Now that it's December, Chicago area gardeners move indoors for the season, to fuss over their houseplants. The Oxalis I brought in from an outside container has bloomed twice since it has come inside, but predictably, it is resting now. The big Pelargonium that survived last winter inside has just this single pseudo-umbel of blooms. (Thanks, Rose for that word. I told you I couldn't wait to use it.)
Considering my track record with houseplants, it's doing very well. It generally has at least one pseudo-umbel on it. Come on, say it with me: pseudo-umbel, pseudo-umbel. Isn't that fun? (Sorry, got a bit carried away there.)
Considering my track record with houseplants, it's doing very well. It generally has at least one pseudo-umbel on it. Come on, say it with me: pseudo-umbel, pseudo-umbel. Isn't that fun? (Sorry, got a bit carried away there.)
I'm also impressed with a Coleus cutting I took from the one that grew in a front porch container. It rooted in water, so I potted it up. It is now starting to bloom.
I know, pretty paltry, and I'm probably going to cut the bloom stalk off now. But, hey, it's a bloom. It is December, after all.
I know, pretty paltry, and I'm probably going to cut the bloom stalk off now. But, hey, it's a bloom. It is December, after all.
What's blooming in your garden or house?
*I swear, this is the last time I will have the Mum in a Bloom Day post until next October at the earliest, and maybe not even then.
32 comments:
Happy to see the mum. Who wouldn't want to see a pink daisy anytime?
Happy Bloom Day.
I guess you could say: Happy Mum's Day! (pseudo-umbel, pseudo-umbel!)
Well ... that is a super mum ... ice and snow can insulate so well... I like your mumsicle and your writing in general makes this a fun post. Your photos make it a delight to the eyes. You may think your last flower paltry but is portrait is not so. Lovely. Carol
Wow, your mum is a miracle indeed! Amazing how a little snow can actually insulate a plant so well. We still haven't had any measurable snow, so my garden had to suffer the frigid temps unprotected. Thanks for the shout-out--who knew pseudo-umbel would come in so handy:) Not being a houseplant person either, I'm happy to have some of these pseudo-umbels blooming indoors right now.
I took a coleus cutting too. It's not dead but it isn't growing either--just sitting there with one leaf;)
Long about the end of February or the first of March, I get desperate for something green. That is the only brief period of time I enjoy plants in the house.
Marnie
pseudo-umbel. there I said it. You can never post your mums too much, I'll look at them!!
No pseudo umbels here MrMcD. Love seeing your Mum. It does seem like a miracle to me.
Your mum comment is funny! I feel like I always the SAME PLANTS in my bloom day posts. That means I need to get MORE plants, right? ;)
MMD the mum is luscious and super, too. The only reason I want a snow cover id for its insulating value...winters are hard on a Middle South garden. it's one reason why my garden is so brown...there are leaves piled on everything to stop winter kill and plants heaving out of the ground.
Isn't Helen hilarious! gail
Pseudo-umbel, pseudo-umbel, pseudo-umbel! ;-)
I'm impressed with that super-mum's tenacity, especially with all the weather you've had thrown at you in the past week or so. Good on ya for keeping the houseplants going, too.
Mmmm, mumsicles! You know, I totally forgot about Bloom Day, and by the time I get home it'll be dark. I could go out tomorrow and poke around but I don't have high hopes. Our sad little inch of snow didn't do much insulating!
That mum is a miracle since I know what kind of weather we've all been having. I think I just have broken shrubs under our snow. Nothing's melted and it's frigid again!
You got me out looking this morning for anything that resembled a bloom....does a closed up rose bud ..still pink..count?
Nell Jean - The funny thing is, I really don't like the Mum.
Helen - you could say that, but the Mum isn't too happy at the moment. It's lost its snowcover and the temperatures are dropping to the single digits tonight.
Carol - thanks! Even lame flowers deserve the best presentation. Kind of like putting a PB&J sandwich on a china plate.
Rose - I knew. As soon as I read that, I kept my fingers crossed that the Pelargonium would still be in bloom.
