How to Stop and Smell the Flowers (GBBD) #1
Well, not really. Even if I could find any flowers for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, I think the crisp fragrance of winter would have taken precedence.
Sometimes the only “How To” needed is how to relax and take it all in. Here’s what I found “blooming” out in the garden this morning.
Photo Caption: My mom says all gardens need chairs.
Photo Caption: White arum blooms become starkly orange berry stalks... but the only thing blooming here is the frost.
Photo Caption: Native redbuds bloom so prolifically that they even have edible flowers sticking out of their trunk. The seed pods rattle all winter.
Photo Caption: So far our eastern hemlocks haven't bloomed with woolly adelgid pests, which is a very good thing.
Photo Caption: Some actual flowers! These camellia blooms are unlikely to open but I love their frostbitten mauve hue.
35 thoughts on “How to Stop and Smell the Flowers (GBBD) #1”
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Donna - December 15, 2010 8:46 am
At least you do have blooms and a bit of color, here there are none. I posted snow gray garden shots.
.-= Donna´s last blog ..Santa Takes on the Gnomes – Happy Monday =-.
One - December 15, 2010 9:22 am
Haha! Metal flowers? It’s nice to see a change. I’m bored with my usual blooms so I posted on wild flowers instead.
.-= One´s last blog ..Wild Flower Bloom Day Dec 2010 =-.
Lotusleaf - December 15, 2010 10:13 am
Interesting pictures. Thanks for visiting my blog. I am also an organic gardener.
.-= Lotusleaf´s last blog ..GBBD December 2010 =-.
Sustainahillbilly
Twitter: appalachianfeet
- December 22, 2010 12:28 pm
I love your ecology photos today (those snails seem giant)! Glad to know that all those animals will be safe in your organic garden.
.-= Sustainahillbilly´s last blog ..How to Enjoy Your Nontoxic Poinsettia Beyond its Beauty =-.
Carolyn @ Carolyn's Shade Gardens - December 15, 2010 11:31 am
I think your photos are great for GBBD. It just gives us a chance to closely observe what is going on in the garden on a regular basis. Carolyn
.-= Carolyn @ Carolyn’s Shade Gardens´s last blog ..December Bloom Day- Add to Your Spring Shopping List =-.
Gail - December 15, 2010 1:42 pm
I hope you stop by my post o see my metal flowers! I’ve been meaning to taste the cercis flowers~maybe this spring. Happy Bloom Day to you. gail
.-= Gail´s last blog ..GBBDMy Garden Mettle Has Been Tested =-.
Sustainahillbilly
Twitter: appalachianfeet
- December 22, 2010 12:34 pm
They don’t have the brightest flavor of the edible flowers I’ve tried but they aren’t unpleasant in any way. My daughter loves them enough to munch them off the branch as though they were corn-on-the-cob, though.
Rose - December 15, 2010 8:31 pm
I like your attitude! While my garden is even more lacking in blooms (it’s covered with snow!), there is still beauty to be found in every season. My redbud seedpods are rattling, too. Happy Bloom Day, and thanks for visiting me.
.-= Rose´s last blog ..December GBBD- Winter Has Arrived! =-.
Pam's English Garden - December 15, 2010 8:46 pm
Dear Eliza, You mom is so right … even though I don’t often get to sit in my garden. I am glad to hear your hemlocks are woolly adelgid free! Happy Bloom Day. Pam x
.-= Pam’s English Garden´s last blog ..Bloom Day at Grey Towers =-.
Sustainahillbilly
Twitter: appalachianfeet
- December 22, 2010 12:41 pm
We’ve been wondering if they are too far inside the city for birds to transfer pests to them (I’ve heard they are spread on bird feet). Here’s hoping they never show up!
.-= Sustainahillbilly´s last blog ..How to Enjoy Your Nontoxic Poinsettia Beyond its Beauty =-.
Elaine - December 15, 2010 11:55 pm
Your winter garden looks so beautiful.
.-= Elaine´s last blog ..Garden Bloggers Bloom Day =-.
lostlandscape (James) - December 16, 2010 12:59 am
The frosted metalwork flowers are a nice reminder of what you’ll be seeing soon enough. Even without other kinds of flowers I think your garden has plenty of cools stuff to look at.
.-= lostlandscape (James)´s last blog ..no floral porn this month =-.
Diana - December 16, 2010 2:35 am
Hi Eliza, I wish I can hear the sound of the seed pod rattle too. I agree with you mom that every garden need a chair even though I don’t have one.
.-= Diana´s last blog ..Polystyrene container summer layout =-.
Janet - December 16, 2010 10:02 am
You don’t think the camellia will open? I have some buds that look like that, but it is on a japonica– so I was thinking it was just early. I hope I get some blooms on it. There is a redbud in my area that we drive by frequently– it is just jammed-packed with seed pods.
.-= Janet´s last blog ..Tuesdays Trees- Dogwood =-.
Sustainahillbilly
Twitter: appalachianfeet
- December 29, 2010 12:12 am
No, it never did — the color may not show it but it had begun to turn brown from frostbite.
.-= Sustainahillbilly´s last blog ..How to Use Snow to Locate Microclimates & HtFGP Deadline =-.
Les - December 16, 2010 10:46 am
That poor camellias looks a lot like mine.
