Most of my hippeastrum (aka amaryllis, a prettier name, but incorrect) have been sending up spikes–Just as the previous one, ‘Apple Blossom’, has finished, this noid red one has come into bloom–I have it in the living room so I can see it all the time, but for this photo I put it in the afternoon sun to capture the wonderful orange-red color–
I’ve developed a new interest:
These are flower frogs that I’ve grouped on the window sill in the laundry room–It’s only a small collection so far, but I find their shapes interesting and they are pleasing to look at–
A neat vintage/antique glass one given to me by my mother, above–I love the glass ones–
This metal one (zinc?) was another gift, from a volunteer at work–I am looking forward to using these small utilitarian (though interesting) items for arrangements this year–
We planted these cheerful early-blooming daffodils very late last fall (it was actually winter, now that I think about it, early December)–I wasn’t sure how they would perform, but I’m very happy with them–
These will fill in nicely over time–
Amaryllis (hippeastrum) ‘Apple Blossom’ is an older hybrid that’s been around a while–This one just came into bloom for me–
The flowers are large with a bare hint of fragrance–One of my favorites, it has made an offset that I hope will be mature enough to bloom next year as well–
Always a happy thing, to see these blooms–I also have a jewel orchid in bloom:
This a spike from a Ludisia discolor–It is known as the jewel orchid not for the blooms, but for the exquisitely patterned leaves–
The flowers themselves are actually quite small:
This is an easy to grow orchid in indirect bright light and kept somewhat moist–They can grow into impressive specimens–
A short video of a planter of small pinguiculas blooming now—Commonly known as butterworts, these carnivorous plants catch small insects (mostly gnats and tiny flies) with their sticky leaves and digest them—I have them potted in sphagnum moss which I keep consistently moist—
A friend gave me a division of her noid phaius orchid last year and it surprised me by throwing up a spike–
While I’ve always been intrigued by phaius orchids, I’ve not grown this species before–I immediately loved the large, crisply pleated leaves, but the size and colors of the blooms have cemented my appreciation of this large plant–
I give this guy bright, indirect light with slightly moist soil, never letting it get too dry–
Phaius are spread out between Asia, Africa, and Australia–Because of their ease of care, these beautiful orchids are becoming more commercially available; they can occasionally be found at garden centers–If you see one, I encourage you to take it home–
Winter has been particularly dreary this year–We’ve had colder weather than is typical and lots of rain–On top of that, the flu has run rampant among family and friends, making for an unpleasant season–I took a walk around the yard today and looked at new beds and plantings–There isn’t much in the yard yet, we’ve only been in our wonderful new home for about 5 months–Still, I was heartened to see a few signs of spring:
Daffodil ‘Ice Follies’ peeking up out of a bed newly-planted last fall– Ice Follies is one of the most popular daffodils in the world–The flowers are large with a yellow trumpet surrounded by white petals–Also planted in this bed are daffodils ‘Barrett Browning’, ‘Dutch Master’ and narcissus obvallaris, a miniature daffodil species–
Liatris spicata alba showing buds–These are white-flowered, hence the designation ‘alba’ in the name–Commonly called gay feather, I never got around to choosing a spot in the new yard after bringing these from our previous home–These are still in the heavy plastic bin I hastily brought them over in–Last fall was such a crazy time, our house-hunting and move happened very fast and during a super busy time of year; I was frantic to get everything I wanted to bring and didn’t have time to get everything in the ground before cold weather–Our garage is full of tender tropicals and other plants waiting for spring planting–I also have two large plastic pots of the more common purple liatris, a cultivar called ‘Kobold’ that seems to have made it through the winter so far–
Below, hens and chicks:
I’ve got a number of sempervivums that will be transplanted in spring into new containers–Here are a few that are handling winter well–These are unidentified pass-alongs that were given to me–I recently received an order of four named hybrids in the mail that I’m excited to pot up and grow–More on those later–
I must have plants in bloom in the house during the darker winter months–It lessens the impact of the season on my disposition–I don’t dislike winter (I adore snow), but by the time January rolls into February I’m pretty much over the season and itching for spring–
Each year I buy a new amaryllis at Christmas for holiday cheer (and to have an excuse to add to my collection)–I extend the enjoyment of these beautiful South American natives by bringing mine out of dormancy late in the year so they are blooming later in winter to early spring–Below is the lovely, classic Hippeastrum ‘Minerva‘:
These exotic, cheerful flowers really brighten up any winter day–I have several pots of other amaryllis spiking and will feature those as they open–
In the kitchen window I’ve had a revolving collection of African violets for more winter cheer:
I picked these up on the reduced table at our local Kroger for a song months ago–As the various pots go in and out of bloom I move them in and out of the kitchen for continuous enjoyment–
I took four leaves from this classic purple and now have more seedlings of this to grow on or share later–I have a habit of propagating plants just because I like the process weather I need more of any particular plant or not–
Later in the spring I may try to cross several of these to see what new hybrids the seed (if viable) may produce–
I’ll end with a look at a planter of cheerful pansies out by the front steps–Like most flowers, these need to be dead-headed; they do much better when spent blooms are regularly pitched off, relatively easy to do in a planter as opposed to a bed–Cheers!–
The Orchidist 