends again, we get to meet new friends (of the flower and blog kind), we get to dream and try new things and get our hands dirty. One could tend to get a little down in the dumps looking at the gray skies and dormant garden, but it's the hope of spring and all that it brings that keeps us going! Here's to a wonderful 2013 gardening season!

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    1. And it's getting closer and closer every day! That's what I keep reminding myself! It has been too cold to work outside lately (plus I've had a lot of company) so I am very anxious to get my hands dirty and tidy up the garden a bit! Here's to warmer days (but not too hot!).

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  24. Interesting that you treasure May as much we do here in the north. I would think that April would be your most amazing month, but then again I guess we all kind of catch up with each other at some point when the growing season kicks into gear. Looking forward to another year of sharing gardening stories, Holley! All the best to you and your family. Cheers!

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    1. Yes, we are usually a week or two ahead of the northern gardens. But April and May run together, and become one big glorious season! Happy New Year! I look forward to seeing what the year holds for our gardens. :)

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  25. You do have a lot to look forward to, and it will all be here soon (and rush by as it always does, especially May. Zoooom). Lovely pictures, especially that big mound of red roses by the birdbath.

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    1. If only we could speed up the winter months, and slow down the months when the garden was at its best! But I guess the gardeners in the southern hemisphere would be pulling in the opposite direction, so in the end it would all be the same! :)

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  26. Oh such pretty flowers!! I so miss the colors of the growing seasons, but Spring is just around the corner! I'm looking forward too, although to what veggies (and annuals) to grow and seeds to purchase. : ) Happy New Year Holley!

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    1. Happy New Year to you, too! Yes, spring will be here before we know it! And I will be complaining that I didn't have enough time to get everything weeded and mulched! Ha!

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  27. one of these days very soon I'm going to get to planning my new spring garden...I have an empty space that is calling! I am so excited to read your blog and see what I can create with your help and knowledge that you are so willing to share!

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    1. Oh, how exciting to be planning your new garden!!!! Wahoo! I can't wait to see what you do - you have such a wonderful sense of romanticism, I just know your garden will be amazing!

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  28. Holley, I'm looking forward too. I hope Oklahoma comes out of our drought, and my roses sing yet again. I am looking forward to the bulbs too. Happy New Year.~~Dee

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    1. I hope we all get the rain we need next year. I'm a little worried since our winter rains have been low. But spring will be a joy, even if we have to water!

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  29. Holley, last year was so successful for your garden, pretty flowers! I think spring will come soon to you, sooner than here!

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  30. Hi Holley! Finally someone who looks front and not behind! I wish you a beautiful new year!

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