A little more than a week ago, our temperatures here in the Binghamton area of upstate New York hovered around zero (-17 C) with wind chills in excess of minus 20. (To you using the Celsius system, that translates to brrrrrrrr.)
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| Catskill Mountains, New York State, 1/10/14 |
Friday, taking a 150 mile drive to my mother in law, the scenery looked like this. No flowers here. Just snow. Ice was floating in the river that followed the highway.
Two days later, our high temperature where we were was 54 (12.2 C). When we came home here (a colder area) it had been 48. Even yesterday, we got up to 45 degrees (7.2 C). But soon, this will be coming to an end.
I had no flowering plants in my house. I thought I would have to skip this month. But then, I took a closer look.
Last month, I blogged about a gift gerbera daisy that was dying in my house. I brought it to work and it rewarded me with a bloom and a bud in time for last month's GBBD. This month, the first bloom is dying and the second bloom is showing itself off. No more buds, so not sure if this is the plant's last hurrah or not.
Meanwhile, at home, I had bought a primrose I intended to bring to my mother in law (she is recovering from a radiation implant surgery, as my regular readers know). At the last minute, I decided she didn't need one more plant to take care of. The tag doesn't give the variety but the older flowers are pinkish/salmon and the newer, opening flowers, are white.
My mother in law is undergoing surgery again today, to remove her implant. I'm not in the area, but it will be busy nevertheless, as we wait for results.
And now, please be sure to visit some of the other sites participating in today's Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.
Persian Shield Plant is new to me. It has an unusual flower and that is something that always draws me. The leaves look like an Epiphyllum. Is it some sort of succulent?
ReplyDeleteThe leaves you saw were not those of the Persian Shield(Strobilanthes dyerianus) but another one of my houseplants - which is a succulent and I actually do not know what it is. It might be a Euphorbia. My aunt in Iowa grew it for many years and I got a cutting from her the year before she died (in 2003) and I've kept the plants going using cuttings every since. I call it the Aunt Mary plant. Perhaps I should blog about it one day and I'm sure one of my readers will tell me what it is.
DeleteI've always liked the flowers of the Persian Shield, but then purple is a favourite colour of mine. It's great to see the Gerbera blooming again. They're a staple plant in our tropical gardens. They seem to survive everything, so I wouldn't give up on it just yet.
ReplyDeleteI won't - thank you for the encouragement. The gerbera are popular gift plants here but we can not grow them outdoors in the winter. The leaves seem to yellow quickly but new ones do grow to take their place.
DeleteMemories...
ReplyDeleteYes, Roy, outdoor flowers are just a memory for us here. Almost three more months....
DeleteIt is always nice when plants surprise us with an unexpected bloom. And they bring cheer to those who are undergoing medical treatments, and those who wait for news.
ReplyDeletePerhaps I should bring the plant down to my mother in law! One of her other daughter in laws brought her a primrose - maybe I'll look to see what the local florist has in stock.
DeleteAlana, aren't the blossoms inside the house such a treat when it's so gray and colorless outside? I have one lone geranium that is blooming inside, and my eyes are drawn to that brilliant red every single day. My eyes are just hungry for COLOR! Love these photos of your "pretties."
ReplyDeleteThank you Amy; wish I could have brightened your computer even more. One of my Christmas cactuses is trying to bloom but my African Violets seem to be on strike.
DeleteGood to have blooms indoors!
ReplyDeleteHappy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!
Lea
I wish I had more sun exposure in my windows - I would fill my home with blooms. Happy GBBD to you, too.
DeleteJoyous miracles of color appear at the strangest times as long as people care for their indoor plants. I can't imagine a world without the delightful surprise of a bloom.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't imagine such a world, either.
DeleteBeautiful blooms! Here in Chicago we haven't seen the sun in like a month. Ha!
ReplyDeleteThe sun is a stranger to our area in the winter, too. Cause for celebration when it does appear. Sunday, I think it appeared for about 45 seconds.
DeleteThat plant is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe that I've never seen it before! :O
I'll have to do a post on my Persian Shield one day. My plant has quite a history, having to do with a flood.
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