Monday, December 28, 2015

Christmas Blooms

I hope everyone has had an enjoyable holiday season -- my parents and my husband's mother joined the four of us for Christmas as usual this year, and we all enjoyed the company, food and Christmas spirit. Part of the magic for me is the holiday decorations, particularly the horticultural ones: a Christmas tree, cut flowers and various potted plants and bulbs. Here are a few scenes:

First, the Christmas miracle of this year: the highly unusual outdoor foliage that is still green through December, plus, incredibly, even a few flowers, blooming the day after Christmas! The oddly warm temperatures we've been enjoying all during December have allowed these freak occurances:


A viola flower that is still hanging on.

This orange mum sent up a new flower this week.
A snapdragon on the protected east side of my house

I know those aren't particularly impressive or beautiful flowers in themselves, but the fact they have occurred is highly unusual and worth documenting. I don't have any spring flowers blooming yet, unlike a few people around here whose hellebores or snowdrops are already flowering (the Lenten Rose usually doesn't bloom here until March or April), but these leftover autumn flowers are good enough for me.

But the flowers that I have been enjoying inside are even nicer, since I don't need to venture out into the cold, damp, sunless weather of this month:


Some seasonal house plants in my east kitchen window, including a poinsettia, holly and ivy, a Christmas cactus and a cute little potted European cypress tree at far right. The Norfolk Island pine in the center was upstairs in my plant corner, but I brought it down here and decorated it with very light ornaments.

From the other end of the same display, where the potted paperwhites and white amaryllis can be seen
behind the holly and the Anthurium plant, which isn't a traditional Christmas plant but looks right
 at home with its red and green colors.  

A cut-flower arrangement on the bar, next to two "frosty fern" plants (Selaginella).
An all-white and green arrangement.
Sometimes my favorite arrangements are those made with
the short stems left over from the larger arrangements. I
made this little bouquet for our downstairs bathroom
with leftover blooms and a little snowman stake that
came in one of the Selaginella plants.

Anyway, I have enjoyed these many plants during the Christmas season and during our warm spell, which seems to be ending, judging from the ice storm with horizontal winds that is currently raging outside right now. Brrr! A good day to stay inside and slowly clean up after the holidays.

I hope you are recovering from all the Christmas excitement as we get ready to ring in the New Year. Here's to a happy, healthy and lushly growing 2016!

Thanks for reading! -Beth

23 comments:

  1. Nice way to create winter interest! ;-)
    I like the green and white one best.

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  2. I like your indoor garden too!

    All the best in the New Year!
    Carolyn

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    1. Carolyn, thanks so much for reading. Best Wishes for the New Year! -Beth

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  3. Very beautiful, outdoor and indoor :-) ! I wish you all the best for the new year !

    Greetings from Birgit

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    1. Thanks, Sunny -- I appreciate you stopping by! -Beth

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  4. So nice all these indoor plants together on a table near the window, exactly an indoor garden for wintertime,mlove that.
    Wish you a healthy and happy new gardening year in 2016!

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    1. Thanks for your kind words, Janneke. Best Wishes for the New Year to you and your family (and Snarf too, of course!).

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  5. Hi Beth! I love all your indoor plants and you have a beautiful collection. Its lovely to be able to have things growing indoors and I really like how you have everything arranged! I'm trying to imagine a sideways blowing ice storm!! I hope you don't wake up tomorrow and find everything covered in icicles but it doesn't sound too good! Its always a bit of shock especially when it has been so warm. Wishing you all the best for a wonderful 2016 with lots of happy gardening!
    - Kate

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    1. Hi Kate, thanks so much for visiting. Happy New Year to you and you family! -Beth

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  6. Lovely, indoor plant arrangements! Wishing you only good things for 2016...looking forward to seeing your gardens in spring.

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    1. Hi Janice, thanks for reading, and best wishes for the New Year! -Beth

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  7. Hello Beth! Loved seeing all your blooms, indoors and out. Our weird fall came to an end last night with an epic 13" of snow. Winter is here now, that's for sure. I also enjoyed reading your farm history, how fascinating it is! You've done an outstanding job documenting the past and the present. Always a pleasure to visit you!

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    1. Hi Karen, Yes, we too have winter now after the strange warm weather. I'm so glad you stopped by and even read my farm history --I agree that these stories of past settlers can indeed be fascinating. Happy New Year! -Beth

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  8. Your house plants are so pretty. A cheerful touch through the long winter days. Wishing you a happy new year and looking forward to your posts in 2016.

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    1. Thanks so much for stopping by -- And best wishes for the New Year to you too! -Beth

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  9. Lovely indoor blooms and arrangements and oh I think each outdoor bloom is very impressive...what a gift! Happy New Year!

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    1. Thanks for reading, Donna -- Best wishes to you and your family in the New Year!

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  10. Happy new year Beth! Only greenery in our garden now, although we did have a few roses blooming right up until the end of December. We're also having very unseasonal weather; mild and very wet and I'm sure you've heard of the floods in our northern regions.
    It's always good to have fresh flowers and plants in the home at any time and especially in this season when we tend to be indoors most of the time. I have the same ones as you do and I choose flowers from the florist that will last for several weeks. At the moment I'm enjoying port wine red carnations and two toned red/white alstroemerias.

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    1. Hi Linda, glad you're enjoying many of your own indoor flowers during this winter time too -- and we've lost our few outdoor ones with the cold weather that has finally arrived too. Oh well, it is winter, after all. Thanks for reading! -Beth

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  11. It's been weirdly warm here, too and I had some confused flowers. Happy New Year!

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    1. Happy New Year to you too. Thanks for stopping by! -Beth

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  12. We had some strangely warm weather here, too, but now we are back to our regular snow. I love how you made a bouquet with the leftover stems! Very cute! Happy New Year!

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