December 23, 2023
Holiday Blessings and Best Wishes to All
For the Year Ahead!
Labels:
blessings,
Christmas,
greetings,
Happy Holidays,
Merry Christmas,
ornaments
December 15, 2023
December Berries and Blooms
![Winter pot](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53400165790_665991b79d.jpg)
As we near holiday festivities at the end of the month, I'm celebrating small highlights of color on these short days.
![Oxalis flowers 2](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53400165390_712396b3e2_z.jpg)
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.
![Oxalis flowers](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53398804132_c29a1e44b5.jpg)
Such a beautiful combination.
![Salvia flowers](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53400057399_0f2afa715f_z.jpg)
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.
![Fuchsia berries 2](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53400057669_a8e990b7d2_z.jpg)
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.
![Fuchsia berries](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53400165740_7dba3c1a62.jpg)
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.
![Viburnum berries](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53400165380_a6365c1f6b.jpg)
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!
Labels:
berries,
blooms,
Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day,
winter
December 04, 2023
A Garden Bloom in December?
![vase 1](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53367765024_ca38bd461b_z.jpg)
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.
![mum flower](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53367645928_220baa0608_z.jpg)
The bloom is an unknown hybrid, I believe derived from Chrysanthemum morifolium. This little flower is graceful and colorful, and deserves some kudos.
![dusty miller](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53367895570_130405105e.jpg)
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!
![viburnum berries](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53366551247_344ff3abf2_z.jpg)
Also the lovely, vibrant berries from Cranberrybush Viburnum (V. trilobum). They really add zing!
![mum foliage](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53366551137_859267f535.jpg)
Finally, I included foliage from the Mum; I love the way it's variegated after several freeze/thaw cycles.
![vase 2](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53367765019_99b8765aa6_z.jpg)
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!