Growing in the Garden

I haven't posted about the garden in several months because frankly nothing's been happening there. The fires in my area in September, while not directly affecting me, left the area so hot and dry for such a sustained time-frame that I lost pretty much everything.

The yard is slowly coming back in patches, but it will need to be re-sown in the spring. Anything else, if it lived, went into a sustained drought-survival mode. It'll be an exciting new year watching everything re-emerge from its coma, but for now, my space is decidedly dormant.

Except--a ray of hope: traditionally amaryllis blooms in the spring and around the holidays, making it a natural as the "Christmas flower." I have some unusual varieties planted along the side of my house, and I was given these gifts this week. They bloomed low to the ground as if to tell me they were forced to expend energy.

What's going on in your garden? Did you plant any fall bulbs for the spring? Do you mulch in preparation for dormancy?

Do you have a favorite Christmas plant that you bring indoors for the holiday season, like Poinsettia or Paperwhites? What are your favorite varieties? Please leave a comment about your experience on the blog.