Wednesday, December 6, 2017

December blooms ~ lots of them

Good morning Folks ~ I hope your December is off to a good start. I’m finishing up decorating, tinsel on trees, and setting up the Nativity. Not doing as much as in years past.

There are a lot of blooms happening here at Plum Cottage gardens. All of the rain, and the sun being at a different angle, and heat a lot less, makes all the difference. So, without further ado, (more work, ceremony, or fuss), here are the photos taken since the first of this month.

Dwarf pink poinciana tree. Grown from seeds gotten last year from Butterfly world.

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Ruby hibiscus, I think this was grown from see also and it self-seeds nicely.

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Pink Muhly grass faded out to a nice tan color in morning sunlight.

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Texas sage. I love this and so do the bees.

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Tropical hydrangea.

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White bougainvillea, from friends Nanci & John a few years back.

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Salmon bougainvillea which has been here since we moved in, in 1973.

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Garlic vine flowers and the blue pea vine flower.

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Philippine violet.

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Candy corn.

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St. Francis with Louis Philippe roses in the background.

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Zebra longwing with hamelia paten blooms.

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A garden spider, don’t know what kind.

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I think this is a Vanda orchid of some sort. Given to me by a friend many, many years ago.

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‘Coral knockout’ roses

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‘Mm. Laurette Messimy’ rose

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‘Mozart’ roses.

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‘Miss Atwood’.

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‘Winecup’

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Unknown bud

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‘International Herald Tribune’ rose.

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‘Louis Philippe’ roses, from an old rooted cutting from the first rose bush that I bought at the flea market and got me into growing roses sometime in the early 80’s.  It is also called the ‘Florida Cracker Rose’. Very easy to grow.

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That’s it for the blooms. Hope you enjoyed them. I know a lot. if not most of my viewers are seeing lots of brown, and bare branches, not much color. I hope these outdoor, any time of year, ornaments of God’s will brighten your holiday spirits.

Now here is a recent blessing. A couple I know from church, have become good friends. We were talking the other day about my van and how the mechanic had said this is a great running vehicle and should last me quite awhile. I said, well, it does have that rust on the roof front edge that is not getting any better and a body shop wants around $800 to paint the whole top. The husband of this couple said he would sand the rust areas and paint them for me, no charge. Oh my goodness, I love the way God works things out. My friend also patched three holes and I am very pleased with the results. I smile now every time I look at the van. The van only has a little over 43,000 miles on it, is a 2001.

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Here is my door’s wreath, the wreath was a freebie from someone who no longer wanted it. I took off the red ribbons and gave it a fresh shabby Plum Cottage look, using some old floral fabric I had with purples and blues in it, tore it into strips, tied together and wrapped them around wreath and made a bow of sorts at the top, streamers at the bottom.

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Ok, I need to get going, have errands to do before I finish decorating.

Happy Christmas holidays to all.

FlowerLady

20 comments:

Susie said...

Sweet flower lady, I loved all your beautiful flowers. I can tall you what kind of garden spider that is....it's the scary kind !!!! That was so nice of the gentleman to repair and paint your van. God is good. My husband has over 300, 000 miles on his truck and says he is going for 400,000 ..The secret is changing the oil when you should and rotating the tires. But when something acts up, it has to be taken care of quickly. Blessings to you, xoxo, Susie

Henny Penny said...

The flowers are beautiful!! How nice that he repaired your van. What a nice kind thing to do. I love what you did with the wreath. It's pretty!

Nancy J said...

Beautiful garden flowers, and even in your winter, they bloom with gorgeous colour.Friends in a time of need, they are keepers, and I often wonder if they realise how we value, appreciate, and are SO thankful for the help they give so willingly.

Ruth Hiebert said...

Thanks for the walk through your gorgeous flower displays. I smile when you say a plant is easy to grow.I know that I would likely never get it to grow for me, but then my green thumbs have turned brown in recent years.That's ok, I can just enjoy the flowers you post.

gld said...

Roses always love the cooler weather even here in my zone 6 garden. I just planted three more and hope they do well. What a blessing having a friend paint your van!

