Welcome to Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day for December 2023.
Here in my USDA hardiness zone 6b garden in central Indiana, one would think December is a time when no flower would dare bloom outdoors.
But the snowdrops dare to bloom, at least a few of them. I’m not sure which species of Galanthus this particular one is but I know it’s been growing here in this spot by my front walk for a long time.
It might actually stick around all winter like that. Or it might fade and another flower come up there.
Time will tell.
In the meantime, out in back a whole puddle of snowdrops are blooming.
I’m tempted to dig these up, plant them in a pot, and cover the soil with moss to make a pretty Christmas centerpiece. But I’ll leave them be for now.
Nearby, Helleborus niger, the Christmas rose, is blooming.
There was a slight frost on them when I took this picture, but frost won’t bother these flowers. If it is a nice sunny day, they will often be fully open with snow around them.
I do love them and have managed over the years to end up with a nice bunch of them around the edge of the patio, not too far from the back door. I think I’ll start transplanting some of their seedlings to the front gardens.
I read in the book, The Christmas Rose, that hellebores will last two weeks as cut flowers, so I’m tempted to cut a few since I haven’t found any potted up for sale yet. They can join the amaryllis on the table now. (I just wrote another Substack article about one of the authors of that book, Mildred Luedy, a Lost Lady of Garden Writing, if you are interested. Go check it out then come right back!)
These amaryllis bulbs jumped into my cart at Costco, so I had to buy them.
And that’s it. Snowdrops, Christmas roses, and amaryllis bulbs, plus a few miscellaneous blooms on Christmas cacti, African violets, and Crown of Thorns, complete my showing for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day this month.
Oh wait! One more flower!
It’s been mild enough so far this winter for the pansies to keep blooming, so they must be included as blooms this month.
Okay, that’s it. I think.
Want to join in? It’s easy to do. Just post on your blog or Instagram or wherever you are online about what’s blooming in or around your garden on or around the 15th of the month, then leave a comment below about what you have to show us and put a link in the Mr. Linky widget to tell us how to get there.
And remember, as always, “We can have flowers nearly every month of the year.” ~ Elizabeth Lawrence
Snowdrops in December – I’ve never seen that where I live in New York State, but my white Lenten Rose has buds on it. Some years the cold gets too much (like this past winter, when -5F did them in) but we’ll hope for this year. Enjoyed yours. Mild like you; we even had a million bells plant still blooming until a couple of weeks ago. And I wish we had a Costco.
Your snowdrops are such a joy to see blooming this time of year and just in time to bring in the holiday season. My Lenten Rose are running a bit late and just staring to form buds with a few left over bracts from last season, so for now the focus is on foliage as the stable in the garden. As the temperatures drop, there is always Thanksgiving Cactus and Orchids indoors that just keep on giving! Happy Bloom Day and Happy Holidays to you Carol!
I am always thrilled to see snow as we don’t get snow here and experience mild winters where we can grow flowers and get blooms throughout winter, Thanks for hosting Garden Bloggers blooms day.
I admire snowdrops but there’s not a chance of growing them in my climate. Even Leucojum/snowflakes rebuff my efforts. But, although my garden seems much less colorful to my eyes in December, flowers are plentiful by comparison to what much of the Northers Hemisphere has to offer. Maybe it’s Mother Nature’s way of making up to us for our persistent drought.
I was hoping that the snowdrops I planted earlier in the fall might be up, but no luck so far. Still searching for a real Christmas cactus and some Christmas roses ( Helleborus niger) for my garden. Thank you Carol, for educating me about these two!
So many lovely blooms! I don’t have many (none outdoors that I know of), but I have a feeling they’ll be early this year because of our mild weather. Thanks for hosting!
Carol, I am amazed that you have snowdrops already. I know that I’m in a warmer zone and the most I have is sprouts at this point…
Isn’t that interesting…there were two Amaryllis pots in my local supermarket that somehow mimicked yours and jumped right in my cart. Do you think they are related somehow? I so love that line…I’m going to have to use it next time my husband notices yet another supermarket plant in the house.