No time for the garden right now! Every year we host our neighborhood's Christmas party and it's tomorrow night, so I've been busy. This is what I've been working on:

I'll get back to the garden in January!

Happy Holidays!
Kate

Regina,

I was so happy to see your post. I needed a plant fix. You are lucky to have so much color in your garden right now. That snowflake euphorbia is gorgeous! I actually loved all the pretty flower pics. I've missed garden photos also.

My yard is pretty tired looking right now with all the cold, shade, wind, lack of rain (we are now 18 inches behind in rain here). If I have a few minutes tomorrow I may walk around with a camera, but I cannot think of much that I have right now that is worthy of a picture.

Please keep posting, those that have things blooming now, it helps the rest of us figure out what we should plant for these down times in the garden!

Anna

Kate, when you're done with your house, could you come down and start on mine? I have no decorations up yet.
Anna, my garden actually looks pretty tired too, those were the best flowers out of the few I have blooming. But I needed a plant fix also.

Regina

Solstice that piece of furniture your kitty is on is just what I need/Lovely.Kitty too!
I like the flower shots OK but i REALLY enjoy the garden shots and lots of creativity. You know the stepping stones the trees the whole picture. More of THOSE please!
Oh and add a pet or two!
{{gwi:48795}}
{{gwi:807179}}
{{gwi:987916}}

{{gwi:987917}}

{{gwi:987918}}

{{gwi:149223}}

{{gwi:987919}}

From the inside,,,out
{{gwi:987920}}

{{gwi:987922}}

{{gwi:987923}}
{{gwi:987926}}

Kisses from Jinxie and Felix
{{gwi:78691}}

Regina ~ What a wonderful bunch of pictures! A lovely way to start Saturday morning. I keep meaning to take my clippers with me when we go on a certain drive, to get some Mexican sunflower tree cuttings from trees that are bordering an empty overgrown lot. I tried growing these from seed and nothing happened. I had the Blue Butterfly bush a long time ago, and it's long gone. :-(

Kate ~ What a beautiful tree and wonderful holiday decorations. Enjoy your party tonight, have a lovely Christmas and a great new year.

GoldenPond ~ I LOVE your place! It is so artistic, peaceful and wonderful. Love Jinxie and Felix also. That last photo is really sweet. Your blue bottles on rods inspired me to do something with ones I have. I would love to have the large spaces for taking distance pictures that you have. Will have to see what I can come up with in the way of garden shots. Need to work on gardens though first. ;-)

I posted a string of pictures to my blog on Nov 23. Haven't been out to take anymore recently.

Please let's see more pictures of what is going on in everyone's gardens. This is the time of year when our gardens are at their best, without the heat and humidity.

Happy Gardening, Merry Christmas and Have a wonderful new year.

FlowerLady

Here is a link that might be useful: Sunday's Blooms

Okay, that's it! I probably have the least photogenic plot on the web, but I do have (rare) occasions when I'd like to share a gardening moment - and not have to wait 6 months to finish the roll of film. I'm giving MYSELF a digital camera for Christmas! Ho, Ho, Ho!! cora

beautiful pictures!! They're inspiring to get out and clean up the 'fall' look! Also, Kate...beautiful Christmas!! We're running behind here, for sure!! Time to get out the mistletoe and holly!!!!

One thing I might add that I have mentioned before.Please Don't wait til your yard is perfect, we do not mind seeing a few weeds. These were taken before we weeded and mulched. Personally I like the wild look but I frustrate hubby to death! We promise we won't judge!

Weeds Happen!

Regina: Like you, I too was hungering for garden pictures. Thanks for starting this thread. I went hunting with my camera this A.M. so I could contribute.

Coral Honeysuckle:

Nandina berries:

Thunbergia battiscombei:

Verbena:

Tall red pentas:

Variegated aptenia:

Violas:

Lantana (what an $.88 bargain this proved to be!):

Petunia (Easy Wave):

Galphimia glauca:

Happy gardening to all - June

thank you ALL for the lovely photos.
a beautiful day in the neighborhood...a neighborly day in the beautywood.

I knew if I started whining, somebody would come through.
Goldenpond, your garden has lots of personality,I love it and I love your space.Flowerlady and June, gorgeous flowers!

Regina

i'm always amazed. you guys are excellent gardeners/photographers!

I have a number of cool things just about to bloom... most especially my little Camellia sasanqua, which I've waited two years to see a flower on. Anyhow, here's what's blooming as of yesterday:

Vase full of Blanketflowers (Gaillardia pulchella)

Tough little Geraniums

Bulbine frutescens from a swap earlier this year. (Thanks Ariel!)

Clearance-rack Poinsettia from last year, starting to bloom, just in time for x-mas.

Lion's Tail, pleased with the cooler weather.

Blue Sky Vine (Thunbergia grandiflora), beautiful and well-behaved :)

Acacia farnesiana, always strikes me as a wise and patient tree.

I love to see what you all grow!

Well, Regina, this post has got me coming back to GW to see pictures of gardens- seems we've been lacking this sort of stuff for a while and I was losing interest in coming here. Thanks for the spark.

