Garden Bloggers Bloom Day ~ May, 2010

Alyssum Basket of Gold

My secret agenda for this Saturday morning was to sleep as late as possible. 

Foiled again by a bee-zarre group of window peepers:

That's it. I'm investing in heavier drapes. And, perhaps sound proof walls. [When hot air balloons fire up, they're very loud.] They circled the joint, peeking into the kitchen window, too:

After coffee softened the blow of this early awakening, I glanced at the calendar and realized ~ Hey! It's bloom day! Fine time to admit to the world that there's not much happening in my chilly garden.

Happy Daffs & Bleeding Hearts

Persistent Prairie River Phlox

Buckets of Baby Hyacinth

A lawn in desperate need of mowing + two pretty doves.

And, these loud and proud heirloom Tulips!

* We've had a very tough spring. Cold, wet, misery. I've given my poor posies a pep talk. It's May, I say, but they're not buying it. We're about a month behind on the blooms this year. :(

So scoot on over to Carol's place to find gardens fairing better than mine!

Giddy in the Garden

Slept through two, [two!] alarms this morning after my first glorious day of playing in the mud. 

Do you have micro-climates? They're a big deal in this mountain garden, with spring arriving a full month earlier in the hot spots. I suppose that's because intense mountain sunshine bakes the big rocks ~ which serve as a natural space heater, keeping seedlings warm long after the sun goes down.

My cooler (full sun) gardens still hold die hard drifts of snow, taking their sweet time as they melt into memory.

This being the 15th, it is Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day but I just don't have enough pretty things to participate. So, pop over to Carol's and see what's cooking in kinder climates! :)

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day ~ February

 

Cymbidium Orchid

It's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day and while I'm thrilled with all my indoor flowers, I'm a bit disappointed that the buds of my little newbies are late to the party. Perhaps they'll put on a pretty show for March.

  

For now, I hope you enjoy the Micro-mini Roses

  

And, some more Micro-mini Roses.

  

Are you growing weary of my Micro-minis?

  

Then howsabout an Azalea?

Or, the dainty orange blossoms of this cute little Kalanchoe? 

No? That's not working for you?

Perhaps a worrisome garden drama is more your speed? Edna, the Christmas Cactus I've owned since college began flowering in mid-November. I usually get a month of pretty blossoms out of her and then the old gal falls back asleep until the next Christmas season. Here it is, mid-February and she's still blooming up a storm. And! She's still budding!

It's finally happened.
I think she's lost her marbles.

* Find lots more blogger's blossoms at Carol's May Dreams Garden. She's the inventor of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. With any luck, our blogging friends in kinder climates have some goodies blooming outdoors.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day ~ January

Find more blogger's blossoms at Carol's May Dreams Garden. She's the inventor of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.

Luscious Cyclamen

Every once in awhile someone will ask ~ if you're so into gardening why live so high up in the mountains?

My very first Cymbidium Orchid

I guess it's like a lot of things in life. It just happened. And, now that I'm here I'm not terribly interested in leaving. I love my mountains. The bright sunny skies, crisp fresh air. Living in the mountains makes winter fun.

Phaleanopsis Orchid (I fell in love with her polka dots.)

I suppose it would be harder on me if I lived in a normal house. But, this place has massive south-facing sunny windows that let me 'garden' all winter long.

Which is why I was so thrilled to discover that Carol's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Days allow indoor goodies. Because there's lots of little pretties smiling in my sunny window right now.

Snowy White Azaleas

Crazy Orange Kalanchoe

Over-achieving Edna, the Christmas Cactus I've owned since college. She began flowering in early November ~ showed off at least 100 blooms for Christmas and is now aiming to be my Valentine cactus as well!

Little help please? :)

And, then there's this sweet little hitchhiker ~ who sneaked indoors when I brought the house plants inside last autumn. A long, lanky vine with bright red buds. And, I haven't a clue. Do you?

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day ~ December

Find more blogger's blossoms at Carol's place. She's the inventor of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.

Mini Roses enjoy the view from my sunny window.

Truth be told I don't care for my house all that much. It's old and desperately in need of updating. But, it has this bright, sunny window that always brings a smile to my face.

In fact, that's why I fell in love with the joint. That and the fact it's located across the road from a nature preserve that makes for some interesting sightseeing.

Paper Yellows

Paper Whites are ever so popular but I see too much white in winter. To get a job in my sunny window you need to be a warmer color. :)

Giganto Amarylis!

I had big ideas for this place 7 years ago. A fixer upper! I was naively excited ~ how hard could it be to fix up an old house?
 

Turns out, way too hard. I'm better at planting flowers than I am at pounding nails. :)

* I've got lots of indoor bloomers for GBBD, though they won't be here for long. I've grown most of these little darlings for Christmas gifts.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day ~ November

 "Any flower counts!" So sayeth, Carol from May Dreams Gardens, inventor of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.

Indoor Micro Mini Roses

I wanted to participate in the monthly Bloom Day but winter is upon us and I didn't think I'd have anything to show. So, I was quite delighted to discover that indoor flowers count. This is a snapshot of my beloved micro mini roses, biggest blooms are about the size of a 50-cent piece.

After I photographed these wimpy indoor roses I thought to myself:

Hmmm... Do you suppose there is anything worth shooting out in that frozen garden of mine?

Scabiosa Pincushion Flowers still blooming ~ it was 13 degrees last night.

Well whaddyaknow! Every gardener probably has that flower. That one perennial who, no matter what, will never let you down. Mine are Pincushion Flowers. What's yours?

I grow black, pale pink, and fuchsia Pincushions (these 3 are kind of fussy.) But, there is just no stopping the purple girls. These feisty little ladies don't care about wind, drought, cold, snow. It's almost as if they knew I needed a helping hand for this November Bloom Day and decided to give it their all.

Not to be outdone... the outdoor roses are attempting a comeback:

And, Helianthus perennial sunflower blossoms, in my humble opinion, look just as pretty in winter time:

* There is a giant boulder in this garden ~ about the size of a Jeep Wrangler. Intense mountain sunshine heats it up during the day and it radiates heat at night. I 'think' this is what keeps the Pincushion Girls alive and kicking.