Saturday, December 15, 2018

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day December 2018

Welcome (I think) to Garden Bloggers Bloom Day in my zone 5b garden near Binghamton, New York.


December has been a strange month, as have so many recent months.  On Black Friday (November 23) it got down to four above zero.  We've had snow, enough to totally jam everything up.

Snow is usual for us in November and December, but now, we have temperatures in the low 40's and everything has melted.

Because of personal events in the last month, I haven't been able to care for my plants as I normally would, and today's Garden Bloggers Bloom Day will be sparse.

My Thanksgiving Cactus, though, have exploded into bloom.

Another plant.

I did buy an African Violet to cheer me up.  Now, if I can only remember to water it.  I've already lost several houseplants in the past couple of months.
I almost forgot.   My amaryllis plant is blooming.  Well, almost.

Outside?  After it's gotten down to four above zero (-15.5 C) already this fall?  Well, actually, now that the snow has melted, this has been revealed - buds on my early blooming Lenten Rose.  Enough times it is caught by a January cold wave, but maybe not this year.

And, wonder of wonders, my April Rose camilla plant (yes, a camilla in upstate New York!) is hanging on for another year, but there is no sign that it will ever bloom again.

Want more?  Head on over to Carol at May Dreams Gardens, who hosts Garden Bloggers Bloom Day every 15th of the month. 

Merry Christmas (almost) to all my readers who celebrate.  And Happy Holidays to all.

See you next month!

17 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thank you! Of course, that is probably because I bought it last month in partial bloom.

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  2. Pretty flowers. You've been colder than we have at 7,100 feet elevation!

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    1. It was just that one cold spell. But it sure came at a bad time!

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  3. Wow, that's cold! Thank goodness you've got some wonderful color inside to keep you warm. Happy GBBD!

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    1. Just that one time. But we can get below zero here, and usually do a couple of times each winter. That kind of weather on Black Friday morning, though, was unusual.

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  4. Love those cactus blooms. Good luck with those house plants. I've given up on inside plants because my two bad cats destroy them. Happy Bloom Day!

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    1. I have (for various reasons) a pet free house, which is kind of sad, but yes, I hear you about animals and plants.

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  5. Beautiful plants. Right now I don't have any. And it make me little sad. Simple I need to get a few.
    Coffee is on

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    1. Hope you find some cheap ones. If we lived closer, I could have given you cuttings of some of mine.

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  6. A question... do you put your Christmas cactus in a dark place starting in Oct. or Nov? I heard they need a cool dark place to set buds in Dec.
    I forgot to put mine in the shed, and no flowers.

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    Replies
    1. Lisa, no, I don't. I don't give them any special treatment. They must just like my windowsills.

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  7. Your Thanksgiving cacti look great! In contrast, mine are pathetic. I really need to stop treating them like true cactus and water them more often. We can't depend on rain to take care of them anymore in my part of the country.

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  8. Christmas cactus are a delight to watch. I haven't seen African violets anywhere in our place they seem to be spectacular.
    have a great week ahead.

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  9. Blooms just seem to bring a bit of sunshine into the house, don't they? My Christmas cactus and my amaryllis are both blooming as well. It's soooo cheery!

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  10. Take care. I know it's been a rough time.

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  11. My amaryllis is blooming right now! I propagated a Christmas cactus from a leaf off my mom's. Maybe it will grow big enough to have flowers one day!

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