Tuesday, December 15, 2020

December blooms?

Another Garden Blogger's Bloomday is here (courtesy May Dreams Gardens), and it's the last one of this crazy year. Speaking of (crazy) how bizarre is that blue sky? It lends a summer-like feel to these photos, but I can assure you it was a rather cool day when I snapped these shots—in the 40's and windy. Still, I am not complaining! 

So what's blooming in December? Not much. Thus this post includes several photos of things that caught my eye while I was hunting for flowers—purists, you've been warned. Starting in the front garden we've got Fatsia japonica...

Edgeworthia chrysantha 'Nanjing Gold', which will actually bloom in February but gives me hope for those longer days now, when I need it.

In the scar from a cut edgeworthia branch are these tiny mushrooms!

Here we have the ever blooming rosemary, but quite possibly my favorite ever photo of it—even though it's a little blurry. The rosemary sprig is laying on the red stems of Callistemon 'Woodlander's Hardy Red'.

Bright as a bloom, the berries of Mahonia gracilipes.

Mahonia x media 'Charity' is getting HUGE.

And the saga of the ever hopeful Tetrapanax blooms carries on. Here are the front garden plants...

And in the back garden...

Fatsia japonica 'Murakumo Nishiki'

Berries on the Aucuba japonica ‘Longifolia’, they'll start to turn red in the coming weeks.

This surprised me! Buds on Helleborus x hybridus 'Jade Tiger' (I later found Helleborus x ballardiae Pink Frost emerging as well)... it seems too early.

The leaves of Farfugium japonica 'Kaimon Dake' were glowing in the afternoon sun, I love that mottled green.

Mahonia eurybracteata 'Soft Caress'

Fatsia polycarpa ‘Needhams Lace’, I'm always surprised by how different these buds and blooms are from the other fatsia in my garden.

The cones on Cryptomeria japonica 'Rasen' count as blooms, right?

And since this sarracenia pitcher is one of the most colorful things in my garden right now, well it got it's photo taken.

Comptonia peregrina, because brown is a color too.

And speaking of color, a new—colorful—frond on Woodwardia unigemmata.

What's left after the orange flowers fall, on Leonotis leonurus.

Eriobotrya japonica (loquat) flowers. They were so deliciously fragrant that day.

Magnolia laevifolia flower in the making.

Ditto for the Edgeworthia chrysantha ‘Akebono’.

And it's post-flower berries for the Lonicera x brownii 'Dropmore Scarlet'...

And perhaps the Schefflera delavayi? All the other stalks have dropped—maybe this is the year my plant finally lets a few seeds ripen?

So... is there anything blooming in your December garden? Or are you one of those hardier people whose garden is already under snow or has endured truly frigid temperatures?
—   —   —

Weather Diary, Dec 14: Hi 49, Low 41/ Precip trace 

All material © 2009-2020 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

23 comments:

  1. Some of my Hellebores are sending up flower buds and I think that is quite early for my part of Scotland.

    Autumn and into early winter has been on the mild side with only slight frosts and one snowfall.

    Thanks for showing the photo of flowers on the 'Needham Lace'. I have often wondered what they look like :) How old was yours before it started flowering?

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    1. Re: the 'Needham Lace' flowering, I wish I could remember. It definitely taken it's time. Then again I moved it when it was pretty large and set it back a bit. I brought it home in 2011, I gonna guess this is it's third year flowering.

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  2. It's raining in Seattle today, and I'm a little envious of your blue sky! I love your photo of the rosemary, its exquisite, but my favorite is your special discovery of mushrooms in the tree scar. (sound like a Christmas carol).
    I'm delighted with fattening Hellebore buds, the most advanced is my stinky hellebore. A new camellia that I planted in a pot last year is a winter bloomer and I'm rewarded with its first white blooms.

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    1. Oh it was raining here yesterday too, I took these photos on Saturday. Congrats on the camellia blooms!

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  3. Who needs flowers with that Farfugium foliage to relish, and a sapphire sky above?

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    1. Exactly! Although that gorgeous sky is gone now...

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  4. The teensy tiny mushrooms are adorable! I admire the Fatsia blooms, especially as my one and only plant (in a pot) has never blooms - I think it's time to plant it outside the shade house and let it fly. I love Farfugium'Kaimon Dake' but the "ample" water requirements of plants in that genus puts me off. Thirsty plants never far well here for long.

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    1. Don't tell my 'Kaimon Dake' that it has "ample" water requirements as it certainly doesn't get that from me. It is in a container though so that probably helps.

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  5. How I love the pitcher plant flower and the rosemary flowers (great photo!)

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    1. Thanks! Although that's just a pitcher, not a flower... it is certainly colorful enough to be one.

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  6. Nice seeing anything bloom - we are under a winter storm warning (New York State) predicting 12-18 inches tomorrow and possible temperatures around zero on Thursday night. I found your hellebores blooming early of interest because I have one starting to open blooms - and I can only hope the blooms will survive zero temperatures under snow cover.

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  7. Looks almost like summer!

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    1. Yes it did, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

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  8. Of all your interesting things, I love the tiny mushrooms most! I LOVE mushrooms, and taking photos of them! Wow, is your sky ever blue! I haven't seen blue skies in ages, and I'm not even in the rainy part of Oregon.

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    1. It was a glorious day...but of course we're back in the grey now.

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  9. Your Mahonia x media 'Charity' is impressive and gorgeous. Love the holiday colors that the Sarracenia is sporting!
    I appreciate seeing your blooms as yes, I am one of those in the grips of Old Man Winter... due to go down to 7º tonight, with wind that will make it feel worse. Then 3-6" of snow starting tomorrow night. Can I come stay in your jungle guest room for the winter??? ;)

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    1. 7º! You're tough. Yep...the guest room is yours.

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  10. Pitcher plant and Mahonia blooms are stunning.It would be my pleasure if you join my link up party related to gardening here http://jaipurgardening.blogspot.com/2020/12/chrysanthemums.html

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  11. Lots still happening and so exciting you can see things to come. Found a couple of tiny violas and colchicums when snow started melting. Tiny but soul warming.

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  12. I just noticed a house around the corner grows tetrapanax -- not a common plant here. Checking it out yesterday I noticed some epic, cloud-like blooms. The leaves are big and healthy too -- puts my wizened tetrapanx to shame, which obviously wants nicer, wetter treatment from me. The neighbor's is in a protected spot, whereas mine was exposed to all the fire soot and ash this year. Incredible blue skies you're having!

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