Home of the Practically Perfect Pink Phlox and other native plants for pollinators

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

It's A Wonderful Time Of The Year! December GBBD


But, not necessarily a very bloomy one!

Rudbeckia triloba

Welcome to Bloom Day December 2009 at C&L....There's still a bit of flowering color to be seen here and there in the hidden and protected micro-climates that make up this garden.

Physostegia virginiana

Tucked behind walls and beneath tall trees

Lonicera sempervirens

A few plants bloom longer then others

almost mushed annual
But, they can't bloom forever when the temperatures drop to the teens and below~


Rudbeckia triloba after the frosted meltdown

We enjoy them while we can. Savoring each petal or the faded colors the frost leaves behind.

Solidago speciosa

Frosty ice covered seedheads add their own beauty

Eupatorium

drama and color to an otherwise brown garden.

Fairy Queen earlier this week

These last of the colors are precious all the more for their brief time left in the garden.


Thank you for stopping by... For more Bloom Day posts then we can see in a day, pop over to May Dreams Gardens. Carol a prolific and talented writer/blogger and hostess extraordinaire created Bloom Day when she was inspired by Elizabeth Lawrence, who wrote, “We can have flowers nearly every month of the year.” The rest is Bloom Day history~~

Have a wonderful day and loads of fun out there~

Gail


and if you can, please imagine Andy Williams singing~~

It's the most wonderful time of the year.
With the kids jingle belling
And everyone telling you "Be of good cheer"
It's the most wonderful time of the year

It's the hap-happiest season of all

With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings

When friends come to call
It's the hap- happiest season of all

45 comments:

  1. A most wonderful time of the year, indeed. It looks like your blooms just aren't going to give in that easily to winter!

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  2. You have some hanger oners rewarding you for the love that you've shown them!

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  3. I love your rudbeckia shots... the first with the frosty nose and the last with the background of trees lit so beautifully. Your fairy queen is truly queen-like and reminds me of a lotus flower in its grace. Precious blooms indeed. Enjoy your holiday preparations Gail!

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  4. Gail girl !
    That rose was SO beautiful to see .. I am very jealous about that one ;-) but then again .. I have "Rosemary" gracing my deck .. and that oregano is still smiling at me ? LOL
    Yes .. this time of year .. I'll leave it at that ? LOL
    Very nice post to rest my eyes on : )
    Joy

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  5. Wonderful to see your sun kissed shots, Gail! That rudbeckia is especially festive. And is Miss Piggy changing outfits frequently, or is that just my imagination? Can we join forces and make sure every single garden has Fairy Queen? What a fabulous rose she is, just non stop blooms that can stand up to all conditions. Happy bloom day my friend! :-)
    Frances

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  6. Your photos are a little melancholy, but appropriate for this time of year. I really liked the Eupotorium when I enlarged it. Happy GBBD!

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  7. A most wonderful time indeed! I love seeing that Fairy Queen still in bloom I only have snow outside.

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  8. Hi folks~~Thanks for stopping by. We've had another day of temps in the twenties and the last of the blooms are done for! So glad I was able to get a few shots before they became toasted mush!

    Gail

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  9. You're lucky to have so many things blooming! I didn't have much to share this month so decided to wait until January. Maybe the heath will put on a show between now and then.

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  10. Your pictures make me feel so chilly! - Or maybe I'm shivering because there's frostiness in the air here too... Lovely pics, as always - especially that eupatorium.

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  11. Hi Gail, your garden still has a lot of interest. I love those rudbeckia!!! My garden is crushed under the weight of a foot of wet snow. There isn't even a seed head left standing.
    Marnie

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  12. Loved the frosted rudbeckia and solidago, Gail!!!! So gorgeous! R. triloba is native and abundant in my gardens, but alas, has just been a cone for months now. (We have tons of goldenrod/solidago in our Cultivated Wild Meadow too, but it's reduced to stalks by now, shelter for birds but certainly not ornamental like yours!) Love the winter wear on your blog mascot, as well, but please don't tell me its name is "Miss Piggy." Say it ain't so!!! For some reason, I always thought it was a sheep.

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  13. Thank you for putting this tune in my head this morning, Gail! Do you remember watching the Andy Williams show years and years ago??

    Your post made me realize that these late blooms are so much more appreciated than the exuberant display of summer--even the tiniest show of color is welcome. Of course, everything in my garden has given up after the cold here. Seeing your "Fairy Queen" and Frances' in bloom, I realize this is one to add to my wish list!

    Happy Bloom Day!

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  14. Frances, Yes the Welcome Pig has a new outfit. It was too cold for the reindeer antlers...Isn't the scarf stunning. See what we are reduced to without grandchildren to play with! I wish Coal would let me put costumes on him! One of my friends dresses her dog for the Christmas Card every year. This year it was a halo and Bark The herald....You know the rest!


    OFB, No it's not Ms Piggy...But Welcome Pig...we aren't into pigs at all, but I did have to get this one. She's a fashion plate and I do dress her for the seasons.

    Gail

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  15. Ah, the difference that Zone 7-ish makes! I've enjoyed your blooms, and also enjoyed a little stroll around your blog reading your quotes and poems. Thanks for the interlude. (Now must actually get some work done. Life *will* obtrude.)

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  16. Rose, I can totally recommend Fairy Queen...I want more of them, too. I ought to have propagated some stem cuttings, but, really, I would let them die! I so remember the AW TV show~~What a happy family they presented to the world. We watched it with my mom and always listened to the Moon River album that Andy sang so well. I think I've gone too far back in time!

    gail

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  17. Mmm, I love your frosty photos, most especially the seedheads. Your coral honeysuckle reminds me that I would really like to plant that next year. Happy Bloom Day!

