My Japanese flowering apricot (Prunus mume) and witch hazel are just about finished thanks to the recent deep freezes, but they are still blooming a little bit and it seemed a shame not to allow them to strut their stuff for Bloom Day, even if these pictures are from Christmas Eve.
Seedling of Hamamelis x intermedia 'Jelena'
Covered in brown leaves and surrounded by brown Bidens stalks, here is the witch hazel in its garden setting... :) The shrub to the right is a Knockout rose, the plant to the left is a Rose-of-Sharon with lovely double lavender flowers given to me by my mother-in-law, and the evergreen tree is a wax myrtle that wouldn't give up even though it was wacked back a few times. There's all sorts of garden oops in this picture, since the witch hazel will one day shade at least part of the Knockout and perhaps all of the Rose-of-Sharon, but when I look at this scenario I try to live in the now. I've started a couple of cuttings from the Rose-of-Sharon in case it is ultimately doomed.
Although the apricot and the witch hazel are almost done, the winter honeysuckle is just starting up.
I wish you could take in the fragrance of these winter bloomers. Like many winter bloomers they are highly fragrant. The Prunus mume smells like Dianthus (cotton candy and clove), the witch hazel smells like Fruit Loops and the winter honeysuckle has a sharp sweet lemony essence. On warm winter days they are abuzz with honeybees.
For more Bloom Days join Carol at May Dreams Gardens!
Hi Sweetbay, i haven't visited here for sometime. Happy New Year! Prunus is the genus of apples isn't it? Those are wonderful blooms that i've only seen in Sweden and Turkey. I can't keep my eyes from them. And i didn't know they have scents, oh how lovely.
ReplyDeleteWinter looks wonderful in your garden. It is hard to believe your trees bloom so early (isn't there an apricot too?).
ReplyDeletePrunus mume is Japanese flowering apricot. :) I fixed the post to make that more clear. I usually say or write P. mume because it's fewer syllables (honest!).
DeleteI always enjoy seeing your Japanese flowering apricot, as it is so beautiful! Your photographs are stunning. How wonderful that they are fragrant too.
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely day there in your bit of earthly paradise ~ FlowerLady
The flowering apricot is beautiful! It looks like spring to me. Happy Bloom Day!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous! I thought the witch hazel bloomed in February - am I wrong, or was yours early?
ReplyDeleteRóżowe kwiatki moreli i żółte oczaru oczarowały mnie. Śliczne. Pozdrawiam.
ReplyDeletePink flowers of apricot and yellow witch charmed me. Cute. Yours.
Photos are pretty, but what made me go 'aah' is your description of the aromas!
ReplyDeleteHappy Gardening!
Lea
The pink blooms are beautiful! Stay warm in these cold temps. -Carla
ReplyDeleteI like that the witch hazel smells like fruit loops, but can they develop a cultivar that smells like count chocula? You are very lucky indeed to have these fragrant winter blooms.
ReplyDeleteThat Prunus mume is fantastic. I so wish we could grow them here in the North...
ReplyDeleteEvery time I see your P mume I want it for my garden, but, I would need that fantastic blue sky to make it happy! Love the witch hazel and totally urge you to get one of our wonderful natives, too. The flowers aren't as large but, the tree would love your garden.
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to have something blooming in the winter! I am still about 6 weeks from any blooms. I really love that flowering apricot. So so so pretty!!
ReplyDeleteLove your description of the scents. I can remember the smell of fruit loops immediately. :)
ReplyDeleteI hope my next garden has enough room for several Prunus mume, as you noted the smell wonderful, and they cheer my winter heart.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder about the winter honeysuckle! It is a plant on my wish list that I had almost forgotten! A local nursery sometimes sales them, so I must check them out. Nothing is blooming here. Even my winter daphne is holding those buds closed.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. It will be at least 4 more months before I see green, much less any blooms. I needed to see flowers.
ReplyDeleteI can almost smell them from your descriptions! Your pictures of the Japanese flowering apricot always take my breath away. So very pretty! I think you are right to live in the here and now garden wise. Anything can happen in a garden. Plants come and go. If the worst happens you always can fall back on the cuttings.
ReplyDeleteSo many lovely scents in the air around there I think. Absolutely love the smell of witch hazel. Incredible to see such lovely blooms at this time of year for those of us covered in snow. Wish I could visit.
ReplyDeleteI can't even imagine having winter blooms--except inside my warm house here in Wisconsin. Lucky you! There must be only a very small time period when you don't have blooms to enjoy. How nice!
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