Category Archives: General Gardening

When the hellebore are blooming during this time of the year I want to buy hundreds of them and plant throughout the garden!

The newer hybrids bloom heavily and for such a long season! Below is the hybrid HCG Jacob.

Several camellia are blooming, too!

Snowdrops are still blooming, too!

Tonight will be there coldest all season!

And that means it is soup season –

French onion soup

Or a potato and turnip greens soup

Or a very much chicken and dumpling stew

And the Raleigh Farmers Market is loaded with cool season veggies so the combinations are endless!

But than I am surprised when I am walking through Home Depot checking out the Christmas clearance and I spot a table of huge Batflower plants! It is such a rare find!

There are reputed to be difficult to grow in a house so I don’t spend the $34.95 but it was tempting since they are rarely seen. Maybe they will be the next trendy plant?

I grew up on the coast of North Carolina. The coast is lined with a row of coastal islands called The OuterBanks. The coast of North Carolina also juts out into the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream which explains the mild climate.

Everything has a nautical theme including Christmas decorations and food.

Christmas trees often have shell decorations such as starfish and sand dollars.

This is my sister’s tree decorated with a garland of starfish and ornaments of boats and seashells.

A table decoration made from oyster shells.

The traditional food of the holiday includes seafood, too!

Stuffing made with oysters.

Spaghetti and shrimp

And back in Raleigh the winter garden is in bloom!

Mahonia

Snowflake

And we toured Oakview Plantation:

The farm was purchased by the State when the beltline was created in the 80s and the house and barns section was purchased by the County as a park and the remainder of the farm was used for county offices.

I love old buildings and this old farm is beautiful! Although, their goats a large and the vertical pupils freak me out! I guess I watched too many horror movies growing up in the 80s?

Now on to spring planing for the garden!