GP, your garden shots are wonderful. I absolutely love your ducks. What happened to the third one? They are so cute. My ducks only come to our pond in the spring and then disappear. I also love your brick pathway and your birdhouse. Your pond is maturing beautifully.

June, I can't believe your 9a garden looks so good when my 10a has been so burnt and bit by the cold. I have got to find a spot for coral honeysuckle and thryallis!

Ian, your gaillardias look so beautiful I thought they were rudbeckias! I can't believe they are still blooming. I am also making a note to myself about getting gaillardias this next year. Amazing how the pointsettia timing works.

Ok, we got rain last night and everything has perked up beautifully! I was inspired by that and this post to carry around my camera early this morning and these are the shots I found. Better than I imagined.

This is my favorite. A foliage shot from the back of my backyard- almost from my neighbors'. A spot I don't frequently view my garden, but I really liked it this morning.

The lighting is wrong here, but this is a shot of part of my butterfly garden. The minneolas are just about ready to pick and my beloved tall pink pentas look good almost year round.

Another area where I have milkweed. Curiously, most of the year the milkweed was pristine, rarely saw a cat although the monarchs were laying like crazy, and barely saw an aphid. Now the milkweed is raggedy, eaten up, aphids everywhere, and the cats abound! Yeah! Maybe the wasps and ladybugs have gone away with all this cold weather we've been having? Here are a few cats (if you look closely you'll see about 4 and I had to show off the dombeya in the background. One of the few things in my garden blooming right now.

Another foliage shot from behind the pond. I thought it was pretty.

An interesting foliage combo I didn't predict. The flowers belong to a farfugium which loves this cool weather.

The first two blooms on heliconia guapa. It's got more coming and should be real pretty in a month or so if the cold doesn't get it!

My good girl, Bruce. I wish I could say she loves to help me garden. The truth is she tolerates it and waits patiently to be let back in to the comfort of her plush bed inside. She absolutely loves her family, though. Here she is begging with her eyes to be taken inside. Enough, mom! Please!!!

Ana

Regina, thanks for starting this thread. I love your sunflower tree and butterfly bush.

Kate your wall color is just right for Christmas - Very festive decor.

Goldenpond I love those cute ducks (They look like they're best friends.) and the gangly orange flowers. What are those? Cosmos?

FlowerLady I love your flower picture especially the wonderful color of the morning glories and the Flame Vine.

Cora, I hope Santa is good to you... ;)

June, your flowers are wonderful. I especially love the Thunbergia battiscombei - those colors are amazing. You are just a little north of me. How does that do for you in the winter?

Musicman, I really like your Lion's Tail. I get the mane, ear, tail confused - I thought I got lion's tail but the leaves are wider and so far it is just a tall stick with a couple leaves. Thinking it was going to be impressive, I placed it in a place of prominence so it would show up. *lol* Well, it does like a sore thumb. *lol* I really like your Acacia farnesiana too.

Annafl I'm glad you decided to post your pictures. That 1st shot is enchanging and the tree limbs with the sun filtering through them... Just looking at it, you feel like you are right there. What is the foliage plant up front? I LOVE that. And what is the varigated plant in front of the Persian shield? It looks so nice there. And Bruce - I think she wants me to pet her.

So I went out in the late afternoon, not the best light for pics, but here are a few of mine.

Feverfew - It is liking the cooler weather.
{{gwi:987960}}

Yarrow flower laying in Cranesbill - Also liking cooler weather
{{gwi:987961}}

Sweet Allysum and Marigolds - That allysum smells heavenly!
{{gwi:987962}}

Angels Trumpet, Pineapple Sage, Starfire Cuphea, Tricolor Sage, Oyster Plant Dwarf Chenille Tagetes Lemonii.
{{gwi:987963}}

Pencil tree and pink salvia. The silver in the background is bags of coffee grounds. *lol*
{{gwi:987964}}

Clerodendrum and Brugmansia and Turk's cap
{{gwi:987965}}

Judy

Oh Wow! Wow! Thanks for sharing, everyone! I'm all smiles after your photo safari, thanks again.

Beautiful pictures everyone! I've found several plants to put on my wish list. DH will be so thrilled! Thanks for posting, I knew there were some beautiful gardens out there and I hope we can see more.

Regina

Papaya tree

not sure what kind of flower this is, but i really dig it.

Lantana

My very first green pepper to bloom

My very first strawberry to bloom

The perfect Magnolia flower!

cigarette plant

Angelwing begonia

Glorybower buds

Pentas

These shots are from my garden. not as prolific as previous posts, but im a baby at this! I have enjoyed seeing everyone's garden photos and it was very inspirational.

This is such a great thread! Wonderful to see what's growing right now.

June ~ Love all of your different blooms. That coral honeysuckle is beautiful and violas always make me feel happy.

Ana ~ What wonderful, lush gardens you have. Everything looks so good! Inspires me to get out and work more in my gardens. Bruce is a sweetie. I really loved your dombeya and had to look that up. and oh my gosh, I've seen this on 'the island' in front of a wall and thought they look like hydrangeas. I love the flowers and the google finding on dombeya said they are fragrant also. Lucky you. :-)

Judy ~ Nice to see pictures of your wonderful gardens again. Love your persian shield. I 'had' some of that. Look at your Tagetes Lemonii, so bright and cheery in that great bed.

miamimami ~ That magnolia bloom is indeed perfect. Love your different plants, and there's nothing wrong with your photography. That strawberry looks so ready to pop into one's mouth. Aaaahhhh!

