12 Degrees this Morning

The pond is frozen over

SNOW

16 degrees here this morning.
The snow is powdery and pretty.

 Three Green Giant Arborvitae dusted with snow

Muhly grass and the seed heads of

 Echinacea purpurea topped with a dollop of snow

The potting shed down to 39 degrees inside this morning. I have cleaned the snow off the windows in case a sunbeam gets in there to warm it up

Lespedeza thungbergii 'Gibraltar'

This sub shrub or shrubby perennial, commonly known as bush clover, makes a huge display of pinky/ purple pea like flowers in late summer/fall. Mine sometimes blooms a bit in late spring as well.
You need a lot of room for this one.
The old stems with their curly tops make great pea sticks and stakes for floppy perennials. Cut them down now before new growth starts and save for when the perennials start to poke through the ground. Circle the floppies with the your sticks and later on make a 'cat's cradle' with twine around the stakes to support new growth of peonies; asters; verbascum etc.
Or, use them to create a natural sculpture for the beds & borders while most plants are still sleeping.

I have not noticed any seedlings, but on this link you will note that it is considered invasive in parts of the country.
 http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=d760

Angelina at the curb

The Sedum rupestre 'Angelina' has a great lime green color
 with orange tips in winter. 

Here growing at the curb.
Loves sun and well draining soil. Fast growing, good in containers as well as a ground cover. Each little bit that breaks off can root and form another plant.
Easy to share with friends & neighbors a real passalong plant.

Hinoki Cypress 'Crippsii'

What a great splash of yellow in an otherwise brown scene. 
The Hinoki Cypress 'Crippsii' ( Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Crippsii')
likes some afternoon shade in our hot sunny climate
but if it doesn't get enough sun the color is not as good.

It is worth seeking out the perfect site for this lovely tree

Wonderful winter interest plant

The interior of the tree gets quite brown at this time of year .
This is not  as noticeable as on say 'Boulevard' which I removed from the garden because,
 although planted for winter interest, the brown foliage seemed most prominent ( & ugly ) in winter!

This one is from a cutting I made from my previous garden about 12 years ago. It is small enough to grab the trunk give it a good shake and slough off the old brown foliage.

Garden Tour at the Arboretum

On Thursday January 2nd at ten in the morning
I will be giving a tour of some winter interest plants 
growing in the Pitt County Arboretum
 http://pitt.ces.ncsu.edu/Pitt+County+Arboretum/

Here are a few examples
come and find out what they are
 and if they will be good for your garden

You can always check on 

what's going on at the Arboretum by looking at our blog

http://pittcountyarboretum.blogspot.com

Christmas Red

The Camellia japonica 'Professor Sargent'

There are two huge shrubs of this anemone type Camellia

in the back garden.

Large dark green leaves and covered with deep red flowers starting now until March.

Probably planted 25 or 30 years ago

what a sight when they are in full bloom .

The white flecks on the bloom are caused by a virus

a good thing for camellia growers as this often begets new varieties.