I’ve always said that a garden is designed for constant change and to transition over time. In contrast, a landscape is designed to reach an expected look and present the illusion that it will be that way forever.

I make gardens and they needed to change a lot this week. With all this great rain expected, a few friends and I scrambled to plant bulbs and perennials.

I even did some gardening for me, in my own dirt. Sometimes I find it hard to alter our ‘historic landscape’, but I did succumb to my collector’s heart and planted a huge Emperor Sago in Beech Island. Don’t judge it yet, but yes I know it might be bad… a 1950’s sago in front of a 1750’s house.

Transition: Southern Solstice

Solstice passed last week, a monumental physical transition that plants and our bodies feel. Whether we notice or not. So I took special note of the beauty of Southern Decembers; fading perennials and emerging new ones. In the picture above, Caynon Daisy holds onto a few remaining flowers, while tazetta daffodils not only emerged with promise, but opened up their fresh colors and fragrance.

This time of transition, Solstice and Christmas, has been wet in most of the South, offering gardeners lots of chances for changes in the garden—a perfect, wet time to divide, plant and seed.

Bulbs planted this week:

Crocus tomisinianus. (the only crocus that is part-way perennial for me)
Tulipa clusiana. ditto.
Scilla peruviana. ditto.
Allium triquetum & Allium roseum. ditto.
Narcissus ‘Rifvelds Early Sensation’ (not so perennial here, but my friend in VA, says it is for him)

We also seeded larkspur, nigella and lots of other stuff in.

And planted perennials planted this week included:

Cycas taitungensis (See www.Jenksfarmer.com for pictures and more comments on this plant to learn how to come see our gardens)
Tagetes lemonii (Canyon Daisy)
Phlox pilosa (Wild Phlox)
Packera glabella (Butter Weed)

And, things in flower this week that fit right into perennial borders made especially for winter:

Camellia x ‘Yume‘ One of the best hybrids; very compact plant, flowers from Oct. thru Dec.
Prunus mume ‘Hokkai-bungo‘ The earliest of Apricots!
Chrysanthemum ‘Christmas Burgundy‘ Masses of flowers spilling over a 5 foot tall fence.

It’s important and sweet to me that each of the last three remind me of mentors, people who transfered their love for certain types of plants, to me.