Wendy of Caregiving is not for Wimps recently featured her poinsettia plant which is flourishing indoors for a second season. She placed it outdoors last summer, brought it in again in the fall and the plant is once again producing red bracts. I received the poinsettia pictured above last November from my co-workers following my surgery. It has done very well too and is producing new growth. Indoor air in the winter is dry and natural light is poor so I am amazed when plants do well in my house. Believe me, they get little pampering, just some water once a week.
My Christmas Cactus is also blooming again. It often is an "Easter Cactus" as well, but Easter is later this year than it was last year by almost a month. Again this is a plant that really looks after itself and survives even though I neglect it much of the time.
Needless to say, unless one purchases greenhouse blooms, there are none to be found around here in mid-March. Langdon Hall is a Country House Hotel and Spa near our home which is surrounded by extensive, well-kept grounds. It is the place to visit if you enjoy art deco elegance and the feel of a English country estate. The cuisine is top rate and the chefs use seasonal herbs and vegetables grown in the garden above. I looked around for any sign of flowers or spring growth and found none yet, but before long plants like chives and rhubarb will be poking new shoots out of the ground.
Speaking of English estates, blogger Cheryl of My Wildlife Sanctuary lives in England at a latitude far north of us here in southern Ontario. She is enjoying beautiful spring flowers in their ocean moderated climate making me quite envious! It is lovely that I can visit virtually to see her daffodils and snowdrops and other garden delights. Perhaps I will find a snowdrop around here in the next week.
I hope so!
In memory of Grandma Devins
who passed away 19 years ago today.
I think of her whenever I enjoy flowers and birds
and remember often her great interest in people
as well as the world around her.
who passed away 19 years ago today.
I think of her whenever I enjoy flowers and birds
and remember often her great interest in people
as well as the world around her.
I often buy supermarket blooming plants to add color in my house during the long winter. Unfortunatley I have a black thumb for house plants but there's always a new plant at the store!
ReplyDeleteSupermarket blooms or better yet blogger blooms,each help to brighten the day.Thanks.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,Ruth
I love easy care plants. Living full time in a home on wheels...we never know what kind of light we will have in the Homey. Christmas Cactus seem to do well for me. Also Prayer plants.
ReplyDeleteGreat job keeping you Poinsettia alive!
Your plants are lovely! I must agree with Lynne, I have fairly black finger since anything I try to make grow is destroyed by jealous pets :-)
ReplyDeleteBut I try nevertheless... :-D as I love watching things grow!
My cats have sent all my plants to the spare bedroom as they eat or destroy them. I can't wait for spring and will check out the other blog sugggested...
ReplyDeleteYou make me jealous, you must have a green thumb - the poinsettas I get for Christmas mostly shrivels up in a few weeks. And my Christmas cactus hasn't bloomed for 2 years. Maybe the air is too dry here (desert climate where I live)...
ReplyDeleteHi Ruth, thanks for the linky! Your poinsettia is really busy and nice! Maybe "they" are producing hardier varieties these days. I've never had luck with Christmas cacus. Yours looks pretty.
ReplyDeleteIsn't blogging fun? I also love to visit Cheryl's garden and others around the globe. Virtual gardening is wonderful to brighten up a cold, winter (it's not spring yet!) day.
Great post, especially for your subtle Florida allusion at the end. (I know what you're thinking: "What Florida allusion?" What I mean to say is that Cheryl can thank the Gulf Stream giving them spring blooms at the same latitude, and that stream is courtesy of Florida!
ReplyDeleteI am impressed that your poinsettia is still alive Ruth! It must like something about your home, else it would be a flowerless stick plant by now, as it would be here in my home...lol.
ReplyDeleteYou have less snow than we do in Ottawa, but I have some things sprouting in my garden. Maybe because it catches the southern sun all day. When there is sun.
ReplyDeleteRuth,
ReplyDeleteThe photos of the barn and fields in the post below are awesome. The last one shows such contrast and texture.
I can't grow a poinsetta for the life of me. Michelle's is still blooming a little and I will tell her to put it outdoors during the summer. She's hoping to keep it going until Christmas arrives again.
I had a beautiful Christmas cactus that hubby gave me when we first got married. It did good for years, but then one Christmas it had over 30 blooms and after that, no matter what I did, it died. Guess it just went out in a blaze of glory. Mom has one that was my paternal grandmother's and it still does well after all these years.
It's a beautiful day here. I hope you can get out and enjoy it.
Blessings,
Mary
Hello! Beautiful photos you have.
ReplyDeleteYou and Wendy def. have the green thumbs. My poinsettia from 12/08 is in the compost!
ReplyDeleteI never had any luck with poinsettias, or Christmas cactuses, either. Just no green thumb, I guess.
ReplyDeleteYou're a much better gardener.
Thanks to all who commented and shared their experiences and ideas. I am not a good gardener at all, but just keep what happens to thrive with little attention. I could write a post about the plants I have thrown out...
ReplyDeleteI agree that it's wonderful to see spring flowers on other sites. But we have crocus shoots just beginning to peek out.
ReplyDelete