On Sunday I drove down to Northampton and the annual Orchid Show put on by the Amherst Orchid Society. I do not grow orchids because I always think they require a greenhouse. However, anyone who has ever received a phaleanopsis orchid as a gift knows that it will live happily on a bright, but not sunny, windowsill. I walked through the orchid show with Bill Benner, a member of the Amherst Orchid Society, who has about 100 orchid…
Do you treat your Christmas Poinsettia as an annual, and throw it way when it finally loses all those beautiful bracts, or do you care for it, baby it, and suffer its dormancy in order to bring it back into glorious bloom next December? Can you guess which approach I take with a Christmas poinsettia? I'll give you a hint. This is my second poinsettia, a gift from my husband. I left my first one in the car.…
For me, Garden Bloggers Bloom Day is a bust this month. This poinsettia has been living happily on our dining table, in front of a big southern window since Christmas. At night we close the lined curtains, to slightly moderate heat loss. I've kept it watered, but yesterday I came downstairs and when I opened the curtains I saw that it was withered and drooping. I don't think it was below 32 degrees in our living space, but…
Spring is coming! I was inspired to repot this lemon scented geranium, which I have only done once before in nearly ten years. You can see I did cut it back some in the fall. I was inconsistent in my watering all winter, but as the days began to grow longer new shoots came up. I cut out all the dead wood and could see nice healthy growth more clearly. I took the geranium out of its pot,…
Plants, one way or another, play a big part in our Christmas festivities and gift giving. I can’t think of any other holiday when plants are so important. We decorate our houses with evergreen wreaths, and deck our halls with holly. Or at least with laurel ropes, evergreen boughs and swags, and forced bulbs on the festive table. We also give plants as gifts, and may also receive a potted plant. The question is how can we…
There are surprising blossoms in the garden right now. Yesterday I found my first dandelions growing against the house foundation. None in the lawn but it won't be long. I never know when the neglected orchid cactus in the guest room will bloom. Surprise! The orchid cactus is loaded with buds waiting to come into bloom. More surprises to come
I just realized that I planted my succulent container on December 19 last year. This was a new project for me. I posted an update in February when the succulents looked like this. Today the succulents look like this. I love being able to put together this series. With so few words. For more Wordlessness this Wednesday click here.
Spring was in full bloom inside the Seaport World Trade Center where the Boston Flower Show and BLOOMS! featured display gardens with reflecting pools, landscapes fit for a hobbit, Japanese maples, fountains, school gardens with veggies and flowers, as well as rooms filled with specimen plants and flower arrangements awaiting the intense gazes of the judges. This year I was not attending the flower show merely as an admirer, but as a volunteer judge. Earlier this spring I…
For more Wordlessness click here.
Last week I spent the better part of a day Christmas shopping. Needless to say I ended up buying a gift for myself. I have been so inspired by Debra Lee Baldwin's book, Succulent Container Gardens, that when I found myself near the Hadley Garden Center I had to stop in and buy some succulents. I had already bought this handsome classic container and potting soil at my 'neighborhood' Shelburne Farm and Garden Center. I did review Debra's…