Holiday Blessings and Best Wishes to All For the Year Ahead!

December Berries and Blooms

As we near holiday festivities at the end of the month, I'm celebrating small highlights of color on these short days. 



Oxalis vulcanicola 'Zinfandel' is blooming in the sunroom. While the landscape outdoors is brown and gray (not much snow yet), the foliage and flowers of this plant brighten our days.



Such a beautiful combination.



The Salvia I'm overwintering in a pot with other plants has a few fading flowers. I think it's a variety of S. sylvestris, but I can't find the tag. I wonder if it will bloom off and on all winter.



While blooms are sparse this month, berries are plentiful. Just a couple examples include Fuchsia 'Marinka,' which had blooms recently and has been prolific in forming berries.



Did you know they're edible? Generally, we don't have enough berries from our few plants to bake or prepare them, but the fishman enjoys them. So I eat a few and he gets the rest. They have a slightly sweet, peppery flavor that's fun for nibbling.

Also, the Cranberrybush Viburnums (V. trilobum) in the pots in the first photo, on the shrubs, and in my previous post are bright and long-lasting. Apparently, they're mildly toxic to humans but edible in small quantities, and can be used for preserves and syrups. They certainly lend a bright cheer to any scene.

I'm linking this post to Carol's May Dreams Gardens for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. Head on over to see more December blooms. Happy Holidays!

A Garden Bloom in December?

Can you believe it? After multiple frosts and freezes and snows and ices, there's still a bloom surviving from my garden?!

OK, I'll admit it's from cuttings I brought in a couple of weeks ago...but it's still blooming! So, I plopped it in a vase with several other elements for display. I'm joining in with Cathy's meme In a Vase on Monday.



The bloom is an unknown hybrid, I believe derived from Chrysanthemum morifolium. This little flower is graceful and colorful, and deserves some kudos.



Along with the bloom, I added some Dusty Miller (Senecio cineraria​) foliage that was hanging out in pots on the porch. Talk about a sturdy plant!



Also the lovely, vibrant berries from Cranberrybush Viburnum (V. trilobum). They really add zing!



Finally, I included foliage from the Mum; I love the way it's variegated after several freeze/thaw cycles.

It's a happy little vase. :)

Head on over to Cathy's Rambling in the Garden blog to see other entries for the meme. I hope our American friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving. And Happy Holidays to all in the weeks ahead!