I want to thank everyone for sharing pictures from their gardens. They do my heart and soul good, and inspire me to get out and work in my gardens.

Let's see some more.

FlowerLady

Pictures are my favorite! Thanks for posting everyone I'm enjoying them all.
Here are a few from my garden:
Salvia...I don't know the variety

Salvia-blue bedder from seeds...easy to grow and tough

yellow milkweed...no aphids!

One of many orchids sending up bloom spikes. I'm very excited in a couple of months I should be loaded with blooms and I only have 15 orchid plants!

Atreelady, I've never seen purple alyssum. Yes, I love the fragrance also. Would love to find some of that to plant for the winter. I also love the tagetes lemonii. Very vibrant. BTW, that foliage plant up front is a birdsnest anthurium and is a very easy plant. The variegated ground cover is cuban oregano. Also easy and brightens up a shady area.

Miamimami, that is one perfectly beautiful papaya. I hope it tastes as good as it looks. That strawberry looks amazing also. I've never been able to grow them very well.

Flowerlady, the dombeya is dombeya seminole and blooms now and again in spring. It is easy, but really wants more sun than it gets here. I don't notice any fragrance! Too bad. I saw one in Ft. Lauderdale once that was huge, filled with blooms and gorgeous!

Laura, your garden always looks beautiful to me and intrigues me. I cannot grow salvias for some reason. Yours are stunning- and from seed! Arrgh! OK, I vowed never to get them, but now I may have to try from seed just in case.
Your orchid looks really healthy too. Sounds like you are transferring your rose addiction to an orchid addiction?

Regina, pray tell, how large is that snowflake euphorbia? So delicate and lovely. I usually am not fond of white flowers, but it looks really pretty.

Anna

Anna, the purple sweet alyssum seeds I got at Walley world. Thank you for the IDs. I am always looking for things that do well in shade. I was looking for the id on the plant at the bottom of the 1st pic. I am thinking some kind of begonia? I have trouble growing begonias so I am hoping it is something else... The birds nest Anthurium is nice though. I think I will look around for some.

just an update on the fate of the lone strawberry.

after my daughter's dinner of squash puree, i decided to give her first strawberry......she just turned one! i sliced it up (about 5 slices) and let her go at them.....of course i snuck a bite! very delicious and juicy...i cant wait for the rest to come in!

Anna, that snowflake euphorbia is about 5 feet tall and 6 feet wide( I had to trim it back a little). It starts blooming about Thanksgiving and continues until January with the most fragrant flowers. The rest of the year it looks like an ordinary, boring bush. Like the Poinsettia, it needs to be shielded from artificial light after dark or it will not bloom.
Your garden just makes me drool,a picture of perfection.
I am so happy with all the pictures that everyone posted.
We live in Florida so that we can garden all year and this time of year, it's more fun!

Regina

Atreelady, the plant at the bottom is a begonia- heracleifolia (?sp). I find it to be an easy plant here. Don't know if a couple of degrees cooler would make a difference? I find begonias are mostly fussy about drainage. It's got to be perfect.

Regina, your euphorbia is certainly beautiful. Something else for my wish list- and even fragrant! BTW, my garden is far from perfect. Very far.

Anna

I can't even begin to express how impressed and inspired I am by the gardens I've seen here. Thank you all for the beautiful photos. With your help, I hope to have a garden worthy of sharing in the future!

Heather

Okay, I've finally got this camera working. Here's a few from my humble garden:

My happy little grapette orchids:

The first queen's wreath. Not terribly impressive, compared to what's in store.

My favorite native, the golden dewddrop, just beginning to show off.

And not a flower, but a pretty picture, from our vacation to Guatemala. This is the sunset over Lake Peten Itza our first night. Set the scene for a great vacay

Great photos everyone!

N&V, I adore that sunset picture. You should frame it as a piece of art, maybe even blow it up and frame it. :o)

Anna, I have the snowflake also, in fact two. One I have trained as a standard and one is a bush. After they are done blooming you can prune them to the size you want.

Maybe this year, I'll try to learn how to use my camera. lol

I feel better already!
I really needed a 'flower fix' fer sure.

Nothing.........(jes about nuttin'!)...is blooming in my yard...WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!

Wonder why??????????

'Course...I DO have lots ov orchids spiking or already in bloom...so I reckon I'm blessed in that respect.
LOLAM

Again....thanks to all for posting!

here is a link to my veggie garden and the yard

http://picasaweb.google.com/jaybaldeo8/KemsYardDec08?authkey=ZU2GstKCFi0#

Jay--

Wow! That is quite the vegetable/fruit garden you have going there!

I see that you have a couple of Moringa. Can you confirm that is what I have, too?

I think that's what it is, but I've never seen one in person before acquiring this yard. Thanks for your input!

Heather