Camellia

The Camellia japonica is blooming in my neighborhood now.

It is sometimes called the rose of winter and

the flowers have many forms: double,

semi-double,

semi-single,

and single.  These are early flowering varieties.  The later flowering Camellia japonicas will be blooming through spring.

Winter Solstice

Today is 

the Winter Solstice,

the shortest day of the

year.

Starting tomorrow,

the days will begin to get longer.

The Spanish Colonial Revival House/ Part 4

Walking around to the back of the house

is a fireplace,

back porch,

a circular driveway,

a swimming pool,

and many

seating areas.

The Spanish Colonial Revival House/ Part 3

Around the exterior of the house are potted plants.

In this grouping are Leptospermum, or Tea Tree, Camellia sasanqua and succulents.

New Zealand Flax (Phormium cookianum) in the front pot beside a hedge of lavender.

Other plants are the three pots of geraniums or pelargoniums,

Agaves, tree ferns (Alsophia australis),

palms and succulents.

The Spanish Colonial Revival House /Part 2

Stepping outside the house is a patio with chairs and tables,

a tiled fountain,

and built in benches

covered with

tiles.

And as typically found in a Spanish Colonial Revival House, the risers of the stairs also have decorative tiles.

The Spanish Colonial Revival House/ Part 1

Spanish Colonial Revival architecture is based on the buildings of the Spanish colonization of the Americas.  It is found mostly in California and Florida, reaching its height between the years of 1915 and 1931.

This house was built in 1927 and has the classic elements of a Spanish Colonial house: the tiled walkways,

tiled roofs,

balconies,

stenciled ceilings, wrought iron light fixtures,

stained glass windows,

and arched doorways.

Early December in my Garden

December is the month that the oranges are coloring from green to orange.   They will be ripe for picking by the end of the month.

The lemons too are turning from green to yellow.

The persimmon tree still has beautifully colored leaves on it.

The hydrangea flowers are changing from pink to green.

The abutilon (Abutilon pictum) is beginning to flower, a winter blooming plant in my garden.

And finally, the zinnias are still blooming.

Peppers

Last spring I planted the seeds of Santaka Hot Asian Peppers.   They grew slowly and I had flowers by early August.

Then the small green peppers developed

and gradually turned red.

They grew well for me in pots.

Now in November I can harvest the ripe red peppers. 

I like to use them to flavor pickled vegetables.

They add some spice.