Glad to hear things are going well for you.

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

It's about 35 degrees here right now. Loved seeing all of your beauty there :)

Dewena said...

I love your Christmas blog header, Lorraine, and your snowflakes on your page remind me of our weather forecast for a few snowflakes Saturday morning. The first ones are always exciting, even if they don't last long.

I recently added Pink Muhly grass to my wish list for next spring. And I love your Mozart Roses--can you guess that I have a love of pink in the garden?

Your new ribbon trimming for the wreath is so perfectly you and Plum Cottage!

Hugs back to you, Lorraine and thank you so much for those you sent us,
Dewena

Cheryl said...

It is amazing to see all of your beautiful blooms! I tend forget that there are places with glorious sunshine and warm temperatures year round!

Simplifying Christmas decorating sounds like a good thing!

Stacey said...

Lorraine, I don't remember which state you are in but I'm pretty jealous that you still have beautiful blooms. Even here in Texas, the flowers are long gone. I love each season but letting go of green grass, leaves and flowers is always hard for me. It's wonderful that you still have blooms, spiders, and bees. :)

Anne Payne said...

Dearest Rainey, All those gorgeous blooms this time of year are a sure pick-me-up! I always tell folks my sister lives in 'Paradise' because of the flora and fauna of S FL. One of these days I will make it back down there and when I do, I am coming to visit you. :-)

I love your wreath!!!! Snazzes up the front there a bit and almost looks like it can be used any time of year. God is faithful to always give us good gifts because he loves his children, and he sure has blessed you with some beautiful things. Much love, my friend!

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Good Morning, Oh how wonderful it is to see all of your blooms. This is the time of year that we don't have any blooms in our yard... I miss my 'prettiest'--but I certainly am enjoying yours....

That purple orchid is FABULOUS... Wow---what a gorgeous bloom... And I love your Florida Cracker Rose.... WELL--I love all of your blooms.... THANKS for making me smile this morning.

Congrats on the van work and good friends!!!!! God is GOOD.

Hugs,
Betsy

Carol- Beads and Birds said...

Your flowers always brighten my day. The lovely blooms you cultivate are a great sense of joy, I am sure. Who can frown when surrounded by such Glory.
xx, Carol

Kit said...

Your wreath is so lovely!! I am loving all the flower photos now that my season is over. Glad you have found some good friends. :) Love, KK

M.K. said...

What a blessing to have a friend repair your van for you!! God is good. That last rose you shared - oh my, it's gorgeous!

Debbie - Mountain Mama said...

Your blooms are gorgeous, Lorraine! You would be disgusted if you saw my garden right now, it never got cut back at the end of the season and it's just a tangled mess of dead plants. I read that I should leave them for the critters as a source of food and shelter, so I did....but it's an eyesore!!

BeachGypsy said...

Hi there Lorraine, just loved all the pictures of your beautiful flowers, so bright and pretty! I love that deep blue one! (pea vine?) You did a great job on the wreath too. I love visiting your home and your pretty garden.

crafty cat corner said...

Nice to see the pictures of your flowers. Here in uk the flowers are all finished, leaves all fallen of trees and days pretty dismal. Roll on Spring. lol
Briony
x

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

I love the van story!!! :)

As well that all is well there after the hurricane and seeing so many beautiful blooms in this post!

Deborah Montgomery said...

What a blessing to have your van fixed up by your church friend! So much money saved and a great way to keep it in good shape for years to come. Your blooms are beautiful, and such a variety! Yes, it was 24 degrees here, and we won't be seeing blooms here for a long time, unless they're from the grocery store! Your wreath is very pretty, I like how you fixed it up for Plum Cottage. xo Deborah

Karen @ Beatrice Euphemie said...

Always love seeing your beautiful flowers, Lorraine - they truly do lift the spirits on a cold, December day here in the north. It's so wonderful that your friend has taken it upon himself to help you fix your van. It renews my faith in humanity whenever I hear things like this. I love how you added the pretty flowered ribbon to your wreath - it is the perfect thing for a little Plum Cottage :) Sending hugs xo Karen