Red & White Delight

The prominent colors around My Garden Path this week have been the reds and whites of winter blooming plants. 

These red and white Christmas cacti bloom reliably every holiday season.  Several years ago they were purchased at my favorite fruit stand as tiny babies.  Planted together they now are intertwined and when they bloom it looks like they are one plant. 

It's difficult to have a favorite between the colors, but the white with that tinge of pinky red always commands my attention.  They grace the back porch table with festive flair most days but whenever holiday guests arrive they can be found prominently displayed indoors. 

It is hoped that the Yuletide camellia will become a reliable bloomer as the seasons pass.  As a new addition just this fall, it's buds are bursting with Christmas cheer along the front entry path.

 Each year at Christmas, poinsettias are purchased to place in the flower bed by the front door.  One of last year's plants was planted out in the back garden.  The first time ever to grow one of these beauties looks to be a success.  Bracts are coloring up and the plant has branched nicely. 

New poinsettias have been placed in the front bed for this year but there are no plans to keep them after Christmas.  They will be put in the compost pile.   In a way they will be a part of  the garden too, just in another form.

It's very interesting to watch the plants bloom and flourish in their season.  Until a few years ago most of the plants here were at their peak in the spring and summer.  Now, there are lovely things growing in the fall and even the winter.  There are not many true winter surviving plants around the Path but there are a few more than last year. 

Red, white and green colors  are heralding the holiday season and helping this gardener to quell her fears of frost and freeze....so far.