Hot and cold Bloom Day
A roller-coaster of hot and cold winter temperatures suits me better than just flat-out cold, but, boy, is it confusing—to the gardener as well as the plants. Yesterday afternoon I cut back poorly placed foundation shrubs while my husband pulled down fig ivy that was threatening to swallow our new house, and we were on the verge of breaking a sweat because it was a muggy 80 degrees (26.6 C). Overnight a front moved through, bringing some much-needed rain (argh, I haven’t installed my rain gauge yet), and we woke to temps in the 30s. It’s held steady at 33.6 F (.88 C) all morning. Oops, nope—it’s dropped to 33.3 now. From 80 to freezing in about 15 hours.
I didn’t realize it was Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day until this morning, when I was trying to get caught up on my blog reading. (I blame my delinquency on the Twilight saga, which I blush to admit I’m quite enjoying.) So I threw on a jacket and shivered my way through the garden to see what’s flowering in my new-baby garden.
Not much. Ah well. The ‘Radrazz’ Knock Outs (I recently planted a second one) are still hanging onto their flowers. Will there be roses at Christmas? I’m still not sure. Here they are with my signature plant, the ‘Whale’s Tongue’ agave (A. ovatifolia ) I wrestled out of my old garden and started my new garden with.
‘Marilyn’s Choice’ abutilon looks a little shriveled this morning, but many bell-like flowers still cling to its branches.
The red Autumn sage (Salvia greggii ) is dependable. Though the plants are still tiny, they haven’t stopped blooming since I planted them. And look—there’s that hammy agave again.
A solitary ‘Pam’s Pink’ Turk’s cap (Malvaviscus drummondii ) braves the cool weather.
Another look.
Not the easiest plant to photograph, especially when you’re shivering, ‘Diamond Frost’ euphorbia is aptly named today.
‘Dortmund’ rose, inherited with the house, is hanging onto a few tattered petals. It looks rather pitiful right now, but I have so few flowers this time that I decided not to skip even the battered ones.
Its hips, however, are luscious and beautiful. I know—not a bloom. But I wouldn’t have them without the blooms, so here they are.
Happy Bloom Day on this chilly December 15th!
All material © 2006-2008 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Pam,
Your weather is even crazier than ours! Dontcha just love the Pam’s Pink. I’m trying to get my hands on the variegated one. No luck yet, but I’ll find it eventually.
I’d like to see the variegated one, so I have my fingers crossed for you, Randy. —Pam
Pam, I love the knockout rose with the Agave! What drama! And that sweet Turk’s Cap looks like springtime, the bloom looks so delicate in your photo. Chilly morning today, eh?
Chilly all day! Brrr! I hope you’re staying warm too, Robin. —Pam
The weather is certainly unpredictable…cold then hot, hot then cold! Your new baby garden is coming along….I love the red rose with her Whale’s Tongue friend. The WT Agave may be your signature plant but, stock tanks are iconic…Digging. Gail
Yes, I should get a commission on sales of them to gardeners, don’t you think? 😉 —Pam
“hammy agave” *giggle*
If the shoe fits… 🙂 —Pam
I love that abutilon, even when she’s showing the effects of winter’s chill. I have a variegated abutilon that’s been sulking about the weather most of the year, refusing to bloom and letting its foliage droop at the slightest provocation. I think I’ll go out and threaten mine with replacement by the lovely Marilyn. Danged sissy baby plant!
No sissies, right? Maybe she’ll perk up now that you’ve got her competition in mind. —Pam
Our weather is crazy too. Your blooms are a sight for winter worn eyes, and it isn’t even winter yet. AAaarrrrrrrrrrrrgh
Hang in there, Lisa. We’re nearly at the halfway point of long winter nights, and the days will be lengthening soon. —Pam
That’s quite a drop on the weather roller coaster!
I’m also fascinated with the rose and agave together. The petals show up so well with the background agave.
Cameron
They do. The blue-green agave also plays up the bluish hue of Radrazz’s leaves. —Pam
I’m just plain old skipping bloom day – didn’t even realize it until I read your post. And I’m engrossed in Twilight, too, so I totally understand! I don’t know why making dinner is interfering with my reading this cold afternoon!
It’s a good day to curl up under a blanket and read, read, read, isn’t it? —Pam
Those are some harrowing temperature changes–and I thought the coast was bad. You know what they say, dress in layers. Or better yet, stay close to home. I like bedraggled winter roses; they create mood, especially if you’ve got a lot of them. I want to read Twilight. Young adult literature is often more enjoyable than the stuff adults are supposed to enjoy.
I dressed in layers and stayed close to home. But I need to break out some wool for this cold snap. Cotton’s not cutting it. I hope you enjoy Twilight. —Pam
I wish I’d checked the forecast, because yesterday I pulled all the pots back out from where they were sheltered from the cold, and I spent a good half-hour freezing my butt off this afternoon hauling them back inside again!
