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February 29
Today is leap day – an extra day in the year for me to enjoy the garden. The weather has gotten a little colder lately, but the plants don’t seem to mind. I have been popping up all over the garden this last week, because there has been much to see. I spent some time underneath the Norway maples across from the Native Plant Garden, hanging out with the thousands of purple crocus. I thought my bright yellow nicely  complimented the rich colors they sported.
I went to the arboretum to see all the early blooming magnolias. There is the elegant star magnolia, with white strap-like petals and a nice fragrance. The Yulan magnolia has a slightly more creamy color and from a distance almost looks yellow, especially since it sits next to a beautiful Loebner magnolia. This tree is full of soft white flowers that have a soft pink center. The saucer magnolia by the Butterfly Garden is thinking about blooming, but I told it not too. It’s going to get cold and this tree always gets a little nipped on cold nights. Of course, it probably won’t listen to me either. And finally, there’s always someone who has to crash the party. This time an Okame cherry is jumping into the fray and putting out a showy pink display trying to upstage the magnolias.
I stopped briefly in the perennial garden to see all the daffodils and the Japanese paperbush in bloom there. They always brighten my day.
Finally, I headed over to the Camellia Garden. I’m not sure, but I may have saved the best for last.  This garden is loaded with flowers! There are hundreds of different camellias in bloom right now. There are so many that I can’t begin to name them all, so I’ll pick a few for no particular reason. An interesting one that is found in the middle of the garden is the Camellia japonica ‘Fir Cone Variegated.’ There are layers of pink and white petals, slightly raised above each other making it look like a pine cone. Another is interesting plant is Camellia japonica ‘Tinsie.’ Its petals stay in a funnel shape and surround a mass of white petaloids. One of my favorites is the species Camellia lutchuensis, a shrub with very delicate leaves and tiny white flowers that have a pink tinge.
There are so many other great plants in the garden right now and I am grateful for this extra day to enjoy them. I hope you do to.
February 22
Today is a wonderful cold rainy day. I love being in the Garden on a day like this and it’s a shame that so few people will enjoy it. Cold wet weather means most people who visit the Garden today are coming for a meeting or a class inside a building. They will dash from car to building and back without pausing to appreciate the beauty of the garden on a day like this. I feel sorry for them.
What’s so great about today? The colors. All the water has created some wonderfully saturated colors. Most people think of the winter garden as being a dreary gray or if it snows (a rare thing here), a blanket of white. I think they are so wrapped up in layers of clothes, their vision must be somehow blocked. Here’s what I see.
 The trees are wet, so the trunks and branches have become wonderfully dark. The scaly, dull brown bark of all the pines has turned a nice charcoal color. The tan crapemyrtles have become a rich brown with highlights of red. The greens of the conifers and other evergreens are really rich. The different mulches have darkened as well. All of this forms a dramatic backdrop for many winter plants. Hundreds of pink, white and red camellias are in bloom right now, their rich colors a treat for anyone daring to come out. Magnolias are starting to bloom in the arboretum – the white flowers really stand out against the darker background of trees surrounding them. The red berries of the hollies really stand out too. Some of the blue and purple crocuses are starting to poke up in some of the lawns to the delight of many. (They do the exact same thing I do and everyone gets excited about them while I’m considered a weed – it is so unfair!)
One of the most dominant colors on a day like this is yellow. There are many yellow flowering plants in bloom right now and they just pop out in the landscape. Daffodils are the most obvious – they are scattered all across the Garden and many are  starting to bloom. The drifts of daffodils create bright patches that are very noticeable from a distance. The paperbush flower, with its yellow throat, really shines against a dark background of wet tree trunks. The flowers of the wintersweet, witch hazel and the spike winterhazel (just starting to bloom) are small and can be missed on a sunny day but they jump out at you on a rainy day like today. Even the flame willow, with its orange branches displays a bit of a yellow undertone.
