Heather Hill Winter Blooming Heath in Ohio

Some of the different winter blooming Heather, either in full bloom or opening up their lovely blooms now. It's been a busy last month and will be for another so I didn't get a little more updated photos as some of these are blooming more since taking the photos.

Kramer's Rote. It always catches my eye when I pull in my driveway. The petal coloration is gorgeous and it literally covers itself in blooms. One of my favorites.

Vivelli and it definitely fits that name. Not only throws up pretty blooms but has this gorgeous reddish orange colored foliage all winter. One of my shorter growing Heathers.

Mediterranean White. The foliage stays more compact and the flowers are white and have since covered a much larger area .

Irish Treasure is a lovely bloomer that is planted next to Kramer's Rote and they very much compliment each other.

Goldrush is one of my taller ones, maybe around 18 inches and a little more golden than shows but nothing compared to Golden Starlet below and is just starting to throw up some blooms.

Mary Helen is just starting to bloom. It's winter foliage is bronze in color. Not a favorite but it does look nicer than appears in the photo.

Arthur Johnson is another one that gets about 18 inches high. It's just starting to bloom and produces soft pink color.

Jack Brummage is another one that blooms are lovely but the orange winter foliage is wonderful and it adds a lot of color to the winter garden.

Furzey is a beautiful Heather. Lavender blooms that are really lovely and unfortunately the photo just doesn't show how lovely.

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Spring Cottage is one of my very short ones and always winters like a trooper. The blooms are just starting on this one.

Golden Starlet is one of my very favorites. The blooms here are white and this is one of my low growers, but it's value for me lies with the beautiful gold foliage which remains all year.

Myretown Ruby is a lovely small Heather that has beautiful magenta flowers that are close to the foliage and makes the foliage look colored.

Heather and Heaths add so much to the garden year round, but it can be a little difficult to grow. I think it's mainly finding the right variety for each individual area you want to grow it in.

Heuchera Sedum New Driveway Construction

My concrete driveway needed to be replaced. The driveway construction was done the beginning of September. The city is going to replace bad curbs out here which they do without charge, and I knew they would replace the apron into the drive and the sidewalk panels if not already completed because of cracks in the cement, so I decided I could replace the whole driveway myself for little more than they would have charged for the apron and sidewalk areas.

This Heuchera Melting Fire had to be dug up in August for the driveway, potted, and replanted after the drive was completed. Here it is next to my Yorkie Statue in December looking wonderful like it had never been disturbed in the high heat of the 90's. Even covered in frost it always looks wonderful. Being evergreen in my area merits front yard presentation.

The Sedum Patchwork Quilt visible behind the Coral Bells above is a beautiful combination of blues and yellows called Sedum Angelina and Sedum Blue Spruce. I have them lined down the side of the house along the walkway. It's a narrow 8 inches there and these work out wonderfully. I love the combination of these two. I haven't had flowers on Angelina and hope I don't. The Blue Spruce does bloom and I keep the stems pruned off as the stems become a little top heavy and lean over. I'm letting the Angelina spread a little more than half of the area so it's a little less pruning for me to do. I have added Angelina to a couple other areas also. I do allow the blooms to stay on my Blue Spruce in pots which are lovely yellow flowers.

Sedum Blue Spruce in a pot does wonderful in this zone. I do not protect either of these groundcover Sedums, even the potted ones, they both are troopers and as you can see look lovely in pots hanging over the sides. I love to have the beautiful perennials or shrubs that give some winter beauty.

Photos of the new driveway being started. Pictured in the mist of tearing up the whole thing. It was a mess with all the dust.

The forms set and filled with gravel, waiting for the city inspector to approve since we had to also do the apron and sidewalk panels, plus an extra sidewalk panel.

The finished driveway, waiting to fill back in the edges with soil and seed. I was very happy to find K E Rose Concrete to do the job and his workers were fantastic. I had added on 14 inches to the width of the drive, right to the edge of the house to give me slightly more room for people to get in and out of their cars. They did a wonderful job.

I am incredibly busy the next month with some renovation here and will catch up when I can. Enjoy the New Year.

Flower and Plant Favorites 2011 in my Garden

I decided to do a post revisiting a few of my favorites of 2011.

Malus Purple Prince in the Spring. You can't ask for anything
more out of a tree when it presents such beauty.

The Echinacea and Daisies were so eye catching that it was
hard to see anything else during their bloom time.

And what can be more beautiful than a Monarch Butterfly.

The Daylily Austintatious. Brightened my garden over
and over with reblooming.

My Daylily Ruby Spider is one that just caught your
eye and drew you in for closer looks.

Hydrangea QuickFire. Always lovely but the bonus
of this fall color was really a plus.

Erica Mrs Donaldson is a beautiful Heath and always looks good.

Heath Erica Yellow John is one of my favorites year round.

This lovely Heath Williamsii Ken Wilson, is another
summer bloomer that always looks good.

Of course what would be the fun without my beautiful
Yorkie Pagan in there somewhere.

My Pinus Sylvestris Glauca Nana on standard with Mums on either
side of it with some mini and small Hosta in front.

Just a few lovelies that I felt deserved a second look for 2011 and
I wait patiently for their loveliness again in 2012.