Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - January 2011

All blooms shown on this frigid January Bloom Day are inside, and we are thankful for each and every one of them.

The brave little Hellebore is buried under at least a foot of snow, but on January 1st, when I last saw it briefly uncovered, there were still blooms - albiet most of them tattered - but there were also buds showing promise of blooms to come. It'll be interesting to see how it fares after so many weeks under a cold, snowy blanket.

This lovely African Violet/Saintpaulia is the current star of this bleak mid-winter Bloom Day.
My past track record regarding bringing African Violets into bloom has been dismal, which is why I'm thrilled to pieces with this gorgeous plant.

I love everything about it, including those healthy heart shaped leaves.

My dear gardening friend, Jean (who will turn 90 next week), brought the plant to me when she and her daughter-in-law visited last October. It was a seedling separated from one of her plants and was blooming a little when she brought it. This is a second batch of blooms, but so many more this time.

I haven't been so lucky with the Christmas Cactus/Schlumbergera/Zygocactus. There's only one bloom on the white flowered plant and none at all on the pink. I fed them during the summer but I'm wondering if they need more humidity in order to set buds.

 (so I just did a little research)

Yes, they need humidity! Place a tray of water beside the plant or you can make a humidity tray by placing the pot on a saucer that is filled with gravel and halfway filled with water.

They are also supposed to be kept in a dark place (a closet or unused bathroom are ideal) for about 12 hours each night for 6-8 weeks or until you see buds forming.

I forgot to do this. 
I wonder if it would still work.

The dear little "Rose" Begonia is still going strong. These blooms last a very long time.

If you click to enlarge this photo you'll see just how much they look like tiny, full-blown roses. 

This Begonia is a "Babywing"

I'm overwintering this pretty Wax Begonia (plus some white ones upstairs).

I particularly love those burgundy leaves.

The Hoya has 2 bloom clusters at the moment.

Just a couple of blooms on the Streptocarpus/Cape Primrose.

One of my favorite Christmas gifts was this lovely Holly plant.

The fake berries were added by the florist to dress it up for the holidays. 

I planted three Paperwhite bulbs in mid-November and they bloomed during Christmas and for a few weeks afterward.

The lovely blooms are spent now but they were such a cheerful sight for several weeks and their scent was delightful. 

I have a number of Amaryllis growing in pots but none are even close to blooming at the moment.

A few Ivy geraniums upstairs have blooms and there's a pretty pale pink zonal geranium blooming in the cellar "garden". 

This has been a very cold and snowy winter so far and there certainly doesn't seem to be a break in sight, so we're hunkering down for the duration.
Dreams of daffodils, tulips, green grass and summer gardens will have to sustain us until our corner of the world spins toward the sun again.

 

Meanwhile, be sure to visit Carol of May Dreams Gardens to feast your eyes on what's blooming in warmer parts of the globe and in other indoor gardens.

Happy Bloom Day everyone!

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - December 2010

Believe it or not something is blooming outside in our upstate New York garden in the middle of December!

The Helleborus Niger is still going strong!

No wonder it's called 'Christmas Rose'

There are still many buds waiting to open.

This is what it looked like on December 1st. The first buds appeared near the end of October (pictured here) and it has been blooming profusely ever since (November Bloom Day pics here). The flower on the far left is the original bloom. They just keep going, opening pure white petals which eventually turn pink.

Not surprisingly, all other current blooms are indoors.

Streptocarpus/Cape Primrose is related to African Violets. It's the large plant in the picture above this one.

Anemone de Caen/Dutch Windflower

Planted in a pot in the spring of 2009, the bulbs didn't bloom last summer but are beginning to bloom now.

This pretty begonia has tiny 'rose' flowers

Aren't they sweet?

It's another passalong from my friend, Marie.

The Hoya is still blooming, currenting showing off 3 flower clusters, with more to come. I fed it all summer.

here are the little 'stars' before they open....

...to reveal these ruby red jewels.

There's a flower cluster preparing to open on the Parlor Palm.

Upstairs quite a few Ivy Geraniums are still producing blooms.

And the Orchid Cactus bloomed just recently.

This is the third time it's produced blooms this year.
Quite an amazing plant.

The Kenilworth Ivy/Mother of Thousands is flowering too.

I found it easy to root cuttings of this plant. It's hardy here in our northeast zone 5 garden, although this one is in the pot with the Orchid Cactus. I have a piece of it in a pot on the unheated, covered side porch and plan to plant it in the garden next spring. I saw it growing on top of a stone wall last spring and it was the perfect place for those pretty leaves and dainty flowers to meander along. 

These are wax begonia cuttings that didn't get planted last summer. I'll put them in a pot and plant them next spring.

Jasmine and Hannah are missing their outdoor time. They go out for short periods but are very anxious to get back into the warmth of the house. They entertain themselves by watching the birds at the feeders on the front porch and just beyond. 

The weather outside is frightful, but the dream of spring warms our thoughts.
Christmas lights reflect on the snowy porch railing as snow lightly falls tonight.

It's been a week of frigid temperatures and snow showers, but so far not as much snow as last week brought. Here's what the front yard looked like last Wednesday under a foot or more of snow.

The Sedum and Mallow are now cloaked in white.

 

But let's finish with color!

Here's another peek at the pretty little 'Rose' Begonia.

Be sure to visit Carol of May Dreams Gardens to see what's blooming in gardens all over the world.

Happy December Bloom Day everyone!
And may visions of sugarplums dance in your head.