As you can see from the photo I am not skilled at carrying over a cyclamen. I buy one or two in November or early December, and they look great right through and past Valentine's Day. But once they lose all their blossoms and start to wilt all over I never know quite what to do. Today I got my e-leaflet from the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and saw the clearest directions for handling cyclamen after bloom that I…
Fragrance in the garden is very important to me. This is easy to arrange in the outdoor garden where I can grow lilacs, dianthus, mock orange, Oriental lilies, night scented stocks and honeysuckle as well as my hardy roses. Fragrance in the indoor garden is a little harder to come by, but scented pelargoniums, commonly called geraniums, provide many fragrances. It is not the flowers that are fragrant; indeed most scented geraniums have modest flowers. It is the…
This Abutilon or parlor maple, or flowering maple, whichever you prefer, has probably appeared on Bloom Day more often than any other plant. It is almost always in bloom. I put it outdoors on the shady piazza for the summer, but it spends most of the year in my upstairs bedroom by a west window, but the room is bright with two big south windows. The temperature may occasionally get close to 70 degrees on a winter day,…
The Boston Flower Show is back! There were flowers everywhere, in all kinds of arrangements and gardens. There was also a lot of water - a pond like this one with a stone 'lily pad' that appeared to float on the water. The pond was surrounded by azaleas, conifers and bulbs. I may have to do a whole posting about water in fountains and streams. There were flower arrangements like this simple vase of brilliant tulips for a…
Pam Penick over at Digging has instituted Foliage Follow-up to Carol's popular Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. I don't have many house plants, and I don't have any that are unusual, but I do like the polka dotted foliage on my angel wing begonia. And its a good thing I like the foliage, because I have gotten very few blooms. Who has advice for me? Visit Pam and see who has interesting foliage, bark, etc. indoors and out.
The first Bloom Day of the year. The first Bloom Day of a new decade. I wish I could post something really splashy, but I don't really have much in the way of houseplants - but here we go. I made a trip to Logee's Greenhouse several years ago and the only thing still thriving after all this time is two scented geraniums. Their blooms are not notable. I bought them for their beautiful scented foliage which continues…
Just about everyone knows that I am a reader. Therefore there is nothing (well, almost nothing) I like better as a gift than a book. When I had regular paid employment I always prayed that the day after Christmas would be on a weekend so I could devote that day to reading my Christmas book. And I’ll confess, I often bought myself a book – for just in case, but I never needed to worry. Here are some…
Early this morning, after yesterday's rain, the sun began to break through the autumn mist. The grass is still lush, but all bloom has fled from the garden, except for a single pot of verbena blooming in front of the house on this Bloom Day. And indoors only the ever faithful abutilon is blooming. Still, the Thanksgiving cactus is heavily budded and it may bloom right on schedule. For many more Bloom Day treats visit Carol over…
Flowers are a part of the festive holiday decorations. Some are even named for the holidays. Thanksgiving and Christmas cactus bloom in shades of white, pink and red all through the holidays. They are hardy plants needing very little care, but it is important to remember that even though we call them cactus, they are not desert plants. Thanksgiving and Christmas cactus are actually a part of the Schlumbergera family, natives of moist tropical…