Kathleen - December 16, 2010 11:22 am
Creative bloom day post Eliza. I always forget to participate! My favorite photo here is of the camellias. Those buds are very attractive even if they won’t make it to bloom.
.-= Kathleen´s last blog ..Amaryllis Red Pearl =-.
Loose and Leafy
Twitter: LucyCorrander
- December 16, 2010 2:01 pm
Your mum is right. Chairs are essential.
Lucy
.-= Loose and Leafy´s last blog ..WHAT IVE FOUND IN A YEAR =-.
Loose and Leafy
Twitter: LucyCorrander
- December 16, 2010 2:02 pm
This is a non-comment. Sorry. I typed the Twitter link in wrongly and this is the only way I can see to correct it.
Lucy
.-= Loose and Leafy´s last blog ..WHAT IVE FOUND IN A YEAR =-.
Jennifer - December 16, 2010 5:32 pm
Thanks for stopping by my blog. I have a tree at the back of our property that I could not identify, but whose seed pods I always admired. I see from your pictures that it is a native redbud. One of the good things about winter is that it makes you look at things, like those seed pods, that are less dramatic than flowers, but are just as interesting.
.-= Jennifer´s last blog ..Amaryllis as a Cut Flower =-.
Carolflowerhill
Twitter: flora
- December 16, 2010 11:29 pm
Lovely to see the simple life of your garden. I love the Camellia buds . . . hope they are OK from the cold.
.-= Carolflowerhill´s last blog ..Seasonal Musings Part Three Back Door Gardens East =-.
Rebecca Nickols - December 17, 2010 1:07 am
Love your site! I just got into the blog-world and it’s been fun reading different posts..
I’m just learning about bloom day–love your photos! I’ll try to participate next month though it might be hard to find January blooms!
fer
Twitter: mygardeninjapan
- December 17, 2010 6:36 am
Even with out flowers your garden looks great! I also enjoy the crisp fragrance of winter very much
.-= fer´s last blog ..Coldframe V20 =-.
linda - December 17, 2010 10:38 am
Gotta get creative with Bloom Day this time of year. Wonderful!
.-= linda´s last blog ..December Bloom Day =-.
Kathleen Scott - December 17, 2010 10:53 am
Beautiful photographs. I’m glad you stopped by Hill Country Mysteries and left a comment. It led me back here to your thoughtful pictures and words. I love the southeastern hills and mountains. They have an ancient life feel.
The Texas Hill Country is thin-clay-over-limestone and arid but there are species of redbuds that grow here too–if protected from deer…and if it rains…
.-= Kathleen Scott´s last blog ..Wherever You Can Find It =-.
Jane / MulchMaid - December 17, 2010 11:14 am
Amazing, that camellia bud in such frosty weather. Thank you for visiting my blog for GBBD!
.-= Jane / MulchMaid´s last blog ..Garden Bloggers Bloom Day- December 2010 =-.
Amy - December 17, 2010 11:32 am
Like the color of the camellia buds, and the frost blooms are pretty (though they make me want to sit in front of a fire). And I didn’t know redbud flowers were edible!
.-= Amy´s last blog ..Garden Bloggers Bloom Day- December 2010 =-.
Rosie@leavesnbloom - December 17, 2010 1:24 pm
We garden bloggers have to be very creative with our posts at this time of year. I really enjoyed reading this.
p3chandan - December 17, 2010 5:54 pm
Indeed chairs or just a small stool is essential in a garden, your own place for you to comtemplate on the beauty of plants, your hard work in making it as it is now or just to ponder for a while about life..
.-= p3chandan´s last blog ..My hanging garden =-.
noel - December 18, 2010 1:01 pm
aloha,
brr…it looks cold in your area this morning, i see a hint of some wonderful winter colors coming soon
thanks for connecting with me and have a nice weekend.
.-= noel´s last blog ..A Morning Walk Around the Garden in Winter =-.
Dreamybee - December 18, 2010 2:15 pm
Oh, even if they’re not going to bloom, what a nice surprise to find some buds in all that cold!
.-= Dreamybee´s last blog ..Garden Bloggers Bloom Day-December 2010 =-.
Jean
Twitter: JeanDigGrowComp
- December 18, 2010 6:39 pm
Very clever blooms! My redbud’s too young to have any blooms but I’m awaiting the day I’ll have such nice seed pods as that!
Corner Garden Sue - December 19, 2010 8:45 pm
Hi Eliza,
Thanks for your comment on my GBBD post. It’s cool to meet someone who grows some of the things I do that are not very common. Does your mountain mint spread much? What about your arum? It sure looks sad in your photo. They aren’t too aggressive here, but I’ve read that they can be other places.
I love your first bloom!
.-= Corner Garden Sue´s last blog ..Foliage Follow-up =-.
Kerri - December 20, 2010 10:08 am
I haven’t seen the seedpods of a redbud before. That’s the wonderful thing about blogging…so many new things to see! The frosty Camelia blooms are lovely in your chilly December garden.
Thanks for visiting and saying hello
.-= Kerri´s last blog ..Garden Bloggers Bloom Day – December 2010 =-.
Alistair - December 20, 2010 12:52 pm
Buds on Camellia develop very slowly in Aberdeen, no where near as mature as yours, I suppose this prevents them from dying off in the Winter. Lost your site for a while, glad to have found it again.