PlantPostings

December 04, 2023

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!

November 15, 2023

Celebrating the Survivors

For this Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, the outdoor blooms are few and far between. I admit I cheated a little, and took these photos a few days ago. However, these particular plants are still in roughly these same stages today and we're having a warming trend, with winds from the southwest.

Shown above, my Mums (Chrysanthemum x. morifolium) continue to bloom, despite several rounds of frosts and freezes. They're such cheery, hardy plants.

These Fuchsias (Fuchsia 'Dark Eyes') have paused as buds, while most of their neighbors closer to the earlier cold winds have succumbed to the elements.

Lesser Calamint (Calamintha nepeta) always amazes me this time of year--frequently sporting a few tiny blooms until the weather is consistently brutal for several days. It probably helps that they're growing as a patch of groundcovers near a corner of the house.

This is a former "bloom." However, the seedheads of Sedum 'Autumn Joy' (S. spectabile) are stunning as they age to a bright mauve. They brighten the landscape in various garden locations for weeks on end.

Finally, the 'Ozawa' Allium (A. thunbergii) I celebrated recently remains regal as the blooms close and fade.

Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day! And thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting!

November 13, 2023

Single Blooms in a Vase on Monday

I don't have much to show for this event (ooops, I also missed todays' theme), but I wanted to honor Cathy at Rambling in the Garden on her 10th anniversary of hosting "In a Vase on Monday." Cheers!

The tiny, partially opened Zinnia (Z. elegans 'State Fair Mix'), shown above, has been sitting on my kitchen counter since the end of October. It's fading, but I'm holding on to the last bits of freshness while I can.

I also plopped a colorful, drying Hydrangea bloom (H. macrophylla) in a vase, to enjoy as it fades slowly over the next few months.

Autumn 2023 in Southern Wisconsin is taking its time to concede to winter, and I'm OK with that. However, vases in the next few weeks and months will feature non-blooming garden elements, store-purchased flowers, or combinations of both. Congratulations, Cathy, on a wonderful meme!