Friday, December 11, 2009

Add A Touch Of Red To Your Christmas


Hannah hang onto your hat and do not open
that umbrella the winds that have went through
Ohio for two days were fierce. My heavy pump that
was made into my water display and small pond
got blown over and the thing is so heavy I need
help these days in getting it set. I could not believe
my eyes when I saw it laying on the ground.
The flower tower on the front porch also went down
slinging dirt across the porch in its wake.
Now it is tied to the porch railing until spring.
A lot of rain, a little dusting of snow and plenty
of cold wind followed.
Thank goodness the wind has stopped and though still
very cold at least the sun is shining.

I thought since I showed everyone the White
Christmas that I was Dreaming of that I would
add a touch of red to it to brighten up the day
and add to the Christmas spirit.



Another amaryllis 'Ragtime' is now showing off
her giant blooms and is just the touch of red
needed to get me into the Christmas spirit.






"Ragtime" looks wonderful with "White Christmas".







The red blooms of the Cactus are long spent now.




But 'Roulette Red' Streptocarpus is still blooming.







But I miss some of the reds that were blooming
only a short time ago around the garden.





The Pansies have gotten frozen now but I am hoping
they will be back next spring.




I miss the red Nicotiana that bloomed all summer
and into fall.



Imperial Ivy geranium is sleeping in the basement
but I miss the bright blooms along with the
Ivy geranium ' Gardner's Choice'.



Dahlia Edinburgh is also taking a winter vacation.





Long gone are the giant blooms of Lord Baltimore
hibiscus.




I miss Crimson Bouquet the most with its deep
red blooms and heady fragrance.




Verbena St. George though a beauty was not a favorite
because of the mildew that kept trying to take it over.




My lovely pelargonium geraniums are now resting
in the basement in pots or hanging upside down on
strings.



The Scentimental roses were beautiful this summer.


And I am hoping these red and white tulips will
bloom again next spring since most tulips are
annuals in the garden.



Surely Rhododendron Holden will be there to
bring in the spring blooms after this winter.



But this winter the only red outdoors that will be
seen will likely be these two.






Today is Fertilizer Friday and time to "Flaunt Those
Flowers". Join us with hostess Tootsie over at
Tootsie Time and display some of those flowers
that brighten our days.


Happy Gardening Everyone!









20 comments:

Darla said...

Your Amarylis' are so beautiful!!! You had some gorgeous flowers didn't you? Oh, they will be back...your verbena get mildew? from overwatering? I call mine Peppermint..

Rebecca @ In The Garden said...

Great pics Lona, these colour tours are so much fun. I remember your beautiful Dahlia from a previous post, and it jsut takes my breath away. Your rose is spectacular, and I love the tulip. Can you tell I like the white/red combo lol? :) Rebecca

Carol said...

Great post Lona! I love all reds but your Cardinal wins my heart. Wonderful portraits all. Carol

Balisha said...

Now this is my color...Those pictures are so pretty and vibrant..the favorite of mine is the last...the cardinal. Aren't they a majestic bird.This morning at the feeder...there they were, all sparrows in the feeder with a red cardinal right in the middle. He stood out like a Christmas present just for me.
Balisha

Lona said...

Darla : I think the verbena got mildew because of the cool wet summer we had. I thought mine looked like your this summer too. Just different names I guess ;-)


Rebecca:I did not know I had so many red flowers until I started the posting and I did not list them all.

Carol and Balisha; No, you just cannot beat the beauty of the cardinal to brighten a day.

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

Your Amaryllises are so pretty! Mine are very far behind, seeing yours makes me excited to see them.
Your reds are very cheerful. I just love the Cardinal with the berries. That is picture perfect!

Helen said...

All you flowers are beautiful. Loved that Cardinal. Helen

deb said...

Gorgeous Amaryllis!
Love the cardinal, wish we had them here
*hugs*deb

D said...

Lona, so sorry to hear of the wind for it can be devastating. Ole man winter is here in the PNW and unlike anything we have experienced with the bitter cold and freezing. But you beautiful reds brighten our days. Thanks, Diana

Anonymous said...

The cardinal steals the show, even for us gardeners who love flowers! What an excellent image with the frozen red berries too! Well done!
Frances

Carrie said...

I adore the white and red rose and tulip - too beautiful. Never seen such a prefect bloom in either case - definately have to look those up xxx

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Ooh, la, la! Now you're talkin' (hee-hee.)

Your white Christmas was quite lovely but I go nuts over bright, bold flowers. What an uplifting post! Thanks for sharing. :D

Tootsie said...

what a beautiful collection of color!!! Oh they are all just so pretty...I can't even choose my favorite!
you are lucky to have some of those...and I think I am going to change a couple of my seed order colors to reds....you are inspiring me today!
have a great weekend...thanks for linking in!

Unknown said...

Oh, I thought I liked the red streptocarpus best of all your photos in this post, then I came to the cardinal! I have cardinal envy, as we don't get them here at our place, so far. I think it's way too open to the gales of winds.
This is a lovely, cheery post. Just what I needed to warm me this chill evening.

Stephanie said...

White and red are the perfect colour for Christmas :-D No wonder you missed those beautiful blooms. I like your amaryliss bloom in total red - very striking!

Anonymous said...

Hi Lona~~ The red blossoms were a real treat--absolutely beautiful. Your wind sounds awful. I hope it's behind you now.

janie said...

RED is the best color! I just love RED flowers! And birds.

Susie said...

Oh I love all these red and whites! How pretty!

lynn'sgarden said...

Lona, these red blooms are ALL so beautiful! But I also vote the cardinal as my favorite! Just lovely!

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