Welcome to Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day for December! Continuing with the tradition started in February, I’m posting my blooms on the fifteenth of the month and invite others, both gardeners and non-gardeners, to do the same on their blogs.
In my Zone 5 garden, there aren’t too many blooms outside in December, so let’s start with inside blooms.
First up, the quintessential December flower, a poinsetta. This is a “Winter Rose” miniature poinsettia that I bought last weekend. I needed to have a real poinsettia for bloom day!
My white Christmas cactus started blooming this week, right on schedule for the holidays, or did it know about bloom day?
I will have to admit that the Christmas cactus is not the most attractive of house plants for 51 weeks of the year, but I keep it around because it blooms for the holidays.
The orchid that was just starting to bloom in November is going strong now.
By next month hopefully some other orchids will be blooming that are just now showing some buds.
I also have an African violet in bloom but I didn’t get a good picture of it today and no time to take another picture, but trust me, its blooming.
Outside, I’ll have to confess I left the pansies in the window box.
They didn’t look so good the week before last when we got our first measurable snowfall and temperatures plummeted but they’ve perked up a bit. I bet they are gone tomorrow because they are forecasting 6 – 10 inches of snow starting around lunch time. If that happens, I’ll have to update this post to show what is really happening in my garden on the 15th!
If we get that snowfall, this Vinca minor will also be done for sure.
It’s fairly inconsequential now in the grand scheme of the garden, but it, along with the pansies and one little frozen violet were all I could find outside.
What’s blooming in your garden? Join us for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day! All are welcome! Post some pictures or lists of your blooms on your blog and then leave a comment here to let us know so we can come and admire all your flowers.
As for me, I think I need more indoor flowering plants to tide me over until spring, don’t you think?
“We can have flowers nearly every month of the year.” ~ Elizabeth Lawrence
Pam @ Digging says:
I can see that indoor plants make all the difference in getting through winter in a cold climate. Your orchid and Christmas cactus blooms are very pretty.
My BD post is up, as you already know. 🙂
Good evening, Carol 🙂
I am very pleased with myself this month I have posted just a few hours early for a change 😀
I love orchids too but alas none in flower at the moment. However, surprisingly I have a few flowers outside in my garden today 😀
Thanks again for hosting GBBD and best wishes to you and all other GBBD bloggers for 2008 😀
Well, my GBBD post is up too, see http://blissyo-elgarden.blogspot.com and it’s nice to see that we have the Periwinkle and some pansies in bloom in common. I forgot to mention my pink Christmas cactus, but never mind there was enough in bloom anyway to brighten up any gloomy winter’s day.
My Bloom Day post is ready.
I actually like Christmas cactus foliage.
Just posted my first ever GBBD post. The garden is still full of flowers (it´s been a abnormally warm autumn here in southern Portugal) so I think you will enjoy it
ok…I forgot to write the blog address…http://jardimcomgatos.blogspot.com/
😉
Faire Garden has made its first post for the Bloom Day…hooray!
In the excitement I forgot to say thanks so much to Carol for her help. You are much appreciated as is everyone who has visited and commented.
Wow, Carol, I can’t believe you’ve got things blooming outside! As you will see from my quasi-Bloomday post, which is now up, I had to get very creative, as my garden is encased in snow & ice.
Hi Carol,
Want to see spring in December? Check out my post…but how do you have vinca blooming up there and I dont???
Mine is up. You have way more blooms then I do!
In between BBB (Blogger Behaving Badly), I got my post up, and now have made it here to tell you so, Carol…and to look longingly at your snow-free soil!
Hi Carol, my second GBBD post is up! Interestingly, we have more blooms in December than we did in November… not quite sure why! We have warm days but quite cold nights. I wonder what January will bring – we’ve never spent a winter here!
Anyway, thanks again for hosting this – it’s fun to see.
Melinda, Elements In Time
Sorry, let me try that again. I’m still getting used to this new blogger signature issue.
Melinda, Elements In Time
Long time no post from me, but I got one in for December.
Happy gardening to everyone!
Your Christmas Cactus is so pretty!
My Bloom Day post is up now too.
Hey all. I have my pitaful bouquet of blooms posted on my blog. I was pleasantly surprised to find anything.
Great post, Carol. Love the pansies holding out for the first really BIG one we’re getting tonight.
Thanks to you my indoor garden is blooming and I’ve put up my GBBD post.
I have no outdoor flowers to share (sniff), and I’m fatal to houseplants, so Fran is covering today’s GBBD at Gardening Gone Wild: http://www.gardeninggonewild.com/?p=528
Here at Zone 7 (Washington DC-area), I have few outdoor blooms too – so I’m focusing my “blooming day” post on my indoor gardens as well. Take a look at:
http://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/ after 11am Eastern Time for my post.
