Roses and hellebores are no surprise for December, but what about passionflower?!

Camellias!

My son has named the pink stowaway that is growing from Apple Blossom as “Cherry Blossom”.

Moonshadow

Hiryu

and Sadaharu Oh.

Beverly,

Thank you for the 2020 Participation medal, and the laugh that came with it!

12/5/2020

Beautiful as usual! What is the shiny bush? Makes me think of peonies——can’t wait for it to bloom, so many buds!

Debra

Debra, it is a camellia! The buds will start to open soon!
The last hostas are saying goodbye...for now.
And because Hosta people have to know, the last to go were Ben Vernooij.

The hostas are all dormant now. The camellias and hellebores are ready to shine.

Very lovely utog.....even my hellebores up here in Wisconsin still look good. It’s been very mild here.....for the first time, we are getting some flurries, but nothing really sticking To the ground. Very unusual weather for us!

debra

Camellia Sadaharu Oh with its first blossom!

Happy Sunday 12/13/2020

Camellia Sadaharu Oh

Wow! Hellebores and Camillias flowering in December. I always thought z7 was a good zone to be a gardener!

Camellia Sadaharu Oh

I took pics Mon 12/14/20..I didn't notice any buds on my hellebores..

Camellia Sadaharu Oh has the most beautiful flower! I am amazed! I have only had this plant for 2 weeks.

Today is the winter solstice.

undertheoaksgardener..here's a June in December..pitiful..my Autumn ferns however look great..not as colorful but just as fresh as your camellias right?..

Utog, stunning camellia flowers! And......nice shot of the unusual planetary alignment!

debra

Hellebore Ice’n Roses Red

Christmas Eve, with last photo around midnight 12/23 to 12/24/20.

Merry Christmas!

Utog, the alphabet has begun. Letter A and B have started. You can go into any letter once it’s posted to add your hostas.

debra

So ends 2020. I have enjoyed getting to know your gardens this year. I am so thankful for my garden this year, which helped to sustain me emotionally.

I am healthcare worker. To say that the COVID pandemic has turned my life upside down would be an understatement. I wear so much PPE. I swab so many people. I climb into people’s cars to swab their young children. And I continue my regular duties to my patients’ mental health, physical health, and non-COVID disease prevention. I daily encounter parents who lie about (minimize) their children’s or their own symptoms, and thus expose my colleagues, their school teachers, their classmates, their coworkers, and me to COVID.

I wear so much PPE that my face is bruised, perhaps permanently. My hands crack and sometimes bleed from the washing between, before and after patient visits.

Today was a hard day in a hard month. Christmas proved too tempting for too many people. The surge in cases and severe disease that I have been seeing this week is humbling, frightening.

I have not talked about this all year, and will not do so again. COVID is real. We are all really suffering. Keep doing your part with good mask wearing and social/physical isolation.

The last full moon of 2020.

utog my heart goes out to you for your courage and service in this unprecedented time for those in health care around the world. I know many health care workers and applaud you all. I am a faithful mask wearer the limited times I go out. We all should be. Please feel free to share any thoughts, grievances, fears you may have at any time, we are all in this together.

undertheoaksgardener..thank you for all of your effort to help others during the pandemic 🙂..I'm glad that your garden was a sanctuary from the misery that you experienced as a health care worker..stay safe and keep enjoying your garden..🙂

Utog, tears are streaming down my face..... I am so very sorry for your unfortunate role in our country today. These lies have been told for sooooo long people can’t Even see the truth until it strikes them or some family member or some friend dead I fear. My husband and I followed this virus as it was happening in China and we knew what was coming and prepared best we could. We were wearing masks before anyone else. Thank God we are retired......my Hip surgery was postponed from April to June.....now the other hip will be done in January ........ We have gone nowhere but doctor appointments. No travel, no family get togethers, no even my aunt’s memorial service. Anyway——you and those like you are HEROES!!!! I think of you and your son whom you mention from time to time and spouse and pray you are all well and will always be well. Be safe my friend, God bless you!

debra

Thanks, everyone. It has been a hard year with a few good moments. I have followed this forum for at least 6 years, but did not participate until this year. It felt right this year, for me and to give something back to all of you. I was determined to channel all of your love for hostas every day and reflect it back to you, especially on dark days.

I was vaccinated for COVID 6 days ago. Several times on my drive to the hospital that morning pre-vaccine, I felt overcome with gratitude and relief. My eyes would fill with tears which I would fiercely blink away. I was not going to get into a car accident because I was emotional in anticipation of the vaccine!

The vaccine felt fine, like a flu shot and way less than a pneumovax pneumonia vaccine. The day after, I felt mild fatigue and headache as if I needed a nap. As I do not have time for naps, I had a coffee instead and was fine.

I wish you all well now and 2021.

For fun on a boring winter’s day, figure out who I am. I am in the HostaLibrary now, thanks to you.

Debra,

Good luck and speedy recovery with the hip replacement next month. You recovered so well this summer, so just do it again this time. Pretend there are hostas all over your house that you have to check every day. Then, post pictures of the hostas you were remembering on your mock walk. :)

I shall have to get to work on it!!

debra

It occurred to me last night that you must have pictures of your hostas in the library, as do I (2); but you already know my name. But this should be a challenge as it will involve looking at all your wonder posts and then looking to see which ones could be beautiful enough or even ones in which there are few pictures of a particular hosta. So besides the alphabet, I will be researching. I have two hostas in the library but you have far too much on your hands to find those. Happy New Year my friend!!

debra

My garden scared me with Audrey 2!

More hellebores, not scary.

Helleborus niger, Camellia Sadaharu Oh, and variegated daphne.

utog, from your cheerful postings I would have never guessed what your days have been like. There's so many good people like you who are stepping up during these hard times. I don't understand so much of what is going on with some people these days. I'm glad you have a garden to retreat to for a reminder of the beauty that survives around us. And I'm really glad you started posting and sharing with us your pretty hostas and gardens!

Aspidistra Stars and Stripes and Camellia Sadaharu Oh.

Utog, have you seen that the Hosta Alphabet has started??????? I am waiting for you to join when you can. You seemed so eager to participate. Maybe you haven’t had time yet... hope to see your pictures there soon.

debra