Today, you are getting two memes for the price of one - Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, which is the 15th of each month, and Yogi's Skywatch Friday, which I join up with each Friday.
For Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens, we show what is blooming in our homes or yards. Flower gardeners, I hope you stick around for the sunset.
The sparse time of year has come for me and my zone 5b garden in the Southern Tier of New York. Although we don't have snow on the ground (except where the snow from earlier in the week hasn't melted yet) I have no outdoor flowers. There's a possible exception but let's see the indoor flower first.
Indoors, all I have is a new to me Thanksgiving cactus, which I purchased at a nursery's holiday showcase. No African violets - in fact, I killed two of my African violets in the past couple of months. Yes, even flower lovers can kill plants.
I know you know that these beautiful features on poinsettias are not flowers. They are bracts, specialized leaves that surround the tiny flowers. Their main function is to attract pollinators.
If you are wondering how the poinsettia got its name, I found out during a trip to Greenville, South Carolina this past February.
Let's move to the outdoors. Although, under a covering of leaves blown by the wind, there is this.
My white Lenten Rose is budding out. Whether it gets to bloom next year
is another matter. Last year it was caught by no snow on the ground
and a -5F (-20.56 C) cold wave. And, alas, that's all I have to offer for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.
And now, to the Skywatch. This is the November 9 sunset I started to show you last Friday. What I showed you was only the beginning.
I think it was to the west. It's hard to see but the cloud on the left is reflecting some of the red light from the sunset.
Still more next week.
Wow, that sunset
ReplyDelete...great skies! ☃️ 🎄 ❄️ 🎅🏼
ReplyDeleteA morning when pretty is appreciated!
ReplyDeleteYour sunset shots are spectacular. And your hellebore is well ahead of any of mine in Southern California!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely gorgeous skies!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you were able to find anything blooming at all in your part of the country at this time of year. We've certainly got nothing here.
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful photos of beautiful things, which we all need.
ReplyDeleteWell, it seems the poisettia has respectful heritage - it's named after Joel Poinset, scientist and politician!
ReplyDeleteGreat skies. And at least you have some flowers.
ReplyDeleteIt's always fun to see what you have going on in your garden and your sky views are wonderful! My Lenten Rose are running a little behind and just starting to bud as well so I am hoping for some blooms next month, and thank goodness for Thanksgiving Cactus...yours are beautiful! Happy Bloom Day!
ReplyDeleteLove the skies
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy visiting your garden. Your Hellebore is actually a little ahead of mine here in zone 7b and your sky views are gorgeous! I also love your Thanksgiving Cactus. They do bring so much indoor joy this more frigid time of year!
ReplyDeleteThat cactus brings memories of one that I inherited from my mother on her death in 2004. She had been growing it for as long as I could remember and it was huge! I managed to keep it going for several years but then lost it to an unexpected frost. Broke my heart all over again.
ReplyDeleteLove the pretty skies- and the only thing blooming around here is a Christmas cactus and my husband's blueberry bush that he put under the porch until he could plant it. It's going to town...but will die back I am sure as soon as we get cold weather.
ReplyDeleteI love your blooms and love your skies, a double feature!!
ReplyDeleteI do like cactus.
ReplyDeleteLovely pale Thanksgiving cactus. It's nice to see them in colors other than my bright pink.
ReplyDeleteAwesome suns set photos ~
ReplyDeleteWishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
Happy Holidays!
ReplyDeleteWorth a Thousand Words