Monday, December 15, 2008

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - December 2008

I can tell you that there are no blooms in my garden this month. It is cold and I guess I can just be happy that there are several bushes with berries yet. The Pyracnatha has lots of berries at the top of the bush. The berries at the base must have tasted better to the birds as they have eaten them first. It is odd that the hollies out front have oodles of berries on it and yet the birds leave these until the last to be eaten. They must not be as yummy as say the Beauty Berry bush berries.
While little ice balls are coming down in waves this cat is trying to act like a garden ornament hoping that the birds think just that. The birds weren't fooled. They stayed aloft while the cat was here. You can see behind, upper right hand corner of the picture some berries are still on the Nandina. If you would like to see some gardens with blooms go to Carols at May Dream Gardens for the round up of Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. You won't be disappointed.
I also want to add that this is not my cat. It is a feral cat. One of our neighbors feeds the feral cats in the area. All I can say is that at least she captures them and has them spayed or neutered. I don't believe in cats being outside, loose, without supervision. They kill too much wildlife. My DB just took this picture. Through two panes of glass I might add. Good job Dear.

39 comments:

  1. Lisa,

    Your cat (neighbor's cat?) is quite the talented fellow. I like your bright berries they are very seasonal and shout winter and Christmas! Have a good day1 Keep warm and safe. Gail

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  2. That cat is too funny. Glad he didn't fool any of the birds.

    Such lovely berries. I know the birds are loving them.

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  3. Alas, I have no blooms either, but I do have a posing cat. Mine is a gray tabby & she sits in the window and watches the birds all day. It's like kitty tv. It was too cold to send her out today. 14 F which rose to 19F. Happy Bloom Day.~~Dee

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  4. You don't need blooms when you have such bright berries. Love the photogenic cat!

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  5. Love your cat! The berries are perfect for this time of year, I imagine they would make a stunning bouquet.

    Happy holidays~

    Karrita

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  6. The cat looks like it might be blooming for you! Great berries.

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  7. No blooms for me either, except the wilting bloom on the Christmas cactus.

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  8. My compliments to DB on the great photo of the cat. He looks quite healthy for being a stray.

    Your holly bushes look so pretty, just perfect for Christmas. I'm glad the birds decided to wait to eat the berries until later:)

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  9. I like your berries, but I think you should enter the cat's pic in a contest of some kind. Happy GBBD!

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  10. Nice looking cat for a feral cat! No color in our neck of the woods except white at the moment!

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  11. Lisa, the cat is so funny! And acting like a garden ornament is just what he seems to be doing. :) I love all your berries. So Christmasy. Remember all those berries still on the tree at T's during the ice storm? There must be some like those that just don't appeal to the birds.

    I hope you and DB have a wonderful Christmas!

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  12. Hi again Lisa:-)

    Great berry colour – funnily enough it is the ones at the bottom that are still on my tree. Okay, I am drawn to add a caption for the cat photo.

    ‘Mm… do you think my feet are too big in this?’

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  13. Several neighbors have pyracanthas too and the birds just don't seem to be touching them this year. Odd.

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  14. That's a sweet cat! He looks like my "the Man" who is the cuddliest kitty I have! Your berries are lovely...just a touch of Christmas cheer!

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  15. The kitty photo is terrific!

    Wonderful yard full of berries, how cheerful!

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  16. He looks more like a Circus Cat to me rather than a garden ornament the way he is balanced on the ball. :-)I LOVE the beautiful red berries. -Randy

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  17. I love your berries, Lisa, and will make a note of the name of that bush. What a great job you've done with your window box and bright pot by the door to greet visitors.
    the kitty looks well fed. Your neighbor does a good deed feeding and spaying the feral cats.
    Your hubby is a talented photographer. He caught the kitty in a great pose :)

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  18. Lisa, I never knew that birds liked winterberries. Thank you for that. I have a very few berries out in the garden, and some dependable houseplants - its fun to see Bloom Day posts from those who have Blooms. I had to put up a second post about our devasting ice storm.

