Wednesday 28 December 2016

Gardening Joy in December

Hello Friends!

I hope you all had a PEACEful and JOYful Christmas and are now looking forward to a brand New Year waiting just around the corner; it's an empty page just waiting to be filled with joy, gratitude and new adventures ~~~

Now that the daily Christmas Countdown posts are over I am finding it strange not to be writing every day. I learned much about the Christmas season as I researched each new thread, and that is a joy in itself; also a joy is that I have renewed the habit of writing ~ although I did very little over Christmas and Boxing Day ~ I was given some pretty new note books for Christmas so some of my writing will be placed on those delicious new pages that are waiting to be filled with words ~~~

I had prepared everything in advance for the 25th so I was able to take a well earned "down day" and indulge myself in watching Christmas specials on television, reading new books, and colouring in with new supplies ~~~

Rarely have I been so blessed as to be continuing to garden in December! With the generally mild weather, over the last few days I have found things that defied the earlier December frost and just keep on bringing beauty in their small corners!  Despite the grey December days, the garden is still giving pretty spots of uplifting colour with Kaffir Lilies and Osteospermums! I am in awe over the way these delicate plants overcome the cold and frosty mornings as they continue well out of their seasons ~~~


The bright sugary pink of the Kaffir Lilies look amazing against the glaucous leaves of the Euphorbia plant ~~~


A single bold and bright yellow Marigold braves the chilly days ~~~


Delightful purple Osteospermums still flower ~~~


and a golden yellow rose blooms still ~~~



I am not as hardy as the plants so I wrap up warm and enjoy stolen moments, picking a few herbs from the herb garden {mostly rosemary, oregano, sage, and lemon balm} for cooking. The flavours aren't as strong this time of year, but it is such a treat to pick fresh ones as needed ~~~


There are still a few small piles of leaves and while no one is looking I let my inner child gleefully kick and crunch her way along! Soon, the frost will speed up the decay and next year there will be bags of delicious leaf mould for the borders.  The circle of life goes on ~~~

Until next time ~~~
~~~Deborah xoxo

15 comments:

  1. You have some really beautiful plants, x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, it is amazing what a close up can fake! lol

      Delete
  2. Your flowers are beautiful! I thought of adding chili to that cake too Deborah. I bet it would be great! Thanks for sharing that idea! Have a wonderful 2017.
    Sherry

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Sherry, yes chili and chocolate go together so very well.
      ~~~Deborah

      Delete
  3. Love the colour of your kaffir lily. We have a red one but no flowers now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mine are all pink, my neighbour has red. I'm supposed to be having some roots with her, but then just this week a red one appeared in an abandoned flower pot around the back!

      Delete
  4. The one thing I miss about living in VA so close to NC is the longer gardening season! Thanks again for all the Christmas blogging. Remember we are on the 5th day of Christmas…5 Golden Rings! LOL
    Waving at you~~~Margot

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Margot! Yes, I lived there for a while too, and I remember some bitterly cold winters as well as scorchingly hot and unbearably humid summers. I don't think I could keep up with doing the Twelve Days of Christmas straight off the back of a daily post each day of Advent!
      ~~~Deb

      Delete
    2. I wanted to THANK YOU for the Advent posts, but that comment disappeared a couple of posts back. I really thought the Icelandic imps were funny. The people who live north of me on Washington Island are from Iceland many generations ago.
      ~~~Margot

      Delete
  5. Such lovely flowering beauties you have shared! I have nothing in bloom-well maybe a little pansy by the mailbox. Your Lilies are so pretty! I imagine your closeness to the ocean keeps a warm environment to allow such lovelies. The yellow rose with the rose hips are a joy to see! Have a wonderful evening dear Deb! xoxo ♥

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Martha Ellen. There shouldn't be anything in bloom here, especially these summer and autumn blooms! Yes, the close proximity to the ocean does keep us a few degrees warmer but oh! for some delicious frosty days!
      ~~~Deb xoxo

      Delete
  6. What a treat to see such lovely photos at this time of the year. We have snow on the ground and cold. I would love to have a whiff of some fresh rosemary.

    I wish you some wonderful adventures to fill the pages of your notebook. May your New year bring you days of joy and sunshine and laughter and love. Wishing you all the best, my Friend~

    Love and hugs,
    Darlene

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah, Darlene, my friend ~~~ you know what I'm going to say, don't you? Will trade you some warmer winter days for some of that snow!
      Wishing you and your family a Happy, Healthy New Year from Wales
      Much love, Deb xoxo

      Delete
  7. What a lovely walk through your Winter garden! Thank you for taking us along. And, how exciting to receive those pretty, new notebooks, too! Hugs from me across the sea ~ Donna

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you from me to you across the sea! ~~~Deb xo

      Delete