Bloom Day - Christmas Wish

     This month's Bloom Day finds me wishing for something I've never wished before - freezing weather. Like much of the country we are experiencing unseasonable warmth, which normally I wouldn't mind. However, we have only had one slight frost, so many plants that should be fully asleep at this point aren't quite there yet, while at the same time others are waking up too early. It's all a little confusing in the plant world, but I guess there could be worse things to deal with.

     The mild weather has meant that the paperwhites (Narcissus 'Ziva') are having a chance to bloom this year.

     You can't see them because they wouldn't stay still for the camera, but the local honeybees were busy working my Fatsia 'Spider Web' and Mahonia x 'Winter Sun'.

     After being buried by careless roofers under a mountain of debris, my Algerian iris (Iris unguicularis) seems to have recovered. It blooms sporadically from late November through March, unphazed by any of our seasons, nor by asphalt shingles.

     One group of plants I am most concerned about are the local Japanese camellias (Camellia japonica). With the warm weather their buds will swell and open, and I am afraid they will at some point get zapped, turning the blossoms brown. Colder temperatures would keep them tight until the more normal time for them to open arrives.

     Most of the fall blooming camellias (Camellia sasanqua and hybrids) are still blooming but are close to finishing. The later blooming 'Yuletide' is on schedule, and right now, is what I love the most in my garden.

     To see what other gardeners are experiencing, just head over to May Dreams Gardens where Carol hosts a monthly party called Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. Be sure to send her Christmas wishes.

Once the holiday hoopla has settled down, I hope you can spend time looking back at your favorite photos from 2015. I will try to gather my favorites soon, and should be able post them in the next few weeks. I invite you to join in.