As for Twilight, did you know that one of Hot Topic’s merchandising tie-in products is Edward Cullen body glitter? AWESOME.
Ha! That’s great. They think of everything, don’t they? 🙂 And dang those weather forecasters. This cold snap seemed to catch everyone by surprise again. —Pam
Lovely blooms today Pam! 🙂 We take what we can get in December don’t we?
Indeed we do. We’re unseasonably cold here right now, but it’ll be warm again soon. —Pam
Hi Pam, fifty degree temperature changes are hard on people and plants, I think that is too great a change and needs to be rectified. The baby garden is giving you a fine show. Everything is wonderful, but Pam’s Pink is going on my want list. Lovely shots of it and hammy WT. HA
Frances
How shall it be rectified, Frances? I’m eager for suggestions. 🙂 ‘Pam’s Pink’ is delicately pretty, isn’t it? But it seems like a tough customer, despite its looks. I bought it over the summer and left it in a pot for months, often forgetting to water it. But now that it’s in the ground, it’s happy as a clam. —Pam
Those agave are kind of camera hogs, aren’t they? Just one picture won’t do for them.
I’m glad you 1) remembered it was bloom day, 2) found some blooms in your new garden, and 3) posted them for all of us to enjoy. It’s good to know that in some gardens there are still flowers. Thanks for joining in for bloom day!
I wouldn’t want to miss it, Carol, so I’m glad I picked today to get caught up on blog reading. Thanks again for hosting. —Pam
I’ve been a follower of your blog for several years now but this is my first post. I just recently started participating in Bloom Day myself and wanted to check out what you had posted. Very nice photos!
Hi, Randy, and welcome to the Austin garden blogging community! Your Bloom Day selection is great, despite the sudden cold weather. —Pam
Pam, you always seem to have some fantastic colors and shapes in your garden, whether new or old!
Thanks, Iris! —Pam
Have you always had the abutilon in your garden? I don’t remember it from the old house.
It’s new. I bought it at Barton Springs Nursery a month or so ago. But the one I really want is ‘Candy Corn.’ —Pam
Love those hips! You are brave for getting out there today! I went out in my robe to let the chickens out this morning and almost froze my backside off!
It was a brief foray, Meg. I was not prepared for that cold north wind. —Pam
Pam, our texas weather has just been crazy. Yesterday, people were falling out from dehydration and heat stroke at the White Rock Marathon in Dallas. Today, the bridges froze over. You have more in bloom than I. Love the agave.
The weather certainly has been crazy. I believe we’re on a warming trend again now. —Pam
Hi – it is just cold and wet here in the UK!. I think the Agave makes a wonderful backdrop to the roses and Salvias – very striking.
I’m glad you like it, Helen. I find that agaves go wonderfully with almost anything, but I do love them with billowy salvias and roses for contrast. —Pam
I agree with helen, brahhh, very cold over here in the UK!!
It seems as if many gardeners are getting a taste of winter right now. Stay warm, Joanne! —Pam
Pam, Many roses are hardier than people think. The most notable part of my Massachusetts garden is the collection of hardy roses – but not hardy enough to bloom in December. I had to put up two posts yesterday, one for Bloom Day Indoors, and one for Heath’s Ice Storm. Hmmmmmm, I should have tried to get some frost flowers. Next time.
You’re right, CW. Many roses are tough enough to survive even Texas summers on their own. But they do look better with water and feeding. —Pam
Did you instruct the Salvia greggii to stay in bloom just to set off the Whale’s Tongue agave? The Pam’s Pink is a neat plant. I’d seen the Diamond Frost in catalog listings and other online places but couldn’t figure out why people liked it…then saw it in person and found it charming. You capture that in your photos.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
I’m glad you think so, but I haven’t been satisfied with any of my ‘Diamond Frost’ photos. I’m still trying to show what I like about it. It’s much better in person, as you discovered. —Pam
I’ve had the same problem as you in getting out into the garden this Bloom’s Day – it’s too darn cold (and wet)! But I’ll try to be brave today. That Pam’s Pink is really so enticing. I’ll be in Austin right after Christmas; do you think any of the nurseries there might have one? Perhaps I’ll give B.S. Nursery a call… 🙂
I found this one at Hill Country Water Gardens in Cedar Park, Jean. I’d let my fingers do the walking first. Call Barton Springs, Natural Gardener, and the Great Outdoors, in addition to HCWG. I hope you find one! —Pam
Lovely pics as always, Pam. I am thrilled that the Japanese maple is such a vivid shade of red.
I’ve been running around like crazy and yes, we finally got the house loan. Yes, I have to do the new garden all from scratch. I have at least 300 plants and trees in pots now (many are about to burst their seams!). I will take many more cuttings from the bougainvillea, oleander, vitex etc and there are lots of sea grape seedlings for me to dig up and transplant. This garden will be a little more challenging as the ground is all limestone rock and sand and there is more seablast.
