My Blog List

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

GARDEN BLOGGERS' BLOOM DAY DECEMBER 2009

May Dreams invites us to share what is blooming in our garden on this Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. The wintry weather may have arrived in Austin but there is still plenty to enjoy.

The last month of the year is the time for celebrating the blooms of the year or what remains of those blooms. When freezing temperatures have taken their toll this arrangement of dried seed heads reminds me of those blooms which were enjoyed earlier in the year. Poppy, garlic chives, amaranth, inland sea oats, miscanthus and little blue stem grasses all dry well and with a few berries from the pyracantha make a pleasing Christmas decoration.

Alyssum is the only flower blooming in the garden after the area was hit by a deep freeze a week ago.

Last year the Philippine violet remained green all winter. This year the leaves have turned dark brown and the spiky sepals a golden brown.

Just a faint tinge of pink remains on the drooping heads of the amaranthus seed heads.

A pyracantha seed, dropped by a bird, grows up the bathroom wall.

The berries on the Yaupon holly fully ripe.

Graptopetalum and Sedum potosinum have both shrugged off the cold which I always find surprising since its leaves are thick and juicy. They are hardy to about 12 degrees.

In the spring this sedum will be covered with long lasting star shaped flowers.

The flower buds on the viburnum are beginning to form in readiness for the spring bloom. Winter has not even begun and already there are signs of the spring to come.

13 comments:

  1. It is wonderful to see the promise in the garden. Happy GBBD.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great arrangement, best of fall and wonderful for Christmas. I am reminded to plant more alyssum, there's a single clump of white out front.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love the Philippine violet~~what a dramatic photo. So sorry that the deep freeze ended it's everygreeness!
    Your photos are splendid! gail, clay and limestone

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very striking photos! The alyssum is lovely. And thanks for the arrangement idea. I'm going to go out and snip some inland sea oats right now!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nice arrangement and the succulents are very nice too.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That Philippine violet is pretty, even with the brown leaves. My research showed it's supposed to be hardy to 15 degrees. I hope so. Yours is so pretty.
    I believed the 'myth' that alyssum is deer resistant. The bloomless plants have been moved inside the fence. I'm hoping they bloom again soon.
    And, that's a great floral arrangement for winter.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The floral arrangement is beautiful!
    I have two bushes like Pyracantha, Cotoneaster lacteus and C. Intergerrimus. Both are excellent, with beautiful berries.
    The Alyssium of my garden is white and this is really great.

    ReplyDelete
  8. That's a great picture of the Philippine violet! It looks like little metal sculptures. I hope it looks as cool in real life as it does on film!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Nice Blog. What a great pictures to open and end with. Your blog looks wonderful with nice pictures. Expecting some more post like this.

    ReplyDelete
  10. At least your berries look wonderful. And such a nice arrangements. I wish I'd thought to dry seedheads as you had.

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a gorgeous arrangement of grasses and pyracantha berries. The Philippine violet photo has a silver look to it that is just stunning.

    Thank you for sharing what's blooming in your garden.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love your arrangements and your suggestions for using our garden harvests. And even after freeze, your garden is lovely. I like to see the bronzed (brown?!) colors. And you've got well-trained birds to put the pyracantha in such a great spot.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Your pictures are beautiful. I especially liked the pyracantha berry arrangement and am wondering if and how you dried the berries. I have some I would love to keep. I find it amazing that the hens & chicks don't freeze even in this last cold spell we have had. Carol

    ReplyDelete

I love your comments unless they are spam comments which will always be removed in comment moderation.