Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Monthly Meme (Garden Bloggers Bloom Day)

We have passed the halfway mark in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  Today it is time for the letter M.  My theme is America the Beautiful and today I feature - well, my yard.

Each 15th of the month, there is a monthly meme that gardeners all over the world participate in:  Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.  I've been participating since mid 2011 - each and every month.  Sneakily, I've been led to create an online garden journal. Look up posts on my blog tagged "Garden Bloggers Bloom Day" and you'll see.

Hosted by an Indiana blog, May Dreams Gardens, the purpose of Garden Bloggers Bloom Day is for the blogger to show what is blooming in their garden - or, house or apartment.  During the winter months, it can be a challenge for those like me who live in four season zones.  And, our winters seem to last forever.

May Dream's Indiana garden is in full spring bloom.

And, in my zone 5b garden near Johnson City, New York, it is SPRING.  Finally, I can show you flowers. Actual. Outdoor. Flowers.
On April 13, my first crocus bloomed.  Today, others in my lawn will join it.
I have one Lenten Rose in bloom.  Here's a close up.
My other should start to bloom tomorrow.  Its blooms hang down, so they aren't as visible as the white one.

My kalanchoe houseplant, whose blooms took me through most of the winter, is still going strong.  It's been outdoors most of the last two weeks, finally (maybe) rid of whiteflies.  Let's hope.
My regular readers know how much I love camillas.  But, you just can't grow them where I live (not hardy enough).  Or can you? I blogged, several days ago, about purchasing a camilla in Wake Forest, North Carolina.  Later this spring, we will plant this camilla, the hardiest this nursery sells (the variety has survived to around -8 F) in an effort to grow it in upstate New York.  It is called April Rose.  This is the fourth bloom this plant has given us in the pot, so at least we will have memories if it doesn't survive our next winter. Why not dream an Impossible Dream?

Meanwhile, my houseplants have put on a spurt of flowering.
One of my African violets started to bloom yesterday. It was a surprise.
One of my Thanksgiving cactuses started to bloom again last week.

Finally, in the best news of today, although I lost one of my two Phalaenopsis, the other has two flower buds on it. 

 If you want to see what is blooming all over the world, go to May Dreams Gardens, click on some pictures, and enjoy the beauty our world has to offer.

 What's blooming for you?
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12 comments:

  1. DeniseApril 15, 2015 at 6:58 PM

    I have one lonely crocus in the back yard that some critter must have planted. I'm still looking for signs of life in my yard.

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  2. bookwormApril 15, 2015 at 8:22 PM

    It will come, Denise, it will come. There is hope.

    ReplyDelete
  3. A Joyful ChaosApril 15, 2015 at 8:46 PM

    Our daffodils have started blooming. So pretty!

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    Replies
    1. bookwormApril 15, 2015 at 9:14 PM

      I love daffodils. Mine will be out in a few more days-can't wait! P.S. I checked out your blog and followed it.

      Delete
  4. Dr. K. Lee BanksApril 15, 2015 at 8:49 PM

    LOVE the flower pictures! I'm so anxious for flowers to show up around here. We still have snow in the back yard, in the shadows!

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    Replies
    1. bookwormApril 15, 2015 at 9:18 PM

      The flowers will come to Maine. Hopefully, soon.

      Delete
  5. Liz A.April 15, 2015 at 9:12 PM

    Yes, that is kind of a sneaky way to get you to create your own garden journal. But in the best way.

    What's blooming around here? Everything.

    Liz A. from Laws of Gravity

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dorothy BordersApril 15, 2015 at 11:49 PM

    Wonderful! I'm so happy to see that spring has finally sprung for you and you have some beautiful blooms to enjoy. Thanks for sharing them with us.

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousApril 16, 2015 at 12:38 AM

    Ohhh, I love these pictures! I'm a huge picture person myself so this was fun to read through. Life has finally started to take form here in Cleveland. We were at 80 degrees Monday, lots of people out and about with their dogs. :)

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  8. beingFabApril 16, 2015 at 4:54 AM

    Wow, my Mom would love your garden!! And such pretty pictures!

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  9. SuzyApril 16, 2015 at 4:57 AM

    Beautiful blooms. I love camellias, They're such a pretty flower. .

    ReplyDelete
  10. UnknownApril 16, 2015 at 6:10 PM

    Those flowers are so pretty. It makes me feel all springy!! :-)

    ReplyDelete

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