Business Is Up At The Feeders

As the sun was rising yesterday morning this
is what I was looking through at the kitchen window.



The icicles were growing so long that I could
not even take pictures of the birds feeding from the
feeders because of the ice.
So it was time to go out and knock down some ice from
the eaves and gutters before it started causing ice to dam
back under the roof and cause problems or bring down
the gutters from the weight.
With another snow storm on our front doors steps
which I did not even want to think about, I took broom
in hand and knock down all that I could reach. Since
we live in partial two story I could not reach them all
but with the sunshine yesterday a lot of ice slide off, taking
down one of the lower widow boxes in the process so I
had to go out and rescue it. I was just glad in the great
slid it missed breaking one of the windows.



Now at noon it is snowing like crazy and the roads
are getting terrible. My Mom just informed me that
she called the Ohio Dept. of Transportation to tell them
to get on the ball and get on the roads because she has
grand-kids coming home from work this afternoon. LOL!
Whatever! She is more gutsy than me. I did not remind
her that just because it was bad upon this hill did not
always mean all the roads in the valley were bad too.
Twenty minutes later they were going by plowing.
Which is just about as long as it would take them to
get from town to here, so Mom it worked.





With the snow falling the feeders are getting lots
of action. The birds seem to come to the new metal feeder
as the older plastic feeder gets lower on seed.
The reason being the new metal one is a little slippery
for them and the snow was making it even more slippery.
As sad as this sounds watching sliding birds is a little
fun to see. LOL! Not so much fun for them.




But they are gorging at it anyway today like there will
be none for tomorrow.
Reminder to self: add birdseed to the shopping list.




This winter I have not yet saw any
new variety of birds. It has been the old faithful
one such as the many Cardinals, Junco's ,Sparrows,
Goldfinches, Titmice, Woodpeckers and Nuthatches.



By the way if you hear angry shouts it will have been
me because Blogger is causing me fits today just
trying to get this finished and intact. Seems others
are having problems too.




Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and
a snow free one.





One last thing has anyone else lost Blotanical
all together. My logo disappeared and the website
is not responding????

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!

This and The Other

Where did November go?
It went whizzing right by me
somewhere along the way. With all of
the talk of Christmas decorations being
made or put up it got me into the mood to get at
least the outdoor decorations up today while the
weather was still fair.
A final cutting of and stowing away of the mums
to the basement was made. The window boxes were
clean out of frozen and mushy impatiens and other
flowers and decorated with pine, poinsettia, pine cones
and ribbons arrangements. The front porch with its fall
decor was replaced with the Country Christmas decorations
that are used every year. I do not decorate for Christmas as
I use to when the children were small but just add touches around
indoors. It was just more fun to go all out for it when
there were little ones about.
Meanwhile indoors.....

This white geranium that was brought indoors to
spend the winter has a few blooms opening on it.
The blooms are a lot smaller than when grown out
doors in the sun.





The African violet leaves are still looking good
but I do not see and growth coming out of them yet.
It has been over three weeks so I am hoping to see
some growth anytime now.

I am especially anxious to see the 'Wrangles
Dixie' get growing. It has pretty pink variegated
edges on the leaves.





With the cold weather the birdfeeders are seeing
a lot more activity. I saw my first Junco last week
just before we got our first touch of snow.




I am hoping the raccoons are sleeping now and will
leave the feeders alone. After two were wrecked by
them I started bringing the feeders in at dark.
Maybe it will be safe now to leave them up overnight.



Happy Gardening Everyone!

Crazy For Blues.... Anywhere, Everwhere

Kiki over at 'Awake With Charm & Spirit' wrote
a posting on 'The Color Essence of Blue' which
was beautiful and extended an invitation to others
who are inspired by blue to join in.
Blue is a color that I dearly love not only in the
blues of flowers and decor in my garden but also
all throughout my home.
The siding on my home is even a light blue.
Inside my home blue is the main use in decor, from
the blue and white theme in my kitchen....







to the blue furniture and decor in my living room.
Dried blue hydrangea blooms...




Even the bathroom has a blue and yellow decor,
so yes, blue is a color I love.

In the garden I try to find blue flowers of every
kind to grow. Even in the choice of the seeds I
purchase I look for blue flowers.




Blue dwarf Morning Glory's are beautiful
while they last and shearing them back when
they slow down will bring them back for more
pretty blooms.



Shades of blue in petunia's run more to purples
I believe but for this winters sowing I have found seed
for a blue Celebrity petunia and blue alyssum.



Blue Browillia



Blue lobelia



Marine blue helitrope




And some of the perennials that are around in the
flower beds are this Clustered Bellflower.



Blue woolly Speedwell



Blue Hill Salvia is one of my favorites in the
sage family and I have it stuck in two or three beds.



It looks so pretty with the Crimson Bouquet roses.




Even Campunala bellflower Chettle Charm turns
blue on the edges with age.




Tall Phlox or Rockets



Blue Bird Delphinium or Larkspur



Even Jack Frost Brunnera has the prettiest little blue blooms
to start off the spring.



Blue creeping phlox cover the whole bank on the one
side of the garage.

Blue Chip Campanula



Hardy Geraniums which the name now has been
completely forgotten. Johnson??




The Nikko Blue Hydrangea that I had to go into
the archives to get a picture of.



While in the archives I found this picture of the dark
blue hyacinths that bloom in the spring.
I have more blue flowers than I thought.




The decor outdoors has a few touches of blue
added in by pots.



The containers I use to plant the flowers in,
and I will use about anything that holds soil,
are decorated in blue sometimes.
Even in the previous posting of the Amaryllis
that were just started were put in blue and white
flowers pots.



Even to the flags in the garden the blue comes into play.





Blue Birds are invited to the garden and their blue
houses.





Some of the blues that I planted this Fall to
bloom in the blue section of the woods bed are:

Eryngium Blue Sea Holly



An Oreo Iris



A Out of the Blue re-blooming Iris



Agastache Blue Fortune



And a Jacob's Ladder polemonium

Others that I have but have no pictures for that are
new are Mammouth Blue hosta, Columbine Aquilegia Alpina,
Campanula Blue Waterfalls, and Loddon Royalist Anchusa.

Would you say I am crazy for blue in the garden and out?

Happy Blue Gardening Everyone!