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!

Kiss The Summer Flowers Goodbye

In summing up this growing season in one word
it would have to be abnormal.

Here in Ohio we only had about two weeks worth of
what we would call 'Summer' , where the temperatures
were in the upper eighties or near ninety.
Now for some of my gardening friends this would
have been a blessing to have some cool days with their
record heat and droughts.We had adequate rain fall
this summer where my rain barrel was always filled
with water and the overflow which runs into a cistern
to help water the garden did not go dry but for two weeks.
It sometimes goes dry the first of July when we are entering
into our hot, humid and dry season of July through August.
So with the cool days of only into the upper seventies for
months this was in fact a cool summer and abnormal.
And now we are into Winter temperatures before we even
enjoyed the Fall.
Ohio is a very agricultural state so the farmers are
struggling to get their soy beans from the fields with
wet cold weather and their corn crops are having a hard
time to get dried out so that it can be picked and brought
in from the muddy fields to the mills.
This summers cool weather delayed and blighted the
growing of vegetables and flower gardens also.
This is one of the toughest years I have saw for mildew
on everything with the wet days and cool nights.
Many of the flowers were slow or not preforming as
they generally would have and with some,as my hydrangeas
they never even got blooms.
I am not writing all of this to complain about the
weather but more as a record for myself to compare
with other growing seasons.
Also it makes me cringe to think that if we had all
of this cool and wet in July and the dog days of August
what are we in store for this Winter.
I have seen warmer Decembers than the weather that
has come upon us here in September and October.
The warm up spell we generally have in October into
the seventies that we call Indian Summer looks like a no
show for us this year.
A hard freeze of 27 degrees is coming to us tonight
so with that I will be kissing whatever flowers that are
left a sad goodbye.



The containers and beds of impatiens that were
gathered under the trees to keep them from frost burn
will be a mess of mush tomorrow.



The only remaining purple potato vine that the
deers did not manage to eat will be a withered mess
in the morning. So the bulbs or potatoes from it will
be dug up tomorrow to be brought in for vines for
next Spring.



The remaining Browillia that were left will bloom
no more this year.






So will the Marine Helitrope and the remaining
petunias.








Goodbye to the Rose Lobelia.



The flowering Nicotiana that was such a
flowering machine this summer will be
dead in the morning.



Lord Baltimore Dahlia was finally cut down and the
roots brought into the basement to hang until next Spring.



The last of the geraniums that could not be brought
in for lack of room will be sad looking flowers after
tonight.

The Flowering Stock which took forever this
summer to bloom now will go before it has had
a good season of bloom.





Goodbye Alyssum you were such a trooper this summer
but I will have you back next Spring.



The last of the Osteospermum after today.



I will miss the Roses this Winter more than any
of the flowers.





But as with all gardeners there is always next Spring,
new seeds to try this Winter, new Proven Winners
to look forward to next Spring, and new plants to
look forward to in 2010.

So we will spent the Winter going over our gardening
logs and notes to improve our beds next Spring.
What did not get planted or moved this Fall will be there
waiting for us in a new year.
It was an abnormal Summer but it was also full of
gardening firsts and flowering surprises.
Not the best growing year but still one filled with beauty.

Happy Gardening Everyone!

The Last Blooms

Today is Fertilizer Friday sponsored by our hostess,
from the frozen north where it is snowing,
Tootsie at Tootsie Time, so join us in Flaunting Your
Flowers.
We were drenched with rain last night and more is on
the way today.
There use to be an old saying here in the hills that
' when we had a hard rain that washed the leaves
out of the hollows winter was here'.
I think it washed them out early this Fall even
before they have all fallen.
It seems that the trees are turning overnight so
fast this year.
The Bob Evans Show is being held at Rio Grande,
Ohio this weekend and my daughter and I are going
to fight the mob once again to see all of the crafts and
events. I am wondering now if we will get the car
hung up in the field tomorrow where they park
all of the cars after all of this rain.
Should I wear hip boots girls?

Most of my flowers are spent or put away to
overwinter in the house, while many were
left to survive on their own until the weather takes
them, due to a lack of room. Most of those were
flowers that I was not thrilled with this summer,
so, yes I am cutting their lives short.
The last bulbs and flowers have been planted
and the deers have eaten of the impatiens that were
planted in the Tipsy Pots. This was a first so they must
be really hungry this fall or are just getting braver
to come so near to the house.
Although I think they are pretty animals I hope that
deer season in November will thin them out.



I transplanted this neon pink Geranium into
another pot to bring it in for the winter and took
some seed from it. I love the bright rose pink of
this one.



This orange geranium is on its own because it
just clashes with every color of flower that I
love and usually plant.
It is called Bright Eyes and it sure is bright and has
a white center. It grows like crazy but sadly just
doesn't play well with others.

This puny little Fuchsia is now spending her days
in the house and time will tell if it likes its surroundings.

A small sprig of Blue Lobelia has came
up from seeds that must have been dropped from
the flowers that were in the old birdbath planter from
last summer.
Just enough to tease me with a few blue
blooms for Fall.



The late growth of this Purple Clustered Bellflower
that was cut back has a few last blooms for
the late leaving Hummingbirds.
Which reminds me it is time to bring the hummingbird
feeder in for the year.



The beautiful tall Queen Charlotte Anemone that bloomed
so wonderfully has only a few blooms left on it while
the new Amenone's, Party Dress, Honorine Jorbet
and Margarette are just budding.




Edinburgh dahlia is setting under the trees to
help shelter it from the cold and frost. I do not have the
heart to cut it down and bring the tuber in for the
winter while it is still putting on a few blooms.





Just when I think Becky Shasta Daisy is done for the year
I find another bloom or two still coming on. She has
been such a hard worker this year and she does not
fall over and droop.




The Black Leafed Rose Geraniums and Marine
Helitrope are still in the window box planters and
need pulled. This geranium was such a great performer
this year too. Grown from seed they are now staked in
the window boxes to keep them upright because they
grew so large. I will have them next year again.







This is the first year that I have grown Alyssum from seed
and it has bloomed all summer and is still going strong.
In my gardening notes for this year I have added a
reminder to plant even more of it next year and to
include planting it in some sunken pots on the garage
banking so it will cascade down over the banking.



The Burgundy Gaillardia Blanket flower that was
moved is doing well and still putting on a few blooms.




Some Chrysanthemums are blooming now
and that will be the last of the flowers outdoors
for the year.
Everyone have a great weekend and
Flaunt those Flowers while you have them blooming.

Happy Gardening Everyone!