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  18. I see what you meant about things looking brown. You may have more flowers outside, but it doesn't look like Christmas at Clay and Limestone. The Rudbeckia is lovely with a coating of frost.

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  19. Gail, it IS a most wonderful time of the year; in fact we could say that most days. ;) Have a blessed Christmas and holiday season. Diana

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  20. Indeed! Looks like the garden is just about done. Mine was done months ago.

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  21. you have a lot more blooming than i do. i love the eupatorium shot with the sun peaking thru the bare branches of the trees.
    happy december.

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  22. I can't believe you've got a Physostegia still blooming! Everything here is buried under lots of snow!

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  23. You have far more in flower than I do at the moment here in the UK - only a Mahonia putting in an appearance

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  24. I thought of you when I photographed my lone Rudbeckia for Bloom Day. Solitary Susan, I call her!

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  25. Flowering in December? Yeah for you! Mine were all gone after our mid-October temperature plunge. But I really needed the gardening break this year, as I'm barely keeping up with holiday preparations even without digging around outside! Maybe next month I'll finally paint a couple of rooms that have been on my list for a long time. Hooray for gardening season, and hooray for a break, too. But by March I'll be grumbling about spring taking so long . . .

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  26. Quite a different perspective in the garden now but just as interesting.

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  27. Hi Gail, Well, it's a lot bloomier there than it is here. Enjoyed seeing the rays of sunshine in blooms!

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  28. I think any time of year would be a wonderful time of year in your garden - don't mean to be corny, I'm serious! Love your garden!

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  29. Wow--still looking pretty good. I an't wait to see what my R. triloba does next year. And other things. Too many thins.

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  30. You are lucky to have some blooms Gail. Tis the season to be happy. Fa la la la la la la la laaaaa.

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  31. Hey Gail, it looks like your garden is still hanging on! Like the birds!!! H.

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  32. Stunned to see your fruitful December offering, dear Gail ... only bones to see in my garden, but lovely too surrounded by a hint of snow and hopes for spring! You are blessed and have blessed us with your lovely post :)

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  33. Hello Gail,

    I think it is like going on a treasure hunt, looking for flowers in December and probably January as well. We exult with each bloom we see. Thank you for your kind comments on my blog. I appreciate it very much!

    Noelle

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  34. That's pretty impressive, Gail! And really, the joy about the summer is only so great because the dark times are dark.

    Happy bloom day!

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  35. Hi Gail~~ I've wondered who sang that song. Perry Como, Dean Martin, Bing Crosby...? Okay, good ole Andy. Actually this song reminds me of Ellen. :) Fairy Queen is a beaut. Every flower means all the more when they're so few, don't you think?

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  36. Lovely Sugar frosted candy Christmas flowers Gail, good to see a few hanging on even this late!

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  37. Gail, I like your bloomers. Okay, not "those" bloomers. The pretty ones in your garden.

    I can easily imagine Andy Williams singing that song. Years ago, maybe 20 year ago, my mother and I went to one of his Christmas shows.

    Wishing you and you loved ones a hap-happy season.

    donna

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  38. Hi Gail....it is a wonderful time of year. Time for family gatherings and counting our blessings. I watched my little grandson sing Winter Wonderland in the Christmas show at his school. A tear jerking moment.

    Every bloom, at this time of year, is so precious. The heavy frost of the last few days has taken most of mine now......

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  39. Your December looks like my October.

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  40. We sure do appreciate every last little flower this time of year!
    Andy Williams reminds me of listening to Christmas records growing up.

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  41. I've only got three things in bloom, if you want to call it that. I see you have a few more, but not as many as I expected to see, two ones warmer!

    I hope your thumbs are doing okay and that you'll survive the holidays. Merry Christmas, Gail!

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  42. Hi Gail~
    It is the most wonderful time of the year! I loved reading your post while hearing that song in my mind. I think my favorite picture was the black eyed susan with snow/frost on the top. It was a lovely contrast.
    I hope your thumbs will be okay and that the surgery will go well.
    Wishing you a happy holiday!
    ~Karrita

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  43. I love the vine twining around your birdhouse. What a great spot for the birds to hang out! :)
    Your r.triloba remind me of mine in the not-so-long-ago days of fall. Yours are pretty with their frosty caps.
    Your Fairy Queen's lovely shade of pink is a treat to my eyes right now.
    Those last blooms are indeed precious and yes, this is a wonderful time of year, even though tiring, with so many things to fit in.
    I'm glad your surgery has been postponed until January.
    I could use one of those 60º days you mentioned! We awoke to 3º this morning!! A bit too chilly for me!
    Happy decorating, baking or whatever you are up to, Gail!

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  44. Wow, you still have Rudbeckia triloba blooming? Mine finished up weeks ago. Yours look wonderful covered in frost.

    Your backlit shot of the Eupatorium really captures the beauty that is in the winter landscape.

    Isn't it amazing how the native Loniceras manage to bloom all year? They do a little even here, where they're out in the open.

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  45. I love what you said about enjoying each bloom while we can, and savoring each petal, and yes, the seedheads have their own beauty, especially with some frost.

    Our freezing rain hasn't started yet. So far, it's a little drizzle that melts with our 31 degrees.

    Merry Christmas!

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"Insects are the little things that run the world." Dr. E O Wilson