You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘Flowers and Flowering Plants’ tag.
Pretty as always!
Hey lookee at that – Gus, a Gasteraloe, is sending up a flower bud:
You know who’s not going to be blooming anytime soon, if ever? These Daffodil bulbs:
They’ve looked pretty much exactly like that since last November.
Wanh, wanh, wanh!
Here’s a look at some of the new flowers blooming around Casa Liza…because flowers are awesome.
For our top story, we have this cute little pepper plant blossom!
That flower is on the Filius Blue Pepper plant, now outside, living the good life, free from the kitchen windowsill.
Fortuitous placement, as I didn’t know the blooms would be purple (though I did believe that the foliage would look nice there).
In other news, I can report that the Hollyhocks are back! [Insert applause.] This one grows in no man’s land next to the trash cans, and she’s gotten no additional water from me. So bravo to her with her unbridled enthusiasm for life. Here she is:
Handsome looking flowers!
And finally, we have news of an early bloomer, this Cosmos flower:
This little guy has raced ahead to bloom, beating everyone else by a summer (typically they bloom in August). As of this reporting, the Cosmos flower refuses to comment, so we’re not sure what his motive was, or how he managed to pull off this stunt. We’ll keep trying to get an interview, and will report back to you.
We’ll have more news for you tomorrow, hope to see you back here.
Just one more!
(Keep scrolling – go cast your vote in the current plant puzzler, from Friday’s post.)
If you’ll indulge me again…
Schlumbergera blooms on a cold snowy day in the high desert:
Obviously not an overcast day when I took these photos, maybe three or four days ago. Today we’ve been getting snow off and on, which is such a treat as Albuquerque has gone some 43 days without any moisture.
Bad news for those of you in the Midwest and on the East Coast – our mild storms seem to grow in strength after they leave here and have bad consequences for you.
I hope you all stay safe and stay warm.
Hello candy canes!
I’m officially in the Christmas spirit now.
For one, it’s December, and December has a way of forcing the cheer.
But more importantly, it’s because of the Hippeastrum action happening in the living room:
I’M SMITTEN!
Seriously, I’d choose an Amaryllis over a Poinsettia for Christmas decorating any day of the week. They’re easier, they’re prettier, they’re cheaper, they’re not so dang sensitive.
This year, though, I didn’t have to choose.
That’s because just before Halloween, I got a package from MY AWESOME COUSIN BILL FOX:
When I got it, I started jumping around and yelling, “Ohmigosh” and “Is this a thing now?”
I was pretty sure I knew what was in the package, because he sent me one last year, too. You can read about it here.
An Amaryllis bulb, or anything that flowers indoors, is a great gift for me, and I’m so stoked that Bill’s sent me one twice now.
THANK YOU, BILL!
They’re good gifts for anyone.
If you’ve never grown a Hippeastrum, I’ll show you how easy it is in a minute.
But for now, I want to mention again my cousin Bill’s awesomeness.
Bill’s been creating these fabulous miniature fairy gardens – talk about great gifts!
Please click on his company’s website Fox Specialty Services.
I love his urban gardens!
And I think his fairy garden kits make great gifts for families.
Most of you know that I’m a big, big fan of anything that helps kids grow a love of Nature, and these kits accomplish that in such a charming way. Nice family project.
Because Bill’s awesome.
Oh, and he’s having a sale, too. Click here for details.
Thank you again, Bill!
Ok, back to the bulb.
Hippeastrums are easy, easy, easy to grow. If you should find yourself lucky enough to be on the receiving end of one, here’s what you do.
Step one: Gush about the awesomeness that is about to unfold.
Step two: Soak the bulb for a few hours. I left mine in water overnight.
Step three: Plant the bulb in soil, leaving the top of the bulb exposed.
Step four: Water a little, and place on a sunny windowsill.
Step five: Watch the awesomeness unfold.
The tag that came with my bulb, an ‘Exotic Star,’ says that blooms will appear in 6 to 10 weeks.
Mine took a little over four weeks (planted on October 29th, the photo below is November 23rd) to get from no green to this:
After the initial watering, I watered sparingly until I saw the green stalk emerging. After that, I kept the soil moist.
Once the buds start to form, the plant moves quickly.
The above photo was taken on November 29th.
The photo below was taken the next morning:
And the morning after that:
Did I mention my cousin’s awesomeness? Haha. I love him so!
I’ll be back manana, hope to see you here!
Crissy, a Schlumbergera ‘Christmas Cactus’ on a recent March day:
Crazy plant.
The Amaryllis my awesome cousin Bill (check out his adorable miniature gardens on his site, Fox Specialty Services) sent me is on its third set of blooms since Christmas. Third!
The third bud was already growing when the bulb had just begun its second bloom. Each stalk was shorter than the one before, but still. What. A. Showoff!
Candy my Lime tree is starting to bust out limes, while she’s still blooming:
She’s an overachiever, too. She’s also spoiled with that seat on a west-facing windowsill.
I’ll be back manana, hope to see you here.
Good To Grow 