Honeyberries & Magnolias blooming along with the little rock garden plant draba and panseys that were just planted.  Lots of buds on Trilliums, lilacs, crabapples/apples, and fren leaf peony.

Lonicera caerulea   Honeyberry 

Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Dipsacales
Family:	Caprifoliaceae
Genus:	Lonicera
Species:	L. caerulea

Lonicera caerulea (Blue-berried Honeysuckle or Sweetberry Honeysuckle) is a honeysuckle native throughout the cool temperate Northern Hemisphere.
It is a deciduous shrub growing to 1.5–2 m tall. The leaves are opposite, oval, 3–8 cm long and 1–3 cm broad, glaucous green, with a slightly waxy texture. The flowers are yellowish-white, 12–16 mm long, with five equal lobes; they are produced in pairs on the shoots. The fruit is a blue berry about 1 cm in diameter.

Lonicera berry diversity

• Haskap: an ancient Japanese name of the Ainu people (also spelled phonetically as Haskappu, Hascap, Hascup) but still used today in Japan and in North America.
• Blue Honeysuckle: descriptive translation from Russia.
• Honeyberry: coined by Jim Gilbert of One Green World Nursery, Oregon, and fairly common in North America.
• Sweet Berry Honeysuckle: an old common name from the 1940s.
• Swamp fly honeysuckle: a common name coined by botanists who found it growing in swampy areas.
• Known in Russia as "Жимолость съедобная" ("Edible Honeysuckle").^[1]

Distribution and habitat

The species is circumpolar, primarily found in or near wetlands of boreal forests in heavy peat soils. However, it can also be found in high calcium soils, in mountains, and along the northeast coasts of Asia and North America. Interestingly, it is absent on west coasts. It has not been found in Norway nor Alaska nor British Columbia.^[1]

Cultivation and uses

Russia has the longest history of collecting from the wild and breeding this crop. L. c. var. edulis has been used the most in their^[who?] breeding efforts but other varieties have been bred with it to increase productivity and flavour. In Japan (Hokkaido Island) and in the Oregon State University Haskap breeding programs, L.c. var. emphyllocalyx has been the dominant variety used.^[2] The University of Saskatchewan Breeding Program in Canada is also emphasizing L.c. var. emphyllocalyx but is also hybridizing with Russian varieties and L.c. var. villosa.^[3]

bridge

The Bridge is being sealed with boiled linseed oil and turpentine.

This bulb was bought on Black Friday when Lowes put their bulbs on 75% off.

There are special jars made for forcing hyacinth.  I don't have one so I just planted the bulb in dirt, watered it and put it in the fridge.  It stayed in the fridge until buds formed, (about 6 weeks) then it was put under lights and is now blooming and perfuming my kitchen.

Note that hyacinth bulbs can irritate your skin so if you are allergic to these bulbs wear rubber gloves or wash your hands after handling.

The Oak tree looks like a cactus because of the frost and the fog that we have been having.

Billbergia nutans or Queen's-Tears, a native of Brazil, is one of the most common Bromeliads grown.
They are a durable plant for the home -- often withstanding periods of neglect.
Blooming Time: Pendulous flower clusters on long pink stems at any time of the year. 
The flowers are pink, green, yellow and navy blue.  What other flower has that many colors?
It blooms for me in the winter, just when I need a pick-me-up.

winter water garden

Sun impatiens & 'Diamond Frost' euphorbia have bloomed in my winter water garden in my kitchen window since I took the cuttings last fall.