Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - December 2016

Welcome to Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day for December 2016.

Here in my USDA Hardiness Zone 6a garden in central Indiana, any thoughts I had that Fall would really last forever have been blown away by the cold chills and snow of Winter.

I was grateful we were spared the big snowfall that fell north of us this past weekend, but that "sparing" didn't last long as we got a decent pile of snow dumped on us a few days ago.

I measured about the three inches of the white stuff. The picture to the right was taken at day break just as the snow started to fall. By mid-day, we were covered.

But on to the blooms. As you will see, I took these pictures the day before it snowed.

One plant that needs no snow cover is the hardy Christmas Rose, Helleborus niger.  I've been checking the buds on the variety 'Josef Lemper' and expect on the next sunny day, those buds will open.

Next to it is another variety 'Cinnamon Snow'.

This is not a great picture, but trust me that the buds on 'Cinnamon Snow' are smaller and tinged with pink.

There were several seedlings under 'Josef Lemper' this summer, so I transplanted some of them out to grow on.

Looks like I have a few years to wait for this one to bloom.

Nearby, the last of the autumn crocuses appear to be caught in the act by the cold. It's buried in snow now.

I want to plant more autumn crocuses and will do so next fall.  Remind me!

Elsewhere in the garden the last of the violas are also shivering in the cold.

I always let them go to seed in hopes they will just show up here and there in the garden, and they often do.

Since it is so cold outside, and now snowy, I have to get my gardening fix indoors.

I just potted up an amarylis, a double-flowering pink and white variety called 'Nymph',

Looks like its blooms will be featured in a January bloom day post, along with the blooms of Lily of the Valley and hyacinths, which are the other flowers I force into bloom indoors each winter.

Until they bloom, I will continue to enjoy the blooms of the euphorbia commonly called Crown of Thorns.

The two I have, one pink, one yellow, are always in bloom, every day of the year.

What's blooming in your garden on this cold December day? We would love to have you join in for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day and show us. It's easy to participate. Just post on your blog about what's blooming in your garden on or about the 15th of the month. Then come here and leave a comment to tell us what blooms you've got to show us and put a link in the Mr. Linky widget to make it easier for us to find you.

And remember always, "We can have flowers nearly every month of the year." ~ Elizabeth Lawrence