Sleet on Snaps

In December, a sleet storm blew through here. All my flowers were caught in full bloom, including these snapdragons that are on the cover of Haruah this month. That shine on them is the ice. It took a few days to melt off.

Poinsettias

The very popular poinsettia is the topic of my article at the Garden and Hearth flower gardening site.

Image courtesy of stock.xchng

Christmas Rose

The Christmas Rose is a hellebore, in the same family as the Lenten Rose. It blooms at this time of year. If you're lucky, it might continue blooming through mid-spring. Check out my article on the Christmas Rose.

A Few Random Pictures

Book Review -- Flower of the Moment

My book review of Flower of the Moment: A Month-by-Month Guide to the Best 100 Flowering Plants is up at Garden and Hearth. This book is gorgeous and would make an excellent Christmas gift for a gardener.

Fall Blooming Bulbs

I have a new article up on my Flower Gardening site about bulbs that bloom in the fall. I have most of these growing in my garden right now. If they're not already blooming, they're getting ready to bloom.

Fall-Blooming Alliums

I have a new article up on Garden and Hearth - Flower Gardening about alliums that bloom in the fall. Allium is a huge genus that includes onions and garlic, but also has hundreds of ornamental varieties. Most bloom in the spring and early summer, but I've chosen six that bloom in the fall. Check it out here.

Spider Lily (Lycoris radiata)

My article on Spider Lilies is posted at Garden and Hearth in the flower gardening section. The spider lilies in my garden came from my mother-in-law's house. She said she had gotten them from her mother-in-law, who got them from her mother. I think it's nifty when a plant has a story or a memory attached to it. This one has a little history.

The spider lily in the above photo has been growing in that spot for several years, but the annuals around it are new every season.

Cyclamen

My article on cyclamen is posted at Garden and Hearth - Flower Gardening. If you love cyclamen, you'll be interested in the link I provided at the end of the article to the Cyclamen Society.

Watering the Flower Garden

I have a new article up at Garden and Hearth - Flower Gardening about watering the flower garden. I get a lot of questions about this. Too much water can be just as bad for a plant as not enough.

Garden and Hearth is an online magazine with a readership of over half a million. Topics covered include garden and home (hence the name of the 'zine) as well as jobs, crafts, hobbies, and other things.

I write the flower gardening section.

Cyclamen

My cyclamen are coming along fine. I planted them a few weeks ago. The nursery had a zillion variations on color, but I picked the hot pink and white ones.

These white ones are great. Even though they are low to the ground, the dark green foliage makes them stand out. They can even be seen from the road.

I planted the cyclamen in a sheltered location behind the hibiscus and nandinas. I hope they will survive the winter. They would look lovely in the spring.

On the other hand, the hot pink cyclamen cannot be seen from the road. I rather expected they would be seen from outer space. Alas, my garden is not so noticeable after all. The hot pink cyclamen aren't filling out as well as the white. Maybe they're just slow starters.

Bulb and Flower Division

A new article is up at Garden and Hearth about bulb and flower division. One of my recent articles talked about the differences between bulbs, corms, rhizomes, tubers, and tuberous roots. This one details how to divide them to grow more plants, whether to expand your own garden, or to pot up as gifts for family, friends, and neighbors. Some flowers can be divided for new plants, too. I talk about those and how to care for the new plants.

Bulb Packages and Beneficial Insects

Two new articles are up at my Flower Garden site at Garden and Hearth.

Insects Wanted in the Flower Garden is a list of a few types of beneficial insects that most people are probably familiar with. I often see gardeners spraying pesticides and crushing every bug they see. Being polite, I don't tell them that they are just making extra work for themselves, but I hope this article enlightens at least a few of those gardeners.

The second article is a short glossary-type piece defining the terms you might come across on a package of bulbs (because now is the time to be planting them in the Northern Hemisphere, but you knew that, right?) It defines bulb, corm, rhizome, tuber, and tuberous root, as well as pointing out the differences between fall bulbs (bulbs planted in the fall to bloom in the spring) and fall-blooming bulbs.

The Fall Garden

I planted my fall garden this week. Plenty of autumn blooms to look at -- rock rose, salvia (purple), chrysanthemums (one of each color from the garden center), dianthus, marigolds, zinnias, gazanias (I'd never heard of those before, but they are pretty), and snapdragons. It is a cacophony of colors. From hot pink to purple to orange, red, and yellow, I think I managed to represent the entire rainbow.

We'll just have to wait to see how my design skills held up. Right now, they are all small plants (cheaper that way) and they need to fill in. Once the mulch between them is covered with foliage, I think it will look great.

Marigolds

I have new article up on Garden and Hearth about marigolds. They are great for the fall season because of their sunny blooms. If you're in the southern hemisphere, the yellows and oranges go really well with spring, too.

New Articles

I've been hiking for the last few days, so I haven't been keeping the blog updated.

I have a book review up at Haruah. Jamaican Me Crazy: A Christmas Escape is Christian chick lit, but don't let that scare you. There's no preaching and you don't have to know anything about religion to enjoy the silliness in this book. It's good, clean fun.

Garden and Hearth has published my snapdragon article. Snapdragons are one of my favorite flowers for their color and easy care, as well as that nifty snapping sound their jaws make.

Chrysanthemums

I have a new article posted at Garden and Hearth - Flower Gardening about chrysanthemums. I love chrysanthemums, partly because they are so easy to care for and partly because there are so many blooms per plant. I can get lots of color in my house and yard with very little effort.

Autumn Blooms

I just posted a new article in the online magazine, Garden and Hearth. It's about autumn blooms. In the northern hemisphere, it's the right time to get started on fall gardening.