Blooms of February- GBBD

This is a day that brings excitement to the garden blogger’s heart. Will there be anything blooming in the dead of winter, in most places anyway, that can be posted for Carol at May Dreams Gardens bloom day posts on the fifteenth of each month? It is always one of the best posting days since so many participate. She kindly offers links in her comments column and welcomes all who wish to join in the fun. It is a garden blog reader’s paradise.
But one has mixed feelings about all those macro shots of beautiful blooms. What about the context, what about the rest of the plant? Is it hideous, ratty, bug ridden? It has been decided to show some reality in this month’s post, not just extreme close ups, cropping out anything less than perfect. The first photo of a pansy living in a pot outside looks good admittedly. But the little volunteer seedling blooming so sweetly in the rocks looks just as lovely to these eyes.

Yellow crocus tommasinianus look just as pretty closed up as when they are unfurled in a bed of thymus ‘Doone Valley’.

A true reality shot, the flowering quince, chaenomeles, is not quite open, and the hellebore in the rear will be loaded with open blossoms any day now.

As will the winter daphne, D. Odora. This is the third year in the garden for this shrub, it is a slow grower. Last year there were two bloom clusters, it looks like a good flush of bloom will delight us this year.

In full bloom, the erica darleyensis ‘Mediterranean Pink’.

But a close up of the same plant looks so very different. This is what the plant catalogs like to do. Show only the portion of the plant in flower, not giving the prospective buyer the whole story of the plant’s habit.

That was a good sample of what is happening outside. Now let’s go into the house.

In time for Valentine’s Day, the grocery has a good stock of primroses. A pot was put together to take up less room in the sunroom/greenhouse until the individual plants can go to their permanent home under the deck stairs.

The close up is pretty, but doesn’t show the pretty leaves.

Still attractive, but not an honest portrayal.

This is where the indoor plants are grown. There are windows on three sides with shelving, and two skylights in the ceiling with two poles across the top for hanging plants. Designed to be the orchids’ winter home, most all plants are happy here during the cold season.

The abutilon has been blooming since fall.

This vanda will flower again outside in mid summer. It is hanging in a birdola feeder, roots just growing out into the air, no pot or growing medium such as bark or moss. What a plant.

Now we get to my special orchids, the paphiopedilums. This one is P. ‘Oriental Mystique’. The flowers will last for several months as long as the temps are cool.

This guy has been in bud for three months. He was brought into the main house, even with the danger posed by Hazel, the plant eating cat. It is by a heat register to try and coax the bloom open for this month’s post. His name is P.’Onyx Fancy Cherry x P. sukhakuiii.

There are several reasons why these are the favorites of the orchids here. For one thing, they live happily in four inch pots, and space is an issue in the winter retreat for them. They are also fairly easy to rebloom, although it has taken some time to figure out just what it is they want and need in the way of feeding, light, watering and temperature. Oh come on, now, open up, will you?

That’s the stuff, can you do it a little bit more? Feel that nice warm air blowing on you, NO, Hazel, get away from him!

Good boy, we will now relocate you back to the pleasant atmosphere of the greenhouse/sunroom where the fan runs necessary breezes constantly, the air is moist and cool at night and you can be among your own kind. Thank you for opening your lovely self for the blog readers to see, mister paph. Thank you very much.

For photos of some of these same plants that were in bloom in January , click here.

Thanks to all of YOU for stopping by this month’s bevy of beauties, hope to see you again in March.

Frances

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