Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - January 2010

As you can see this Abutilon has one bloom and one bud to show for Bloom Day. I highly recommend this plant if you have some partial sun to grow it in outside.  It also makes a great indoor plant during winter, if you keep it watered.  When I brought this beauty inside this fall it started blooming more than it did while outside. I think it was because it had been sitting in such a densly shaded spot.  It likes the winter sun that the decidious trees allows in. 

The poor little narcissus is finishing its bloom display.  There are very few blooms left.  I won't give it up until the last bud blooms though even if its pearly white blooms remind me of the snow outside.

I hope you have a wonderful Bloom Day.  For more blooms on this cold January day, or if you have blooms to share go to Carol's May Dreams Garden.

April's Joys and Disappointment

April was a lovely month here in SW Indiana. We only had one really bad frost, the temperatures were June-like for a week and there was enough rain to charge up the garden. The garden responded to the lovely weather by popping out in blooms. The White Lilac that I stuck into the ground as short stick had its best bloom since I planted it. A happy surprise was that the Camassia bloomed right along with it.

The Peony Tree always starts out with the big fat buds full of anticipation.

Then the huge beautiful blooms appear shortly after the buds swell. While the blooms are gorgeous they just don't last long. These gorgeous blooms were open for only three days.

Then we had some rain and they turn into such pitaful ragmops. They are just the most disappointing flowers I think Ihave. Maybe I expect more from them but the tree doesn't set new blooms after the initial blooms have budded and bloomed. I wouldn't advise anyone to grow them unless you can find a more forgiving variety than I have. This one I have written down as Tree Peony paeconia. The other disappointing thing about it is that it was supposed to be purple. Maybe to someone elses eyes but not to mine. Other than this little disappointment there has been no high drama in the garden. Just me and my Dearly Beloved out there waging war against the weeds. What are some of your joys and disappointments of April??

Decision Monday

Today was such a beautiful day. We started our day with a walk at the park. The sun and the moon shared the sky for some time. There were just a few wispy clouds to muss the clear blue sky.
I got busy outside. This pot with 'Red Star' Cordyline, Torenia 'Magenta Moon' and Heuchera villosa 'Carmel' ended up being one of my favorite pots this summer. I have never grown a Cordyline before. It sure makes a striking specimen in a big pot. I pulled the Heuchera out of the pot and planted it at the edge of the patio near some Purple Palace Heucheras that have been long established in this spot. I hope this Carmel will make them look quite perky next summer. If the Carmel makes it through the winter I will plant a couple of others with it. I just don't have great luck with the fancy new Heucheras or I would do so now.
I had a small offering to the bulb gods to plant. I remembered that people posted about white narcissus last spring. I just loved them. When I saw a selection of three different types. I didn't have enough $$ to get them all so there was another decision I had to make. I chose a White double flowering type named Calgary. I also bought Rosy Cloud which looks to be a peachy rose color that is double flowering and Broadway Star that is white and orange. It is what they call a Butterfly Narcissus. The pictures make them look so good and as I often do I chose some because of their names. I can't wait to see them next spring. I also got some crocus named Lady Killer and some Winter Aconites. Anyway I got these into the ground today too. I just feel like I got so much accomplished.

That packet of 'Emerald Empress' Hens and Chicks jumped into my hand when I was buying some bone meal for the bulbs. Of course I got them into the ground too. It is odd but I have never been able to get hens and chicks to grow here. This will be the last time I try it. I have the perfect placement, on a berm that never gets watered. It is supposed to rain Thursday so they should get set for the winter. I have four big pots of annuals still blooming up a storm so I am leaving them to the elements. I hate to throw them out before their time. All of the keepers are now ensconsed in their winter quarters.

I cut up one big coleus that was blooming up a storm and made a big bouquet to bring inside. From now until next spring when you all come over to visit you will not be able to use the patio doors. You will just have to come in through the back door. As they say, back door friends are the best.

Spring Blooms

My Dearly Beloved was outside taking pictures today. He was feeling right artsy.

Some of the narcissus are beginning to bloom.

He got pictures of some in bud.

He also found an arum unfurling with a hosta poking up right beside it.

He had a little different way of looking at the daffodils too. Don't they look windswept? The wind was blowing but i don't think it had anything to do with the way these are standing.
After I got home from work I went out to see all these buds he was photographing. I found that some had actually opened. You notice the blue sky in the background? The sun was shining so brilliantly. It was wonderful. We are supposed to get 3" of rain tomorrow. UGH... I hope they are wrong this time.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - January 2008

I must say that I am quite pleased to report a I have a couple of blooms for January Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.

The Kalanchoe that I repotted right before I brought it in for the winter is blooming nicely. The poor dear was broken in half with the repotting process. Kalanchoe's are a brittle lot but as tough as they are beautiful when blooming.

The drunken sailors decided to show up in full

uniform. Despite being all wapperjawed the one in the green bulb vase has a nice root system and has actually been blooming for some time.

The rest of the crew in the potting medium are trying their best. One of them has a nice bud about to burst into bloom. The other two are just green and that isn't bad this time of year. Maybe they just need a little more time and a little more sunshine.

I am sure that they all need more light. The one in the bulb vase was growing well with me turning it every day. Then we went away for a few days and it grew like a weed and didn't get turned. So it has a permanent list starboard.

Now I don't know if I can count this as a bloom but one of my palms has a growth that has little balls on it. Seems like I have seen this before but I am not sure. There are several stalks with these little balls. I don't remember ever seeing an actual bloom come of this but it must be what it is. Does anyone that knows about palms have an opinion??

I will leave you with this close up of the bloom on the narcissis in the bulb vase. Happy blooming to you all.