Although it is late December and the shortest day of the year, we are having an incredibly balmy day in #Atlanta. I was delighted to spend 3 hours outside this morning under a light mist (or perhaps it was inside a low-flying cloud), planting Japanese irises along the sometimes-wet dry creek bed, star magnolia in a prime spot, forsythia near the road, plus camellia, hardy ageratum, Chinese sacred lily, Italian arum and 2 huge native azaleas. O, the anticipation of spring.
Everything is green and still growing; in fact the hardy ginger already is sending up spring sprouts. Ferns are thriving, Amarcrinum and Crinum still green, lots of fall-blooming crocus still photosynthesizing. Herbs that I planted almost a week ago look great as they begin to make contact with the rich brown soil. 108 Helleborus x orientalis that I grew from seed and put out as quarts this fall are each beginning to offer a new leaf. Left over from summer, I still have late roses, Encore azaleas, pink daisy mums and yellow ones in bloom, as well as camellias blooming for the first time.
