Sunday, December 15, 2013

Garden Blogger's Bloomday in the dead of winter, December 2013...


If last week at this time someone would've told me I'd have flowers to share for Bloomday I would have laughed at them. But I do! Mahonia x media 'Charity' didn't even miss a beat after freezing for a week and a low of 12.7F...

I did wrap a sheet around this Grevillea victoriae 'Murray Queen' (one of only two Grevillea to get any protection).

I can't believe it looks exactly the same as before the chill.

Not such a happy story for the Fatsia japonica. Its flowers were nipped. This is a sad blow for the birds who normally snack on this thing for weeks.

Purchased a couple weeks before the cold hit, this Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum was stuck in the basement for a week (still in it's nursery pot and taking up too much valuable space in the greenhouse), it rewarded me with a bloom!

Likewise basement bound (but now back out in the greenhouse) my Acacia baileyana 'Purpurea' is blooming too!

I thought the dried up blooms of the Hakonechloa grass against our dark foundation were rather picturesque.

And even though this Arctostaphylos x 'Austin Griffiths' is dropping a few leaves (as a reaction to the cold?) it's flower buds hang on...

As always Bloomday is hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens, I wonder what other gardeners have blooming in December?

All material © 2009-2013 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

22 comments:

  1. Nice to have some blooms even after the freezing temps! Very lovely plants.

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  2. I am now officially lusting after your Grevillea 'Murray Queen.' I have no sign of any flowers on my two Grevilleas.

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    1. Most of my others have tight little buds but this is the only one that looks decorated. I love it!

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  3. Bloom day in December, such a challenge! But you've done it! Southern hemisphere plants are fab for producing blooms this time of the year, as long as the buds weren't frosted away that is.

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    1. I do feel a little sorry for them though, they should be enjoying sun and warmth not fog and chill...

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  4. Really nice to see those blooms, or even live foliage, after your low and so much below 32F stuff! There must be some trailing rosemary here with a few blooms...

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    1. Ah, I forgot to look at the trailing rosemary...

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  5. Nothing but brown to look at here Loree..all is a-droop. Next years plant budget will have to be vast !

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    1. I am so sorry! I got a call from a friend last night who is down Sonoma way and he reported lots of brown...

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  6. Not yet the dead of winter, but getting there. Thanks for joining in for bloom day.

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    1. You're right of course, but I was playing off our recent cold-snap and how much I feel like I've already been through the worst of it.

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  7. You've got some tough plants - they not only withstood your recent arctic blast but managed to flower to boot! I'm a little in love with that Acacia.

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    1. You really should track one down (the acacia) since no doubt it would be happy in the ground in your part of the world.

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  8. I miss my Fatsia japonica blooms, too. I'm amazed at your acacia - those gorgeous little yellow puffs are stunning! And my 'Austin Griffiths is already beginning to bloom now - two months earlier than usual! What a wild year!

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    1. I walked by that acacia every day while it was in the basement and never saw the blooms. It wasn't until I was taking it back out to the "greenhouse" on Saturday that I finally saw them. Such a happy surprise, as it sounds like your 'Austin Griffiths' blooms are!

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  9. Wow, right now I wish I lived in your climate. You certainly still have lots of blooms, and I have none--except for the indoor potted plants. I'll wait a month to highlight those. Enjoy your blooms, and happy GBBD!

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  10. My Fatsias went the same way yours did - completely crushed by the cold. My heart aches for the little hummers. My Acacia dealbata appears to have survived, but it is hard to tell. There certainly aren't any flowers on it. Adore those little yellow puffs of sunshine! But why do they call it "purpurea"? Is it the color of the stems?

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    1. The foliage normally has a purple cast to it, I don't know if it was just the light that afternoon or the time it spent in the basement which seem to have taken it away. You can see it better here:http://dangergarden.blogspot.com/2013/10/what-do-you-do-when-youre-project.html

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  11. We're so lucky to live here were we can still have blooms after such a harsh week! Glad to see that you've got so many blooms out there! Gorgeous!

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    1. I'm still bummed Blogger wouldn't let me comment on your post yesterday. I wonder if I can today?

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