Right on schedule, the Arctic blast came along to foil the plans of Mahonia ‘Arthur Menzies’ to bloom.
Do you think mittens (well, actually sox) can protect them enough to enable the showy display they had in mind?
I would pout if I were thwarted year after year, but Arthur continues to thrive. I wish I were that even-tempered.
Many of the grasses have been decimated by high winds, but Miscanthus ‘Morning Light’ is blooming to beat the band.
And Panicum ‘Heavy Metal’ shows off against what remains of the red foliage and stems of Euphorbia ‘Fire Charm’
This is a first for me, and more exciting than this lonely little thing would seem to merit. After a number of years, the Euonymous europaens has finally deigned to produce a single flower (fruit?). Can this be a harbinger of greater things to come?
And in the realm of firsts: this big fat hip on Rosa rugosa ‘Buffalo Gals’ put in an appearance.
Moving indoors, the Cyclamen that bloomed all summer outside hasn’t missed a beat. It gets interesting when the weather turns and blooms are further and farther between. Why not check out May Dreams Gardens to see what others were able to come up with?
Oh, I do hope Arthur’s buds make it through… How adorable with socks adorning its glossy limbs! And how exciting with the Euonymus flower/fruit. It looks so fragile, yet sculptural dangling from that grey twig!
Anna~The Outlaw has a Euonymous loaded with these. It’s spectacular, but there is a certain charm in just the one.
I often forget about grasses when it comes to Bloom Day. I should have shown some of mine.
Alison~I forget that the tassels on grasses are actually flowers until the choices get so limited and force closer examination.
I like your Euphorbia, what a wonderful colour. I must look for that one. Did you grow it from seed? How sad for the Mahonia, but the sox are fun.
Christina~I bought Euphorbia ‘Fire Charm’ as a small plant in a 4″ pot. It grew and gained heft quickly. I hadn’t thought about growing it from seed, so have not examined the plant for seed heads. If there are any, I would be happy to send you some.
Wow, that Rose hip is impressive! Have you ever made Rose hip tea? I’ve always thought that would be fun to try, but I never had enough hips. What a great idea to put a mitten on the Mahonia! I’ll be curious to find out how they fared during the cold weather. Beautiful images, Ricki!
Beth~I have sampled rose hip tea. It was not to my liking, so my fantasies have drifted more in the direction of rose hip jam.
Sweet Mahonia mittens! I bet you could make and market them for use with all kinds of plants. This cold snap has taken out so many of the flowers that can sometimes brighten our gardens for much longer! I’ll bet that your Eounymous will make more seed capsules in the future. Do you have both a male and a female plant? (don’t have to be the same Euonymous) it really helps with heavier capsule production.
Peter~I have a couple other Euonymous, but none are fruitful. I take this lonely little capsule as a good omen though. I’m not sure how to administer the mittens. Should they come off during sunny periods? It’s still below freezing, even mid-day.
Poor Arthur! Is he not as tough as Mahonia x media ‘Charity’ ?
Loree~I guess not, bet we also get a little colder than you do in town.
Well, there’s a first – I don’t think I’ve ever seen a garden put socks on their blooms before. Now that I come too think of it – you could be onto something there rickii 😉
How exciting, your first bloom on the Euonymus. I hope it is the start of many more in years to come.
Angie~We shall see…I could be on to something or this could be another futile attempt.
That rose hip looks more like an apple! I like the color of ‘Heavy Metal’, I have only ‘Northwind’ and ‘Shenandoah’.
Jason~It is about the size of a crab apple, come to think of it. Heavy Metal stays a bit bluer than Shanendoah and the inflorescences hold up longer. At least that’s been my experience.