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| Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata hybrid) |
It's an icy and snowy afternoon outside in my Zone 6B Virginia garden on this December Bloom Day, hosted by Carol Michel's May Dreams blog. There is not a living blossom to be found out there! And not much in my indoor garden either. Above is what my Thanksgiving cactus looked like earlier in the week when it was sunny, but by today, most of the blossoms have fallen off and only a few buds remain.
Still, the winter season has its own beauty, and this corner of my yard with this combination of the 'Goshiki' Osmanthus with my 'Nelly Stevens' holly full of berries and the dried flower heads of Hydrangea are very attractive if you overlook the deer barriers. It's too cold and miserable out there to take many photos.
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| Goshiki osmanthus with 'Nelly Stevens' holly |
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| The back yard from the deck |
My funky bonsai collection is still outside on the deck, but I should move it into the garage soon for their winter home, where they'll be safer from the elements.
The large old Bearss lime tree is putting out lots of blossoms and setting fruit, but the rest of my houseplants seem to have gone on strike. Usually I have at least one orchid sporting flower buds at this time of the year, but last summer I separated two of my most overgrown ones and gave the orchids to my sisters. The leftover plants will need another season of growth before they can produce any blooms.
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| Bearss lime blossoms. |
One of my 'Optimara' African violets has a few blooms, but sadly, it's riddled with mealy bugs, despite having been sprayed with insecticidal soap just a couple of weeks ago. I tossed a bunch of my African violets in the fall because of the severe infestation, but I hate to toss the few plants I've left--I've kept these 'Optimara' varieties growing for over thirty years by taking cuttings!
I don't even know if Optimaras are produced much in the horticultural trade any more--I don't see them being offered in nurseries or catalogs. I may have to try some biological controls like insect predators for mealy bugs. If anyone has tried this on indoor plants, I'd be curious to know what results you obtained, please comment.
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| 'Optimara' African violet |
That's it for this December Bloom Day...soon the winter Solstice will arrive and the days will start to get longer once again, while I dream of spring.