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  19. What a beautiful Pyracnatha. I wish they grew well this far north.

    Beautiful cat. Not many mice, moles, voles, chipmunks or gophers in your garden while she is on guard.
    Marnie

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  20. With such a plethora of berries who needs blooms? Lovely shot of the cat. I agree kitties should be inside, mine are.

    Happy GBBD Lisa!

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  21. Lisa did you ((kidnap)) my Paisley or my Babie to take this photo of cat statue!LOL Sure is a purrr-fect photo I love it!!
    Those berries must look so pretty against white snow! I had winter berries but this year they did NOT
    come out :(

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  22. With all those decorative, red berries in December - who needs flowers..?

    Katarina

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  23. Lisa, The pyracantha berries are always beautiful and make a lovely GBBD post all by themselves; yours are so bright! The cat seems to enjoy showing off his balancing skills! Jan

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  24. The berries are so pretty and so is the kitty. I love black cats.

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  25. A cat stalker is always a curious sight isn't it? Berries count!

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  26. The berries are particularly lovely against the brick.

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  27. Lisa, that’s a healthy Pyracnatha. How funny that the birds eat from the bottom. You’d think it would be the other way. Great cat photo too – what a shame that it has no home and going after birds.

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  28. Dear Lisa,
    The berries are lovely. It is snowy and so cold at my house. I have been feeding the birds and coming back in.
    Hope you are staying warm.
    Sherry

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  29. What? No blooms in this frozen tundra called Indiana? Well, at least you have those nice berries.

    And that is a great picture of that cat, and a perfect description of what he is trying to do.

    Thanks for joining in for bloom day!

    Carol, May Dreams Gardens

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  30. hi..i reached you from bird sanctuary dreams.i will link you.
    thank you.

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  31. Hi Lisa, I think the berries are just as exciting as the flowers, if not more so since they provide food for your beloved birds. I had read somewhere that the holly berries are hard early winter and soften up later, March here, and the birds know exactly when they are edible. Maybe they have a royal taste tester that lets them know? HA Where did you get that white berried nandina? I love it!
    Frances
    Frances

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  32. Frances, the Nandina came from a local nursery.

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  33. Love the berries. Actually, many feral cat colonies are managed just in the way your neighbor does. Most of the cats are hard to retrain into companion cats. If someone is feeding the ferals, they are less likely to kill wildlife. But feral cats are for all intents and purposes wildlife themselves. There is just a huge overpopulation of cats, with people not neutering their pets and/or abandoning their pets, and not every outdoor cat can become an indoor pet. Check out tlclonline.org for more info. I volunteered with them a long time and made a cat garden for their cats.
    ~ Monica

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  34. Sorry, that should have been: http://www.tlconline.org/art.html.

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  35. Pyracanthas are lovely bushes with very noticeable berries, either in red, orange or even yellow. You have got a wonderful plant with all those brilliant red berries which replace the winter flowers. A branch of it is beautiful in a flower vase (also replaces a flower bouquet!).
    I wish you, dear Lisa and your family merry Christmas and a happy holiday season.
    Barbara

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  36. The berries are wonderful. I'm with you on the feral cats. We have a bunch in our neighborhood. One came on my porch the other day and had half an ear. Poor thing. I don't know what the solution is.

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  37. Hi Lisa - happy bloom day a week late! I've noticed the same thing in my garden - beauty berries gone instantly but hollies hang around like the last cracker at a party.

    I also wish people would not let their cats roam outside! It would be fine if they'd stay within the boundaries of their own garden, like Yolanda's, but my neighbors let theirs wander everywhere. It freaked me out to find bird wings near my birdbath!

    Annie at the Transplantable Rose

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  38. blooms are things we can hope for. as for the cat, I am of two minds. I do not like the wildlife damage, but I enjoy saying hello to my neighbor's cats that hang out at times on our porch and yard.

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  39. What great pictures... and what a pretty kitty. :) Merry Christmas, Lisa!

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