Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - December 2010

Where are the blooms? Nothing but dormant perennials and agaves here.
Dormant perennials, agave

It's vignettes like these that drive gardeners to spend hundreds of dollars on annual bedding flowers so that there's Something Attractive to Look At Out There. Especially in front yards.
Dormant perennials, agave

Me, I'm too poor, so my neighbors get to look at bare sticks and brown leaves for two more months, until pruning time. Wait, what's that? A tiny hint of purple?
Post-season lantana

Well, hi! There's a tiny spot of trailing purple lantana (L. montevidensis). That qualifies as a bloom, by golly. I really like its spent seed heads, and the way its leaves turn the color of burgundy wine when the temperatures drop.
Trailing lantana

And here's a bit of butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) that the caterpillars haven't gnawed to bits.
Butterfly weed

On the shady side of the house, here's a wee sprig of Molly Ivins salvia (S. Coccinea), hanging on for dear life.
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Next to it, there's a few tiny white blooms on a Wort of Some Sort. I can't recall if Jenny or Diana passed this Tradescantia along, nor do I recall its full name.
A wort of some sort

The chenille plant (Acalypha pendula) hasn't done much since November. It's been super dry here, with no significant rainfall since September. But it still has one fuzzy bloom.
Chenille plant

Here's a few bright spots on an otherwise bare Hot Lips salvia (S. microphylla).
Hot Lips salvia

And a few blotches of yellow on this Mexican Mint Marigold (Tagetes lucida).
Mexican mint marigold

The Bright Lights cosmos (C. sulphureus) still has a few blossoms for the remaining bees and butterflies.
'Bright Lights' cosmos

Lastly, the baby La Marne rose, a polyantha from 1915, is finishing her fall flush. I love how her little leafies are edged in red.
'La Marne' rose

Not too shabby, considering the drought and the cool temperatures. Thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting GBBD. Visit her website and see what's blooming around the globe, mere days before the winter solstice.


Words and photos © 2009-2010 Caroline Homer for "The Shovel-Ready Garden". Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

Comments

  1. Not shabby at all--looks quite colorful compared to mine! Thanks for the encouragement.

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  2. This was a fun post, I liked the discovery of the lantana (and your neighbors will certainly survive those couple of months -- it looks like it's worth the wait come spring)!

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  3. Well, after all, your neighbors' lawns are brown too. Your garden is way more interesting than that, even while dormant. However, to add a bit more winter interest for full sun, how about gopher plant, colorful yuccas like 'Bright Edge' or 'Color Guard,' damianita, and sotol? Those all look great with blowsy perennials when they return in spring.

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