Bloom Day - December, 2018

The 15th of every month is Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, when we all post photos of what is blooming in our gardens.  But, today is not the 15th, is it?  With the rush to finish work before the holidays and our eldest son coming home tomorrow for Christmas, my mind has been elsewhere!

Although winter is right around the corner and we have had some frost, I do have a few pretties to share.

This rose looks lovely, until you realize that it is Benjain Britten, and that icy-pin color it is sporting is not its true color.

Benjamin Britten

Abraham Darby, protected by a stone wall, continues to produce near-perfect roses. 

Abraham Darby

Abraham Darby

La Sevillana has not noticed that all her neighbors are lying dormant.

Such a hard worker! 

La Sevillana

The mums are on their way out, but they still provide color.

Gaura, oh gaura!  How did I ever live without you before this year?  She has been blooming for a record-breaking 8 months!

Gaura

What is still blooming in your garden?  

Stop by May Dreams Gardens to see what's blooming in other peoples' gardens

from around the world.

Bloom Day - November 2018

The sky has been cloudy this month and the fog has crept up the river from Toledo most mornings, so these photos were taken in mad dashes yesterday when the sun peeked out its head.  What a tease, that sun!

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare is my favorite red rose.  Red?  Well, someplace between red and magenta, but its most appealing attribute is its scent.

Benjamin Britten 

I am pleased with this photo because it shows the progression of colors that Benjamin Britten is capable of producing, but in the summer the flowers are too fleeting to appreciate.  From bits of yellow, to coral, to a purpley-red, BB has got it all - with a fruity scent to boot!

Charles Darwin

In my garden and in its current location, Charles Darwin is a bit of a meek producer.  However, it is healthy and I love the color of its blooms, so it is a keeper.

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Chrysanthemums in Spain are sold for All Saints' Day on November 1, so you will probably never see them in a garden as they are associated with cemeteries and funerals.  However, I have always loved chrysanthemums becuase of the color they bring to the fall garden.  I have several, which can be grown as perennials here.  Unfortunately, though, they are sold here sans ID.

La Sevillana

La Sevillana has been flowering since May.  She is such a hard worker.  I should probably pay more attention to her.  Ay, if only she smelled as lovely as she looks...

Podranea ricasoliana

Salvia microphylla

Winchester Cathedral

Heritage

If you have been paying attention, then you know that I do not care for the color pink.  So, what is Heritage doing in my garden?  Well, I planted this rose to commemorate the birth of my niece, Katie, exactly 7 years ago today.  

Happy Birthday, Katie!!!

And happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day to everyone!  Stop by May Dreams Gardens to see what's blooming in everyone elses' gardens.

Bloom Day - October, 2018

What is blooming in my garden right now?  Well, quite a bit, actually.  

First off is my new love and most recent acquisition this year: gaura.  I love its volume, color and airiness.  Plus, although it looks delicate, it can withstand our brutal sun and wind, while still flowering from spring to fall.  And, as it is planted right behind my teenager's basketball hoop, it can also take quite a few shots without flinching.

Gaura

Abelia is another of my favorites for the fall.  It flowers constantly and brings some red foliage into the garden, which is hard to come by in Spain.

Speaking of red, this naturalized chrysanthemum has been in my garden for several years, and this year it has brought a bit of a suprise.   If you look closely, you'll see that one of the petals themelves are bi-colored, sporting the colors of the Spanish flag.

The oleander continue to flower after their second summer in the garden.  Last year, we planted 7 large specimens for instant privacy.  Instead of making 7 individual holes in our hard-packed soil, my friend at the garden center recommended we dig a trench and space them throughout, to avoid restricted root growth.  They have done quite well this year and have been flowering since June.

Oleander, with the remnants of Hurrican Leslie, which came through Spain and Portugal Sunday.

Podranea ricasoliana is very underwhelming in a large enamel pot on the porch.  Nothing I have planted here has ever done especially well, though.

 As always, the roses start to recover in the fall and produce more flowers in October.

Golden Celebration

Heritage

La Sevillana

Lady Emma Hamilton

Meanwhile, the salvias and perovskia continue to bloom as well.

Today, I am linking with Carol at May Dreams Gardens for her monthly Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day on the 15th of each month.

Today's sunset after the storm

Monday's Vase (ahem, coffee pot)

Here's another flower arrangement post.  I hope that's not too boring.

Even after our first frosts this week, the roses in my garden are still producing the last odds and ends for the year.  The most productive right now is Madame Alfred Carrière, but unfortunately most of her blooms face outwards onto my neighbor's property (lucky him).  In its third year, I really need to get it onto an arch to train it away from the boundary fence.

So, once again, I am participating with Rambling in the Garden's "In a Vase on Monday" post.  This week, my humble arrangement includes roses from Madame Alfred Carrière, La Sevillana and Pat Austin, along with spent abelia blooms.

The "vase" is actually a Japanese coffee pot that my grandmother brought back from Yokohama, where my grandparents, mother and aunt lived after WWII.  My grandfather was stationed in occupied Japan for five years with the Army Corps of Engineers during the reconstruction.

Yes, that is La Sevillana's actual color.  No color enhancing used here.

 

I am a bit nervous about using the coffee pot.  The hand-painted porcelain hasn't got a single crack or coffee stain and it honestly looks like it has never been used.  As a child, I remember seeing it in a china cabinet, although never on the table.

But, I think it is important to use precious, inherited belongings instead of leaving them locked up in a glass case.  They bring back fond memories, which are much more priceless than cold china.  I'm sure my grandmother would feel the same.