Why are so many great winter flowers yellow? Yellow is a strong color and it takes a strong plant to bloom in the winter. Yellow is a harbinger of spring – you need a bright color to lead the way. It is the color of hope and sunshine.
Yellow is the color of me – what else needs to be said?
February 14
Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope everyone has a nice day with their loved ones. I just love being here in the Garden on such a beautiful day. Yesterday was such a lovely rainy day and then we had a nice dusting of snow. Just the right amount for someone my height – a little bit to play in, but not enough to cover me up completely.
The garden has been pleasantly quiet this last week. Many of the gardeners are at the convention center in Virginia Beach, setting up for the Mid-Atlantic Home & Flower Show. I heard one of them say something about they were doing a “Willy Wonka” garden at the show. In any case, I’m just glad so many of them are not here. It’s so nice to relax. There are so few gardeners here and they are so busy with other things, all I have to do when they pass by is nod my head forward. They think I’m just an early blooming miniature daffodil and pay me no mind.
 I’ve made my way down to the Winter Garden. This, of course, is a good time to be here. A variety of witch hazels are starting to bloom. Right now it is mostly the copper, red and orange ones, but a nice yellow witch hazel is also blooming. The winter honeysuckle is filling the air with its sweet fruity fragrance but it will get some competition from a daphne and a paperbush - both are starting to bloom. I’m sitting right next to the Corsican hellebore. This plant has chartreuse flowers that stand out from its dark green leaves. I particularly like the leaves – they have a coarse saw-toothed edge that might scare away any gardener that wants to weed me. The little bit of snow on their leaves looks really nice right now. This hellebore is pretty tall compared to the hybrid hellebores found in many gardens – it’s almost 20 inches tall and I hear that it can get taller.
As I sit here in the Winter Garden and watch the snow melt away as the sun streams through the trees, I can’t help but feel how lucky I am to be in the garden during the winter. I’m watching a variety of plants unfold their charms to the few passersby, sharing their scent and modest flowers for anyone willing to venture into the Garden. They are truly the best Valentine ’s Day flowers anyone could have.
February 6
Whew, I have finally made it outside. I’ve been stuck in the Tropical Display House for the last two weeks. At first, it wasn’t so bad – nice and warm and lots of interesting plants. But I’m the rugged outdoor type and long for fresh air. Besides, several things happened that made me want to get outside. First the Heliconia horror I talked about last time – very frightening. Then groups of people continued to show up, which means I had to hide for long periods of time. I could never understand what they were doing, but I do remember somebody mentioning “hothouse yoga.” It’s not so bad to hide behind begonias, but I got stuck under the cycad one day and that was a prickly time.  And finally, the other day I overheard a gardener talking to someone else about a job fair this weekend and the sap drained from my leaves. They’re going to hire more gardeners! The horror. Then I remembered they will also be hiring teachers, guides and other positions for the spring and summer and I calmed down a little. Just the same, I decided to get outside and back in more familiar territory.
After some reflection, I think I did enjoy that stay indoors. I met a lot of great new friends in there. One that I have to mention is the Buddha’s Belly bamboo. There are a couple of plants that use that common name, so for you plant fans, this one is the Bambusa vulgaris ‘Wamin.’ This is an unusual cultivar of the regular bamboo that has been grown all around the world for commercial purposes. This plant can get as tall as 16 feet and will spread. Of course the name gives away the most interesting trait – swollen internodes that make it look like little fat bellies. It’s a fun plant to be around and since it is so unusual, people don't consider it a weed like some types of bamboo. I’m starting to think I need to grow some orange tips on my petals, give myself a fancy “cultivar” name such as ‘Fireglow’ and then everyone would want to grow me in their garden and not call me a weed. It’s an idea . . .
Today, I’m just going to sit and enjoy the sun here in the Japanese garden. I’m right under the flowering apricot – it’s in full bloom right now – and loving all this fresh air. The next day or two should be warm and I’m looking forward to some good rain. It’s supposed to get cold later, so maybe it’s time to go visit some of my winter blooming friends. Now to avoid all those gardeners along the way.
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