Thought I'd send a few photos of what's still blooming in my yard- decided it's best to keep it between us, those who live else where may become suicidal when they see what we are still able to do in January!
Also, got a new camera and need some practice. Hope you enjoy them.
More
and,
and this too, which looked much better until today- wouldn't you know it!
Nice pics April. My russelia is 8 feet in diameter and always blooms steady thru the winter. Even the cold ones. I hate to see the insect and disease problems we are going to have if we don't some cold weather this winter.
Yes I have been thinking about that myself- it's going to be really bad, isn't it?
I would just be happy to have some rain! Do you remember what that is?
:-)
Love your pics, April. What is that blue flower?
rain---isn't that the funny noise on the roof? I know what you mean....we got little to none yeasterday.
I grew up in Mn and the bugs were bigger and badder in spite of the cold. Not to worry. The bug guys say the dry will actually interrupt the bug reproduction cycle. Should we hold them to it?
The blue plant is Iochroma- my daughter gave it to me and I can't recall which one. She gave me another, it's newer and smaller and it's an orangeie red. The blue one has just taken off like a "house a fire"- wow that popped into my head from a long time ago.
We got some rain yesterday, early in the morning but not enough; we have had a constant dry, cool/lmost cold, wind dehydrating everything.
Yeah well I wouldn't count on the drought/dry conditions interrupting the life cycle of any bugs- I think they are so adaptive that it would take nuculear bomb to interrupt their life cycle! I think it will just make them bigger and tougher.
I am envious april !!! Must be nice to have some color around. I am just dying for Spring to get here and some RAIN. Haven't had any rain here since Oct I think. Actually it is good that Spring isn't here, that would just mean I would be further behind than I already am. LOL
I hear ya on the bugs, they are survivors!
Dee
Edited for grammer.
This message was edited Jan 11, 2006 5:27 PM
Where is Howe? I'd love to be in a zone 7b- although I'd have to give up on my tropicals. Even here some tropicals are borderline.
It is about an hour & half, North of Dallas, close to the Oklahoma border. The city better know that we are next to is Sherman. We actually got down to 8 degrees one night.
Hoping I didn't loose anything. Have to protect those tender perennials.
One night this week we had a rare occurance. It thundered and lightened. Then we saw a very quick rain. It did not cover the ground but it smelled good. Bareroots we live just a few miles from each other.
I know Sherman- I keep forgetting that parts of TX do get so cold. 8 degrees- yikes! You do have to protect those babies.
Cool raggins--hate to say I am not sure where Paris is. How many miles, approximately?
experimenting here with new camera.
This old geranium has survived 2 winters and summers under this redbud in a neglected part of the garden.
This is blooming in the herb garden...haven't got a clue what it is but I'm having fun with the camera!
Can anybody identify this? It only blooms in the winter and early spring--I took a cutting of it from the butterfly garden at my prior place of employment because it was the only thing blooming in the winter. Gets to be a rather large shrub...6' plus. Its probably the biggest pest known to man but it is blooming (and I have it safely growing in a pot).
This russelia is always blooming...I'm sure the novelty of the camera will soon wear off but I guess you folks will have to bear with me until it does!
A close up of the russelia
So what kind of new camera do you have that takes those great pictures?
Its an M407 hp photosmart--and if you aren't careful it takes videos and not still shots lol as I found out the hard way!
I wish all cameras would take full resolution pictures as long as you hold down the button. Without special settings.
dmj
great russelia! I think they are beautiful!
Also love geranium- I am not a collector, but they add such nice color and they have such a vintage look. I have several but have no idea what cultivar...just know that I enjoy them.
Wonderful pics w/ that camera!
I can't be certain, but is the flowering potted plant a...dang it I am paying for all those lost brain cells from my youth...oh yeah could it be a clerodendrom of some sort- it looks a bit like it, but I am no expert.
April--the only reason I can figure that that geranium has survived is that normally its covered all summer by a thick growth of turks cap; one of the few things that has been nipped back by frost and a giant hamallia on its eastern side (which still hasn't frozen back to the ground as it has for the last 8 winters) and a fence to the west. But it is blooming. lol
clerondendrom--now that's a thought....there are so many varieties of them. I kept thinking maybe some kind of phlox but it has such a strange bloom season (mainly winter).
Trois--it might actually take much better pics if I can figure it out further than just zoom in and out. Took me most of the afternoon to figure out that the two shutter buttons right next to each other have different functions--one for still shoots and the other for videos with sound. lol
edited to add I posted some cuphea over on that orange flower thread. I've also shamelessly been posting pics across all of the forums today (herbs on the herb forum, winter seed sowing under propogation, lettuce under the veggie forum, and even my "winter ratty" rangoon creeper on the vines forum--hey someone asked about rangoon creepers--lol). I'm certain everyone on the DG web is sick of my pictures today! Thanks for indulging my learning process folks!
This message was edited Jan 14, 2006 10:33 PM
That sounds OK to me.
Our Rangoon Creeper died early in the year. It never took off. Our Bleeding Hearts are still blooming, and the Mexican Flame vine is going crazy, has spread all over after we thought it was dead in the fall. Very strange year. We have had a few scattered pockets of frost, but nothing really bad. Several hibiscus and several roses still going. It just fails to look kush like spring though.
The very 1st Rangoon creeper I had never took off and died very quickly. I bought another last spring, much healthier looking and it has done vry well, bloomed up until Dec.
My Mexican Flame is doing well and my roses are still blooming. It is a strange year.
Yes indeed. It was 40 degrees when I went to bed, and 50 when I got up this morning before sunrise.
trois, I'm with you about the cameras. And they should sense when you want a close-up or not. You guys are going to the Roundup in College Station, aren't you? Remember last year we talked about going to the Rose Emporium this spring. Well? :-)
Yes, it's been such a strange year, and I expect the coming year will be strange too. Even if the waether returns to normal, everything will be having to make adjustments due to last year and the mild winter. For someone who's just learning, like me, it's hard to sort out if what's happening in the garden is an anomoly, the usual, just a plant that didn't make it, or bad gardening practice.
Good thing for DG, everyone can help keep it all straight!
We do plan to go, but it is a long time yet.
