Peace Lily Cuttings

I have a very simple vase to share for Cathy's wonderful "In a Vase on Monday" meme. These are simply additional cuttings from the Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum wallisii) that I shared in my previous post. I clipped them to rejuvenate the plant and encourage future blooms in the season ahead. And they were pretty enough to plop in a little bud vase. (As they are poisonous, I've placed the vase far from the reaches of the cat and the dog.)

Sometimes simple things are fun. Check out the other entries over at Rambling in the Garden. Happy Monday!

Winter Fruit in the Snow

A pastoral scene near one of our favorite dog parks, including an ice fisherman

in the distance on a frozen tributary to the Yahara River.

Suddenly...it's winter!

We've already broken two "winter" weather records near Madison, Wis. On November 29, we received nearly 12 inches of snow in 24 hours--the snowiest November day and the heaviest single November snowstorm on record!

And now it's very cold: On December 4, the high temperature was 16F/-9C and the low was around 0F/-18C. While these temperatures often occur in January or February here, they're far below normal for December.

Right after the big snow, I thought I'd go out and photograph some winter fruits--they're so interesting and colorful framed in white. But the bitter cold and heavy snow limited my choices in our garden. So I'm including a few fruits from plants in the sunroom, and another observed during a recent dog walk:



Frosted drupes on Cranberrybush Viburnum (V. trilobum);



A snowy cap for Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina);



Wind-scattered Crabapples (Malus spp.) for bird snacks;



Poisonous, drying Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum wallisii) berries, ready to be clipped;



Ripening Fuchsia 'Marinka' berries, almost ready to harvest;



And bright, cheerful American Bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) along the trail.



I couldn't resist sharing this special message created by a fellow dog lover at the park. ❤️

I'm linking in with Jim's "Six on Saturday" meme over at Garden Ruminations.

In a Vase on Monday: Moody Contrasts

While I've combined evergreens and berries with dried elements in past winter vases, it simply didn't fit my mood this week. So I plopped the former in a vase, and gathered the latter for a separate arrangement.



The vase of dried elements isn't as vibrant, but it more accurately reflects how I'm currently feeling. I'm fine...it would be a long, boring story to explain the background on my mood. Anyway...



The dried arrangement isn't exciting, but it works in its spot, at this time of year.



I included several pops of very old, very dried Hydrangea (H. macrophylla) flowers,



Northern Sea Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium),



A sprig of Natal Grass (Melinis repens) from a long-ago arrangement,



Some stems of Hakone Grass (Hakonechloa macra),

Fertile fronds of Fiddlehead Ferns (Matteuccia struthiopteris), and

Dried Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum) stems.



The Canada Yew (Taxus canadensis) and Cranberrybush Viburnum (Viburnum trilobum) are fresh and cute. I'll keep them on the back porch for a while to retain their brightness and moisture.

I'm linking in with In a Vase on Monday, hosted by Cathy at "Rambling in the Garden." Head on over to check out creative arrangements by bloggers around the world.

Berries on My Mind

 Common Yew (Taxus baccata)

Lately I've been noticing and thinking about berries, so I thought I'd reflect on them here on the blog. Some are poisonous and some are edible, but this post is simply about how beautiful they are and how they provide food for birds and other wildlife. For information on human edibility, check out this link. All berries shown here are in my garden.

Smooth Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum biflorum)

Fuchsias (F. 'Marinka') (unripe berries above the flowers)

White Baneberry (Actaea pachypoda)

Cranberrybush Viburnum (V. trilobum)

Beautyberry (Callicarpa 'Pearl Glam')

Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)

Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina)

There are more, but this was a quick reflection. How are the berries doing in your garden? Happy autumn!

This and That From the Winter Garden

As we began to leap out of the polar vortex plunge, I decided to venture outdoors to gather a few elements for a winter arrangement. I also gathered some dried items and pulled them all together. (Check out the wonderful In a Vase on Monday meme for more great arranging ideas.) My choices included:



A few dried sprigs of Northern Sea Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium).

Pine cones (I've saved many over the years).

Hakone Grass (Hakonechloa macra), blades and seedheads.



Sprigs of evergreen Yew (Taxus canadensis).



Dried Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) blooms. I have quite a few saved over the years.



And freshly clipped Cranberrybush Viburnum (Viburnum trilobum) stems with heavy, frozen berries that eventually thawed and held their shape. They were so plentiful this year!

I filled the clear glass vase with more evergreen branches, for interest and anchoring.

This past week was brutal, but even on the coldest days there are garden elements to celebrate and display. Thanks to Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for hosting the In a Vase on Monday meme.

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!

Revisiting the San Antonio Riverwalk

Have you been to San Antonio, Texas? Have you walked along the Riverwalk? We spent the second half of February in San Antonio, and part of the fun was exploring the Riverwalk. We'd been there more than three decades earlier; since then, it's been expanded by more than a dozen miles, so it was even more amazing than during our first visit.

From scenery and landscaping, to restaurants and attractions, to historical landmarks, to parks and fun--there's so much to see and do along the Riverwalk's 15 miles on both sides of the river.



Huge and impressive native Bald Cypress trees (Taxodium distichum) line some areas of the shoreline. Apparently, they can grow to be 100s of years old and 80-120 feet tall.



The landscaping along the Riverwalk includes creative stonework, plantings, and waterfalls. We visited during late winter/early spring, and I can imagine it must be really lovely from mid-spring through November, and colorfully lit during the holidays.



San Antonio has a subtropical climate, so palm trees are also common sights along the way.



It was sweet to see roses blooming in February. While there were no tags on this one, I believe it's a Rosa chinensis cultivar.



Historical landmarks are also fun to explore along the way. This property, the Villa Finale, is a beautiful structure, with equally impressive landscaping surrounding it--even at the end of winter. Also known as the Norton–Polk–Mathis House, it was built in 1876.



Historical markers help to tell the stories.



Heavenly Bamboo shrubs (Nandino domestica) line some of the walkways; during our visit they were laden with bright berries.



And, of course, the Alamo is a must-see during a San Antonio trip. We visited a few of the area's missions, as well.

The weather was great for most of our trip, with highs in the 70s and 80s F during most of the days. We're glad to be home, but it was a wonderful getaway at the end of the winter. More coverage to follow...