Here in the north its pretty slim pickings to find any true bright color.
Thats when I search for the unconventional places that I pass by the rest of the year because there are blooms.
This Azalias deep burgundy leaves ate striking in the sunlight.
Show us your unlikely places for December color.
Holly Berries and I cant wait for the foetidus helebores to bloom ,looks like it will b e soon.
Not a perennial (but then neither is an azalea), I have American witchhazel blooming now. You in a warmer zone have a lot more related choices.
These pics were taken 3 weeks ago, but it's still going strong.
Close up of Hamamelis virginiana
What? Hamamelis bloom now?? Ours won't be out for another month, at least.
My neighbor's H. foetidus is blooming now, even though we've had a lot of rain and gray in the last month.
I can hardly wait for my blossoms on H. orientalis and Hamamelis. I did see buds on the orientalis today.
Hamamelis virginiana blooms in the fall. The other species bloom in the very early spring. One might also want to look into the genus Corylopsis.
Ahhhh - I was actually reading about virginiana that the other day. Right.
What's funny is that I bought a Corylopsis pauciflora last winter, but it didn't make it. I didn't realize that it was closely related to Hamamelis. No wonder I liked it so much. :-)
Clearly I NEEEED to get another.
Thanks, Leftwood.
Your hellebores shouldn't be blooming now, Jo (of course, tell them that). They normally bloom here a little earlier than the orientalis, around the end of March.
Due to the warm weather we're having my forsythia is wishing to bloom.
Its a crazy world.
It just confirms,plants react to weather,as we do.If we had sun with the warm days I would be out doors too.
Nice pics everyone.
Ihave hamallis too but will check to see if they are doing anything.
Mine are the Feb.March bloomers .
cant find names in my notes.
Yeah, I had a few blooms on my Forsythia - the really weird thing is that they haven't bloomed for 2 years now (and I still don't know why....?) but did (just a little) about a month ago. Very strange.
But today, I think we're finally saying good bye to the extended Indian Summer, as beautiful as it was. 35 and gray!
It started out at 52 this AM temps are dropping and wind is high and due for snow tomorrow.
Go fighure
Well, don't send it this way, LOL
(But you always do.)
Nice here so far, but the wind is picking up.
GET READY
its dark and stormy.
I'm ready. All done outside. Finished up everything I had to do with the cataloging of the additional rows of irises I put in yesterday.
Bring on the snow.
Big temperature drop here last night, but no snow. We had a hard frost and temps down into the teens in some places. But it's beautiful right now and the sun is shining. It's a welcome change since we've had steel grey skies for the last couple of weeks.
Looks like I need to bring in some more wood tonight . . . slept well last night, though. I had three cats and three dogs on the bed with me. I wasn't cold!!
so many pets ,sounds like heaven
Cherry tomatoes in December may not qualify as a perennial but they certainly are welcome!
Then we have the perennials, lantana in full gorgeous bloom, the roses, etc.
It would be Heavenlyer if they would groom and pick up after themselves. But I do enjoy living amongst the pack.
Pirl - cherry tomatoes, still? Are they outside? Are they ripening?
Yes, Katie, the cherry tomatoes are still growing and ripening outside as you can see in the photo.
lucky Pirl
Please don't color me stupid, pirl. I just couldn't tell if they were in a plastic cover or small greenhouse. Lucky you is right!
Oh I wish peaches would last until December. It's the one thing I miss after summer. I would love Peach Pie for Thanksgiving & Christmas. The rest of my tomatoes have been ripening indoors. I was afraid to leave them out any longer. It was almost 70 today. All of the plants are confused.
Pirl, that coral rose is beautiful. Do you know it's name?
Katie - they are growing in the tomato boxes Jack made, at each side of the garage doors (under the black X mark), so they're nearby if I want tomatoes and it's raining. I never thought about snow!
The fellow in the photo is part of the crew who installed a new driveway two weeks ago.
You can see the top of the leader in the photo I posted here and the bottom of that leader by the tomatoes in the other photo.
Its amasing that you still have red toms. We picked our last weeks ago.... and it seems to have been raining ever since. Eased up for a little while this morning and got out in the garden; mainly to work on the new border I'm making at the front of the house but also took this pic of viburnum x bodnantense at the back. Shame you can't smell it too
Dec 2nd:
Chinese Lantern
Flowering tobacco
The prettiest thing here now is Ilex verticillata "Red Sprite". If you don't have that for winter interest, I would try to get some. LOL.
stormyla - that rose is Tropicana.
Thanks, Pirl. I put one in this fall and hope it does well.
Mr_Canthus, Is your Bodnantense "Dawn"? I can't believe how yours is looking right now. Here's mine from yesterday.
I thought it was 'Dawn' Stormyla, because that is the most comon cultivar here, but actually it seems too white for that.
I've had it for a few years now, and can't remember where I got it from, but this is actually the best I've ever seen it looking.
Yours seems like a very young plant and I'm sure its day will come. Have you ever seen flowers on it before?
Yes, Mr_Canthus. It bloomed beautifully last year, in mid March. This will be it's third year here.
Most of our leaves have fallen and flowers knocked down in the last 2-3 nights of mid-20's but this pot of silene Purple Prince has colored up nicely
Yes,thats the color I meant.Places where you wouldnt think to look.
The Heuchera, Bergenia and Geraniums are still showing their colors.
Mine are like that all winter.
Your Heucheras reminded me mine are still looking good
I am also watching this big Hellebore for blooms
Ge, I still haven't found where in the garden I planted that H. Foetideus. There are others up and nicely green, but that one is eluding me.
Stormy when mine blooms it will be the first I have seen .I just planted 2 last pring.Deer Resistant Plants in Michigan.
