Yea! It's Bloom Day December 2008. This is my first year participating in this National/International event brought to us by the lovely Carol at May Dreams Gardens, and it's starting to sink in...the wonderful documentation tool this idea provides. Thank you!
The above photo was taken yesterday of a baby Japanese Maple I planted in my back yard. It comes up to my hip and I can't wait to see what she will look like next year!
I wanted to also document the wonderful color of this years foliage, the only gift I'm aware of, from the drought! This 8ft. Red Oak was a volunteer in my yard; I put a tomato cage around her when she was only about a foot tall!
Oxallis still blooming among the Autumn leaves.
The kumquat has been blooming all fall! I hope we get fruit this year!
The basket that hangs outside the Chicken Coop keeps making it, these are flowers from last year!
Purple Lantana thriving in the cold!
Another basket with succulents about ready to die! They come back every year though!
A few blooms left on the Trumpet Vine.
I ate the last of the sweet peas yesterday while working in the garden...I doubt these will make it beyond tonight...we'll see. 
Mexican Sage blooming in both the front and back yard. 
Polygunum thriving under the leaves.
The Gregg's Mistflower continues to flower sans butterflies.
Not a great photo...in fact I'm going to apologize now for the lousy photos in this post. My fingers and camera were hardly working due to the cold! I wanted to show the many blooms on this mini Pom! It was transplanted last winter and has come back with an explosion of flowers.
Pink Geraniums blooming inside!
Yellow Lantana blooming in the front yard. I may need to rake....naaaaaa. 
Poor Bougenvilla crying in the wind!
This sweet Fall Aster is a native volunteer in my yard this year. The funny thing is that I've walked up and down my street looking for her relatives and can't find them!
Second apology for nasty photos! I came in to warm up between doing the front and back yards to catch the blooms indoors and my camera and glasses fogged up! This Cyclamen was won by my husband at the Austin Garden Club Christmas Party! No one left without a few plants in tow! It's a great little club that meets monthly and engages in all sorts of volunteer gardening throughout the city...they had spiked punch...oh yea, they know how to throw a party!Free plants and liquor...I'm there!
This is one of 3 Christmas Cactus...this one blooms both white and red on the same plant.
We did our Christmas cooking last night, also blooming on the table...Pointsettia, I miss the Pointsettia trees in Santa Barbara. It was the first time I'd seen one and I thought it must have been something else at the time. 
Here's the solid red Christmas Cactus on the front porch.
I had to get down under her, but this is Loropetalum...fringe flower in the front yard.
Third apology...I could not get a shot of this Firecracker Fern whipping around in the wind...my camera simply refused to focus! What I'm documenting though is the Nastertium up from seed.
Blooming like crazy in the back is my giant Creeping Rosemary with the Nastertium blooming!
The last of the Plumbago I bet!
Hymenoxys...Four Nerve Daisy hanging on! Good grief, is that paper in there?
Lavender blooming and staying warm next to the Art Car.
Sweet Salvia Greggi refusing to die!
Copper Canyon Daisy blooming late in my yard. 
Upright Rosemary
Old Blush, my favorite southern belle will go to hip soon!
These are the removed blooms from a pink Christmas Cactus given to me by a neighbor on Saturday. They are planted and I can't wait to see if they bloom for me next year!
Happy GBBD everyone! Stay warm!
17 comments:
Wow, how on earth do you still have so many blooms left? I have a lot of the same plants in my yard, but they aren't blooming now. Good work, you have quite the green thumb! Thanks for posting (like you I was out there in the cold wind this morning, my photos are not so wonderful...)
Another great post, Cheryl. I waited til afternoon to take my photos and I think it was colder then that it was this morning. I have a feeling that our January bloom day might not be quite as big.
You certainly do have quite a good sized bloom collection...hope a lot of them hang in a bit longer! We're having freeze threats too...some of my blooms will be over if it happens!
It looks so dark, were you taking some of those photos at night??
Hope you stay warm tonight.
Bonnie, I was taking the pictures at 8:30 yesterday morning...the clouds were so low and it was dark. My camera was adding the flash automatically, it was on the "flower" setting. Brrrrrr!
Hello~
What a great blog you have! I see you have the Ghandi quote in your side bar, "Be the change you want to see in the world."
That's my favorite quote!
Beautiful blossoms for GBBD and a really cool blog, off to add you to my list.
Happy day~
Karrita
Such a variety of plants still with blooms. I know you are warmer than we are, but yours do seem to be hanging on. Don't you love those Japanese Maples anytime of the year! I have never seen a firecracker fern. Very interesting-it's probably NOT a zone 5b plant though.:{
Thanks for visiting my blog and it's very nice to meet you!
Hey Sunflower girl, I love the explanation on the side. Also, the glass mulch sounds so interesting.
What wonderful flowers you still have to enjoy!!
From Daisy girl :)
Daisy Girl! Please check out my art...Goveia.us click on C.A. Fine Art...that's my style! I love your soft lines! Thanks for dropping by!
Wow you've got a lot blooming!!! (I'm going out to shovel snow, in contrast. I like snow, sure, but I also like blooms!) And secondly, hooray!, someone else who refers to a plant as "she." Finally!
~ Monica
Hello, thanks for visiting my blog :O) Just wondering how you found it? So, you´ve ben to Sweden, Hudviksvall.....
I´m living in the South of Sweden, Southcoast.
Have a nice day!
Petra
I'll be the next person to comment on how many blooms you have going still--no wonder your hands got cold! Taking pictures of slender plants in the wind is very difficult; I never got a good picture of my penstemon "Husker's Red" for that reason.
The Christmas cactus with the white-flower sport is interesting, didn't know they did that. Looks as if the foliage on that stem is lighter, too.
Parties with free plants and intoxication--a good model for us all to follow!
Thanks for joining in and sharing all those blooms. I hope they are surviving in the whacky Austin weather that I've been reading about.
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
It must be nice to have all these blooms still!! Yep, I'm jealous! Just love the close-up of your pink Christmas Cactus...good-luck with it!
Lovely colours in your garden but I cant imagine living with temperatures cold enough to stop you from clicking on your camera... and still brave the cruel outdoors! I would have been huddling in the warmest room under 3 woollen blankets and two sweaters, mufflers ... you get the idea, I'm sure ;)
Gorgeous flowers. From all the pictures on the blog, you seem to be having a great time doing this!! Good for you!! I have to tell you though Cheryl, I am terrible with plants. I've killed three ivys!! LOL!! I loved the bougainvillea too, even if it was a little sad. :)
MarK! So glad you dropped by! If you're interested in learning we can talk about sprucing up the gardens there at LBJ!
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