December Bloom Day

Thanks to May Dreams Gardens for hosting Garden Bloggers Bloom Day!  

Lots still out there, so why am I obsessed with Aloes this month?  Most of them have yet to open, though many are budding.  Late fall and winter used to mean mainly Camellias here. 
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 Of course there are always roses, but their beauty depends somewhat upon the weather--wind makes them ragged, rain blotchy.   The cooler weather and shorter daylight hours means deeper, richer color.
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'Molineux'


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'Cressida'


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'Prospero'


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'Laguna'


There are the odd one-off blooms, due to our early October rainfall.  Even here, Hydrangeas should be dropping foliage instead of blooming.
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Hemerocallis trying to open without the warmth it really needs:
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Update:  it opened! :) 
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Even a lone Shasta Daisy threw up a bloom, because of the rain:
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Graptoveria--December seems a little early, but it's doing well.
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The plants that seem to bloom the year round continue to perform.
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Salvia discolor.  The hummingbirds fight over this plant non-stop.  Nectar must be good!
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So much going on, yet my mind is all aloes, aloes, aloes:

cameronii, not open yet...
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gariepensis, just going up...
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hardyi, not open yet...
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vanbalenii, not open yet...
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the yellow version of arborescens is peaking, though.  This one is earlier than the others.
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the fabulous ferox, with the yellow flowered form of megalacantha behind it, is just about to open.  The hummingbirds will soon do battle here. 
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and the little hybrid 'Grassy Lassie'
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Meanwhile, the flowers on the Agaves are still not open.  They can wait for warmer weather.
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Funny how human attention works:  you see what you want to see easily, and yet miss so much else that is also there waiting to be examined.  There is much more going on in the garden today than just Aloes, and it would be a shame to miss it.  As Orwell wrote:  "To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle." holds just as true in the garden as in other human endeavors.


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Comments

  1. Hi Hoover, i always love your photos which are putting so much justice to your plants. I love that almost black Salvia, which almost skipped your attention. I smiled when you quoted Orwell, which reminds me of "it's only through the heart that one can see wisely, what is essential is invisible to the eye"! Maybe you are using your heart with your plants, LOL.

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  2. Wow! What a stunning selection. I love the roses, especially the David Austens. We are opposite seasons here in Brisbane. My daylilies are doing beautifully at the moment, but in winter aloes were are real favorite. Yours are magnificent.

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  3. This post reinforces just why I'd love to live and garden in California. You can have it all.

    And by that statement you could infer I have absolutely no issue with your being focused on aloes. And you'd be right.

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  4. Great blooms/almost blooms/and photos...as always.

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  5. Your roses are just beautiful! But I can see why you are thinking only of the aloes - such colorful and exotic blooms! Your photos are gorgeous.

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  6. What stunning blooms you have. The Camellias and roses and gorgeous and I love thew Aloes too. The Salvia discolor is simply gorgeous, no wonder the birds fight over it :)
    Happy GBBD!!

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  7. Lovely post...I grew Salvia discolor last year...but it didn't overwinter for me :-(

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  8. I discovered you through GGW and really like how you image your world. It is always a pleasure to see your work.

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  9. Among a stunning batch of photos, that Aloe cameronii is just...just...can't find words...(Happy Bloom Day!)

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  10. Camelias and roses....sigh, even with our unusual weather here in upstate NY, I could never grow camelias and just a very handful of not too good looking knockout roses are still hanging on in a couple of locations. Happy GBBD.

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  11. You've got it all. I can feel the excitement building with all of the plants labeled "not blooming yet". Ready for blast-off!!!

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