December 1, 2010 Flowers

When it is so cold and miserable (I am so glad I don't live in a place with REAL winter.), remembering the flowers cheers me. I think these pictures were made Dec 1, but it may have been as late as Dec 6. I think it was just before the killing frost. These flowers had been protected by the warmth radiating from the brick wall behind them and the concrete below. I took these pictures right before I took these plants in.
The Mandevilla in the top picture grows tall on the wire frame above it . Rather than trying to save the whole thing I just clip it loose and take it into the greenhouse as a stub. It puts back out over the winter and is ready for another summer outdoors when the weather warms again. In Allen Armitage's book on annuals he notes that he has known Mandevillas to overwinter in Athens, Georgia. I want to try that myself next year. I will try to get a cutting started early so that it can get a good root system before winter.
The bottom picture is my old geranium cultivar that came from my grandmother. She called it Apple Blossom and it is the only geranium that ever liked me. I usually root cuttings of this plant before winter and I do have one small one in the greenhouse. But this year I pulled this plant up, trimmed off a few leaves and reset it in a pot in the greenhouse. So far it still looks wonderful.
Bless you Mama Hubert.