Bloom Day January 2011...

It's time once again for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day! Thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting this monthly activity. The Paperwhites and Hyacinth that I recently blogged about have just about finished their blooms, but I sure did enjoy them while they lasted. My Parlor Palm is blooming again.




It didn't bloom all the years I lived in California, but every Winter since I moved it to North Carolina, it has bloomed. The stalk on the right is still little buds and the stalk on the left is more mature.



I think the tiny "buttons" it produces are so amazing in their simplicity.



Outside my garden is pretty much still covered in snow and ice.




Tiger didn't seem to mind rolling around in the aforementioned snow and ice, though! (If you want to see pictures of my chickens checking out the snow, you can go to my Chickie Update and scroll down the page.)




About the only color outside is the glass beads I added to this little wind chime several years ago. In the Spring and Summer, it doesn't really show up, but in the snow, it sparkles.




All the Violas outside are struggling - frozen and/or buried under the snow - except for the ones on the front porch. These are cozy and (relatively) warm in their sheltered area. Thanks for stopping by my garden. And be sure to go to May Dreams Gardens to find other gardens to visit.



Have a beautiful day! And stay warm!

Paperwhites and Hyacinth...

My garden once again is covered with a layer of snow. This time the snow is only about an inch deep. It is topped with ice so when I walk on it, the snow crunches. I do like the way it looks like icing on my stone wall.




Yesterday, it was falling in snow flakes. I love snow flakes. They are so exquisite, so amazing. So tiny and so intricate.



I've been growing Paperwhites (Narcissus 'Ziva') in my laundry room. Their scent is wonderful! Wouldn't it be cool if the fragrance from the Paperwhites would drift into my dryer and make my clothes smell like Paperwhites?



I found the bulbs discounted a few weeks ago and couldn't resist the temptation. I used some of the gravel from my path to fill jars and stuck the bulbs on top. I like to see their roots growing.



Behind the blooms is the new curtain I made for my laundry room window. It's just a simple muslin panel hung on small clip-on cafe rings. I'm pleased with it. And it makes a lovely picture with my Paperwhites.



I'll plant them outside once it warms up (if it ever does! Ha!), even though I haven't been able to get Paperwhites to naturalize here. Maybe in a different location they will do better.




Yesterday at a grocery store, I found a Hyacinth on clearance. There were some mums, too, but the Hyacinth was/is fragrant, so it won out. It'll also get planted outside in the Spring. I've had success with Hyacinth so it should come back each year. It came in a little plastic pot inside of a terracotta cachepot. I put the little plastic pot inside of the blue and white ceramic pot, which I found a couple of years ago.




The plant had two blooming stems on it, but, as careful as I was, one of them got broken. (The poor plant was seriously wilted because it hadn't been watered; just put on sale.) However, the broken stem gave me permission to put it into a make-shift vase and enjoy its beauty and fragrance on my bedroom vanity.


Have a beautiful day!