Hi Carol, here my December post, I hope I can keep it up for the winter, the drought has taken a turn for the worst in our region and we are going to once a week watering restrictions. We are getting some needed rain today
Hi Carol! Your Christmas cactus blooms look lovely.
My Bloom’s Day post is up too.
My post is up for Zanthan Gardens–some roses and sunflowers for the viewing pleasure of you snowbound…and even the first paperwhite.
Don’t be too envious, though. Austin is going to get a freeze tonight just to keep us gardeners on our toes. Yikes–just as one rose which hadn’t bloomed all year was full of buds.
My Garden Bloggers Bloom Day post is up at Our Little Acre, and when I came here to see yours and post this, I had to laugh. So many similarities!
I have to go to the hospital to return the Holter monitor I’ve been wearing, but when we return, I want to visit everyone else’s Bloom Day posts, too. It will be a fun thing to do with a raging snowstorm going on outside! (It hasn’t started here yet.)
Wow, I adore that white cactus with the striking fuschia tongue/stamen!! If I lived in your neck of the woods I’d be asking for a cutting.
I’m a first-timer GBBD. I hope you’ll come visit.
Diane Sand to Glass, bloom day
Didn’t think I’d be posting this month, but there’s still a few things going on…
Hi, Carol. I flunk at blooms this month so I sing the praises of evergreen perennials here:
http://takomagardener.typepad.com/tg/2007/12/bloom-day-more.html
So you know I’m getting desperate. Susan
Carol, my post is finally up now.
I’m so glad that I don’t have to be outside today. We’re just sitting around drinking coffee and cocoa watching the snow and birds. Wonder how much we’ll get.
I can’t believe you still had vinca blooming.
oooh, I completely forgot the hanging baskets on the porch where I bet I still have a pansy or two in bloom. I did find a few things in bloom, though. Come see: http://lifeontigermountain.blogspot.com/2007/12/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-december.html
Your indoor plants are lovely. I have posted a different type of “bloom” for Bloggers Bloom Day. Have a look and see what you think.
Late to the party again. My December scan is here: http://www.remarc.com/craig/?p=307
Gardener’s Anonymous
Hi Carol,
It looks like your indoor garden is doing beautifully.
I love the orchids. No snow here, but we are expecting rain soon.
Hi Carol,
I’ve posted my December entry for Bloom Day!
In Bloom by Rachel in Austin
Your vinca is still blooming–wow! Great post Carol.
My completely, unabashedly, unapologetically cheating post is here.
This comment has been removed by the author.
I have mine up and just realized that I forgot to photograph my Christmas cactus. http://phillipoliver.blogspot.com/
I wish I knew how to get my orchid to bloom…your’s is so nice!
My post is finally up too!
That poinsettia looks very impressive even if you say it is a small plant. I don’t recall seeing very many white Christmas cacti. That really is a very lovely looking flower.
My Bloom Day blog is up with a few mostly indoor flowers save one. This was a tough month to post anything. January will be tougher still. Should be interesting to see if there are any outdoor plants blooming at that time.
Oooh! I have an update. The first bluebonnet of the year opened. That means the height of spring to us Texans…even though winter is just about to hit us.
mss @ Zanthan Gardens
Thanks Carol. My post is now up, just under the gun, at Kiss of Sun
whew! i’ve been trying to get to this all day. my florida garden continues to demand much of my attention this month when it would be nice to put things on hold for a time… at least until after Christmas. 🙂
your orchid and Christmas cactus are very impressive. it’s nice that you can have flowers indoors even when it is snowing outdoors.
I think most of the snow is to come in the early morning hours. I bet you won’t be able to find the vinca flower or the pansies in the morning.
Late again, but I posted a couple of pictures of some very small sad outdoor flowers.
You’re right about indoor plants – I need to get more!
Thank you to everyone who posted about their blooms yesterday. December isn’t so bad in some gardens, in others, well, we need all the help we can get with indoor plants.
If you didn’t post about your blooms for bloom day and still want to, by all means, please do!
And I hope everyone has the courage to come back in January to share whatever is blooming, or not, in their gardens.
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
Oh yes, I’m late, but it’s up!
I’m late! I took the photographs on the 15th, and have just had time to post them. Happy Mid-December!
http://talesfromthelaboratory.typepad.com/tales_from_the_microbial_/2007/12/a-saturday-morn.html#more
Your Bloom Day was very nice! I especially like that white Christmas cactus…I need to find one. I think it looks very wintery and appropriate for the season, too.
Absolutely lovely bloom day! The orchid looks absolutely fabulous! Please visit my blog and see some blooms in my garden in India.
Happy gardening!
I posted on Garden Blog Day… even though I’ve not officially “joined.” 😉 Congratulations on being mentioned in The American Gardener!