Marnie - the cutting from a different Coleus did nothing but rot, under the identical conditions. I don't get it, but I'm thrilled with this plant.
Darla - I'll remember that next autumn.
Lisa - I've had some weird plant blooming behavior during various winters, and I guess they're all small miracles.
Katie - yes, buy more plants. Start making a list right now!
Gail - I need to get my leaf mulch out there, but it looks kind of silly dumped on top of the snow.
Jodi - it's baby steps with the houseplants. We'll see what is still alive come March.
Diane -in a world of snow & cold, it's easy to forget there even are such things as blooms.
Ms. Wis. - we had drizzle & fog, just to get us used to not wearing 2 pairs of socks, now it's getting cold again. I swear it's easier on people & plants if it just stays below freezing.
That Mum can really take a beating.
Love the pink and the yellowy-orange with the snow - gorgeous!
A mum is better than nothing. And yes, pseudo-umbel is a great word and should be used often!
Those microclimates and snow-cover really make a difference, don't they? Hey if I can use "quasi-bonsai" you can use "pseudo-umbel!!" "Mumcycle" is pretty clever too! Stay warm.
Don't worry about it being paltry, you gotta go with what you've got and remember that this is the season of miracles. Happy GBBD!
Psudo-umbel. Pseudo-umble. Quite melodious. As You'll see in my post, it all depends on how you define blooming.
Lol--mumsicle! I'm reminded I need to go fertilize my houseplant. (Singular.) Actually I have to water it all the time during the winter because the heat is always on.
The picture of frozen stem in your masthead is mesmerizing.
Lovely... I adore that macro shot of the coleus flower! It looks so much more exotic than they usually get credit for. :)
Hey, we takes what we can get when we can gets it. Congratulations on having something blooming outdoors for a December bloom day.
Hi MMcD,
I had to laugh at what Kathy said. That is true! I love your miracle mum. I wish I'd known about the pseudo umbrel term, as I would have used it for my scented geranium blooms, if I'm understanding it correctly. The plant itself is not looking too happy, and it just has a couple blooms on it.
Well, I hope that if you aren't going to show another Mum for nearly a year that you'll at least give us a pseudo-Mumbel now and then. Sorry. Couldn't resist.
I think your pseudo-umbel is really pretty! I also read your Frigid Friday - brrr! But that photo in your header is great.
Dan - it's hard to hate a plant that tough.
Thanks, Stevie! I'm not a fan of orange, even if it is a yellowy orange.
ROR - yes, it sure beats photos of ice-coated branches, which I did one year.
Grace - I like "quasi-bonsai."
Les - A season of short-lived miracles, but all the more valued for that.
CW - define it any way you like.
Chuck - people in CA don't need houseplants.
Blackswamp Girl - thanks, it's the old silk purse out of a sow's ear.
Kathy - we certainly do.
Sue - yes, the flower form is a pseudo-umbel, rather than a true umbel or an individual bloom. My plant has only the one on it, but it has lots of new growth, so it doesn't look unhappy.
Kris - LOL! I have been known to mumble to myself.
Pseudo-umbel, pseudo-umbel, pseudo....oh sorry. You have done very well on many fronts, MMD! The photos are fabulous and the mum is a stalwart. We had a few blooming too, but they lost out to better photos to be shown. It works like that sometimes. Your pelargonum is a wonder, as is the coleus. Good for your snow cover to protect those precious ones. :-)
Frances
Whether you like mums or not, you have to admire that plant's fighting spirit!
Now I'm off to MUMble to myself about pseudo-umbels ...
Somehow we keep missing getting snow. Which bums me out because I love snow, and as you noted, it's great insulation for plants, esp. when the temps do such weird high-low changes. Sigh.
Frances - the protection is gone, and it got cold, so it's all over now for the Mum.
Cindy - this kind of stuff is the only reason I've allowed the Mum to remain.
Monica - that is odd you haven't gotten snow. I'd offer you some, but we don't really have any to spare at the moment.
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