Congrats on the loan, Nicole, and best of luck with your new garden. Wow, 300 potted plants! That’ll be a substantial start, won’t it? My new garden is full of limestone too, making digging tough. Seablast will be challenging too, I imagine. —Pam
Not bad Pam, considering your new garden is still in its infant stage. Weird weather you’ve been having from hot to cold in one fell swoop. Happy GBBD!
We’re starting to warm back up now, but I’m sure it’s another hill on the winter weather roller coaster in Austin. —Pam
I devoured the first two Twilight books in record time this August, then passed them on to my daughter when we went to San Diego to visit her. Now she is here for Christmas, and has brought me 3 & 4. Woohoo!
Whoohoo indeed! I’m reading the last one right now. They’re page-turners, aren’t they? —Pam
Happy Bloom Day, Pam. Here, it was 14F on Bloom Day. Nothing, and I mean, nothing blooming here, my friend. It was fun to look at your garden and think of mine a month ago. It looks like you’re settling in.~~Dee
Your roses are taking a well-deserved rest, Dee. And so should you. I’m sure you’ll have a gardenful of flowers again soon. —Pam
Fun pictures, Pam! Your weather extremes reminded me of my first winter in Iowa. At Christmas we flew into LAX to visit my in-laws. The temp when we left Des Moines was -50, including wind chill. Then LA was 70, a whopping 120 degrees warmer! Wow! We’re visiting Cal again after Christmas, and will fly into the prettiest airport ever at Santa Barbara. Can’t wait to see all the green and flowers, which will be a nice change from our 7 degree weather here. Regards – VW
Fifty below? I cannot even imagine what that feels like, VW. Now Santa Barbara sounds more like it. Enjoy your visit! —Pam
That Whale’s Tongue makes everything look good. Is the ‘Diamond Frost’ an annual for you or does it make it through your winters?
I don’t know yet, Les. I inherited it with the house in October. I have been covering it through the hard freezes of the last couple of days because I’m not ready to lose the sweet, white flowers, so it’s not a fair test this year. But if I forget next time and it croaks, I’ll let you know. —Pam
Pam: I have missed you and the other blogs and am catching up after a week away. That is quite a roller coaster of temperatures you are on but the photos are spectacular as always! Must plant some ‘Knock outs’!
Oh yes, do! They all look wonderful, from what I’ve seen in blogdom, but I’m partial to the cherry red of ‘Radrazz.’ —Pam
Your photos of the flowers you have in you garden are lovely, We have snow here in the north of Sweden where I live. Only the plants that are green during the winter (look in my blog).I can look at.
I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy new Year.
/Gunilla/
Warm wishes to you too, Gunilla. Yes, evergreen plants are cherished here in the American South as well, even though we rarely have snow. —Pam
That’s pretty chilly for you Austinites! I agree with you about those wild temperature swings. I’d actually prefer it to just stay below freezing, rather than warm up to 50, then plummet to 2. I like the photo of the Dortmund ‘Rose.’ It’s fading state matches with the rustic ruin of the trellis. I haven’t posted for GBBD, as I have not a single bloom.
I actually don’t mind the temperature swings since I enjoy the mild winter weather we often have in between freezes. The extremes can be hard on plants and it makes the gardener work hard on keeping things alive, but it’s worth it for those balmy 70-degree days in December and January. —Pam
I love the abutilon; such a pretty combination of colors. I plan to move mine into a better spot next year as it has not done well. Too much shade I think. Any advice?
One of the Austin bloggers gave me the advice to plant abutilon in winter sun and summer shade. I haven’t had mine long enough to know what works best in my garden, but I’ll keep you posted. —Pam
Your photos never fail to inspire me!
I’m glad you enjoy them, Cheryl! —Pam
I just love seeing you create a garden from the beginning. It’s going to be spectacular to watch you create something amazing!! I love those Radrazz roses — I found a dozen on clearance this year for $1.99 each and bought them all.
Anyway, I just stopped by to say Merry Christmas. I hope you have a wonderful holiday!
~Angela 🙂
You lucky dog! To have found ‘Radrazz’ on sale for $1.99! I’d have bought them all too. I hope you have a very merry Xmas too, Angela. —Pam
Your hammy Agave looks wonderfully content with the pretty knockout showing off well against it’s lovely background. I just love that salvia greggii. I read recently that the Dortmund rose is recommended for our zone (5), so it’s now on my wish list. The rose hips certainly are lovely, as are the flowers.
It’s been a busy month, Pam. Hope, like me, you’re enjoying a little relaxation now.
How cool that you can grow Dortmund too, in such a different climate. It’s a beauty. I can’t wait to see it in the full flush of spring. —Pam