Readers...head on over to find links to gardens from all over the world. You'll see the loveliest flowers, both outdoors (from those lucky folks who still have warm weather) and outdoors.
The May Dreams blogger, who lives in Central Indiana, reported one crocus in bloom (!) and also a snowdrop. No such luck here in upstate New York. Altough our snow cover melted off last week, except for some snow piles here and there, no bulbs braved the warm weather. Around here, they know we do get January thaws. We are cold once again, and are scheduled to have at least an inch of snow tonight.
I do have one plant in bloom - because I bought it recently.
Jacob Lenten Rose is supposed to start blooming in November. I bought this in a supermarket (!). My one Lenten Rose never bloomed after I bought it two years ago, so I decided to try again. The flowers won't be this color if it reblooms next year - this is a color if plants bloom in warm weather. The blooms, next time, should be more of a pink shade.
We planted this out on Sunday (during our thaw) after hardening it off, and so far it is still looking good.
Next, knocking on lots of wood, one of my two phalaenopsis orchids has put out buds. I'm thrilled, first, because I have an extensive track record of killing orchids and second, because I saved this from said white flies.
Last, but not least, my Persian Shield. This is a houseplant in my zone 5a climate. The camera doesn't capture the silvery glint of the leaves. I bought this after our September 2011 devestating flood from Tropical Storm Lee from a nursery that had flooded severely, and was selling salvaged plants at 75% off.
It's no wonder it survived the flood. This plant is supposed to be drought tolerant. Well, not in a dry house it isn't.
It's hard to see, but this plant is starting to bloom. (It has grown substantially since last fall). The flowers are indistinct. I should have pinched the plant more I wonder if I take a few inches off the top (and put it in water) if I will get the cutting to root, and in the meantime will have a plant that branches out more.
What's blooming in your garden or house?
We're in the middle of a huge cold snap here in Salt Lake, much colder than normal. I do have a Eucalyptus out back, but my teeny garden mostly will hold veggies once the spring gets rolling.
ReplyDeleteI am envious of your green thumb, and wish you luck with these.
Thank you - I wish your Eucalyptus luck.
DeleteI don't have anything blooming now. I am looking forward to adding more interesting plants to my flower garden next spring.
ReplyDeleteThinking of the spring garden keeps the memories of warm weather alive. Right now it is 8 above here in upstate NY - time to pick up a seed catalog!
DeleteI loved visiting here... we are having a cold snap in Bakersfield so hearing you talking about Gardening and Upstate New York and January all at once, suddenly optimism washed over me!
ReplyDeleteThank you for that! I'm visiting from the Ultimate Blog Challenge - so glad to be here!
You have a lovely collection of houseplants. I live in Washington and today I found that my violets have started blooming and my hardy fuchsias are still surviving in this cold weather. Happy Garden Bloom Day to you!
ReplyDeleteI completely forgot about the indoor plants! Oh well, I'm not the best plant caretaker when they are inside. A few years ago I brought a Strobilanthes in for the winter and was pleasantly surprised when flowers appeared. Previous to that I'd only used them outside in my mixed containers. Happy GBBD!
ReplyDeleteLovely warm colours those! It's difficult looking at these attractive photos to imagine that it's actually cold over there. They 'feel' more like spring.
ReplyDeleteNice post! Even my Christmas cactus is about done. Only snow and fog here. Not even a frost flower.
ReplyDeleteNice blooms! Don't give up on your non-blooming hellebore yet. They can sometimes take a while to get established and start blooming. Worth the wait though! I have one with double white blooms that took five years to bloom.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about the whiteflies. I've brought them in three years in a row on a tropical hibiscus. They're so hard to get rid of. After the third time, I left the hibiscus outside to freeze.
I rooted cuttings from our Persian shield about a month ago (easy!) I couldn't keep up with watering it anymore, so I decided to start fresh with new plants with less extensive root systems. It was either that, a bigger pot, or let it die, since watering twice a day doesn't work for me.