Winter Flowers, Berries, and Leaves February 2012

It's hard to believe but we are almost half way through February here on Long Island, and we haven't had a very hard winter, at all.  Plants here are a little ahead of schedule as a result.  This is my Japonica out back with lovely orange-pink blooms. 

This is a small sprig of Winter Jasmine that survived the tree cutters this December.  Hopefully it will fill out this year.

Out front, a huge American Holly is loaded with berries, and shiny leaves.

The Callicarpa is loaded too.  Last year with all of the snow, Robins and Cardinals feasted on the berries, but I haven't seen them do this to date.

An evergreen shrub with orange berries.

The Sage plant is still steely green-gray and fuzzy.

The Mahonia is heavy with yellow blossoms that will turn into grape-like berries later in the year.  Birds love these.

Over time the Snowdrops have multiplied, and I plant them as boarders.

This is a Lenten Rose that I purchased last fall.  No flowers yet.

A lovely blue flower on the Vinca Minor, Periwinkle, or Myrtle,  ground cover.

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I added a photo of a variegated Holly because the leaves were so interesting.  They can also show a edge of pink.

 This is a very large male Japanese Holly out back.  It pollinates the others in the garden.

 This is how the male holly looks close up.  It never berries.

 Something that surprised me was the Bamboo because it is an evergreen here.

 The leaves are very large, but I wouldn't advise planting a Bamboo unless you have a lot of room to let it spread, and it isn't near a pool or lot line.

 This is another surprising plant, a Vinca, Apocynaceae, Dogbane Family,  that I thought tender and only used in planters for the summer.  Then I saw it in someone's garden growing all over.  It had escaped from a summer pot and planted itself, so I tried some and it grew! I hope that I got the name right.

 Daffodils  trying to come up and bloom next to the warm foundation.

 This is a photo of Marsh Marigold leaves.  This plant has invaded my garden, probably from a nursery plant that I purchased.  Although it has a pretty yellow flower later in the Spring, it spreads like crazy and is impossible to eliminate.  People have come to the Jarvis House garden to dig it up.  I warn them but they want a ground cover and they see it here, in all of its glory. *Sigh*

 This is a white and pink vairageted Euonymus that is growing up the Walnut tree.  In another location there is another miniature Euonymus that is lime green and dark green.  They are lovely plants and grow slowly. Can't wait until Spring!  Surprisingly there is a lot of color in the Jarvis House Garden, even in February!