Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - December 2016

Camellia 'Yuletide'

Our long fall is finally over with freezing temperatures at night for most of the last two weeks and a dash of snow. 

There are still a few fall blooms hanging on in my front yard, but looking tattered now. 

Creeping thyme

Hollyhocks, I doubt these buds will open all the way

A few lingering rose buds

Also a few last annuals in the hanging pots, now sitting on the back patio. 

I have just a few winter blooming plants, looking for ideas for more!

Rosemary

Chimonanthus aka wintersweet

Camellia 'Yuletide', planted in September

'Tis the season for indoor plants. It was getting dark by the time I took these pictures. 

Spider plant has been blooming most of the year

Paperwhites in the kitchen window

African violet

Also indoors - I have to show off this bearded iris from last week, it is a 'Hemstitched' that I just planted in August. I noticed that it was trying to bloom early this month and cut it before the frost. Two of the buds opened indoors and it is as lovely (and scented) as I had hoped. 

Thanks to Carol at May Dreams Garden for hosting the monthly roundup of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. It's nice to check out flowers from around the world in the dark of winter!

First snow!

Pieris japonica

First snow of the year! First snow in almost three years, I think. We had a dusting of heavy wet snow on Monday and then more last night. Most of these pictures are from Monday because snow turned to rain before dawn today and was melting when I got up.

I love seeing snow in my garden, but I am a little worried about how new plants will handle the winter. I planted so much new this year, and the last two winters were very mild. The forecast for next week looks colder so I'm thinking about covering my new camellias and hot lips salvia.

Dragon's hoard

Hollyhocks

English daisy wants to sprout

Lace leaf lavender

Globe in the rose garden

Rose garden

Succulents hidden under the melting snow

Broken ball and bee balm stalks

Hot lips salvia - I hope it survives the winter!

Hot lips salvia

Color gradient on the last grape leaves

More grape leaves - picture on Monday, gone by Thursday

In bloom this week: Dec. 2, 2016

Hot lips salvia

I wonder if this is the latest we've ever been without any frost at all. That is soon to end, with low temperatures expected to drop into the 20s next week. I need to go wrap up my garden hoses and add mulch around some perennials. In the meantime, here are the last of my fall flowers.

Fern (I keep calling it lace) leaf lavender

One of a few roses still going

Creeping bellflower

Calamint

Vinca minor

Last hardy fuschia blooms are hanging on

Hollyhocks - little change from a month ago!

Borage

Hot lips salvia keeps going and going

Last zinnias on the front sidewalk

Fading zinnias

One flower that isn't going to make it before the freeze - a bearded iris that I just planted in August. I may go cut it tomorrow and see if I can get it to bloom in a vase.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - November 2016

Lace leaf lavender and rose

This last month seems to have disappeared without a trace and my yard thinks it is October, not November. You may recognize many plants from last month, they keep on blooming. We still haven't had first frost, although it could possibly come on Friday, and the late summer flowers are lingering on. I'll enjoy them as long as they last, but it has been wet and seems very dark now that daylight savings time is over, so I haven't been outside as much.

Thanks to Carol at May Dreams Garden for hosting the monthly roundup of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. I'm glad I remembered this month, only a day late!

Still have a few lingering roses

Borage

Toppled over delphinium

Hollyhocks keep blooming and blooming

Hollyhocks

Calamint, planted from seed this year

Fuchsia Genii

Hot lips salvia shows no sign of stopping

Hot lips salvia

A taste of winter to come, Yuletide Camellia