Their Own Space

The more I garden, the more interesting “new” things I see. I’ve grown “baby lettuce leaves” before but this is the first time they’ve flowered though I had heard of lettuce “bolting” or going to seed. Since seeding isn’t what I want from my lettuce, I cut the white flowers’ long stems and gathered them with a few other cut flowers from my garden in my favorite yellow-green glass vase. When I worked in flower shops I learned that each flower should have its own space-- “light and airy,” we called it. The wayward, curving stems certainly have found their own space!

Season’s First

These long-stemmed Sweet Williams make up my first garden bouquet of the season with flat-leaved parsley leaves for a fresh fern-like backdrop.

After weeks of record-high temperatures—even into the eighties, it’s suddenly cold again. Though the heat is switched off for the season, it’s warmer inside at night than it is outside so I’ve hauled the newer plants back in. Hopefully the frosty nights won’t last.

Another Beauty Queen

Yesterday was yet another Red Hibiscus Day but now that beauty has competition—or perhaps a companion in beauty. I finally found an orange hibiscus I liked (size, price, color). The orange flowers are smaller than the red and seem to be slower to open but they have an unusual deep pink throat; when I saw the color combination, I knew it was the one.

The red flowers would have been open at dawn while these are only half-opened at mid-day. It’s possible that the orange ones will stay open longer. We’ll see. The bush is full of buds so I’ll be posting plenty of pictures in weeks to come.


I put it in the sun to see if it would open faster and keep checking in hope that I can show you how it looks fully open. Alas, that will have to be for another post but it did make a little progress—here’s a picture of a half-opened orange hibiscus.

Every Day

Ever since I got this lovely magenta/fuchsia (with an unusual green cast) phalaenopsis orchid plant in February, a week or so before Valentine’s Day, every day has been an Orchid Day! All of the flowers except one have lasted for at least two months and more have opened along the way!

Even if you think you can’t grow orchids, at today’s low prices (resulting from newer propagation methods); you can enjoy the flowers for longer than any bouquet of cut flowers. Then when the flowers are finished you can give the plant to someone who has the ability to coax them into reblooming, or you or they can enjoy the low maintenance green plant.

And yes, today is another Red Hibiscus Day!

Back Out

The “mother” spider plant, along with its companion geranium, is enjoying freedom outdoors back on its hook again. The spider plant did fine indoors—when I didn’t trip on its branches, but the geranium will do much better outdoors. When we lived in New England, I knew a woman who kept her geraniums blooming indoors through the harsh, snowy winters but I’ve never been able to pull that off.


Today is also another Red Hibiscus Day! The gorgeous red blossoms are opening nearly every day now.

The More You Pick

My grandmother’s garden was full of flowers but our childish eagerness to pick flowers was curbed by strict instructions, “Don’t pick the flowers,” except the pansies. Pansies were different since, “the more you pick them, the more you have,”(This is true of many annuals and biennials, sort of like pre-deadheading; it stops the plant’s process of seed production).

So now that my pansies have begun blooming again, I’m taking my grandmother’s advice and making more pansies. I’ve put the cut ones in her green glass vase along with a sprig of peppermint—a frost survivor.



The sun eventually broke through the thick morning fog. Welcome sun.

Oskar Update

Though the flowers are gone, Oskar the amaryllis is still growing strong. Its long, strappy leaves will store up plant food*—chlorophyll to make the bulb strong.

Part of the beauty of growing amaryllis bulbs is that they last for several years. Yesterday when looking back through my garden journal I saw that one year an amaryllis bulb I had had for awhile refused to bloom indoors so I set it and its pot outside as soon as it was warm; one day I was surprised with beautiful red flowers. Don’t give up too soon.

*As my botany instructor emphasized, chlorophyll, which comes from the sun is plant food, not fertilizer; fertilizer is for the soil.

Beyond Corsages

I was having such a good time in my art studio this morning that I didn’t want to leave so I’m running a bit late in posting today.

When I was a child I thought that the orchid corsages that all the ladies loved to wear for Mother’s Day and weddings were ugly. I couldn’t imagine why anyone would like yellow green or brownish pink flowers. Now that I’ve gotten to know some of the vast orchid family (the largest genus of flowers on earth), I’m smitten by them. From the yellow green and, brownish pink cymbidiums to the floaty white and fuchsia phalaenopsis or moth orchid, I can’t get enough. I love to paint them—especially the wildly colorful ruffled cattleyas in orange, magenta, red, photographing them at a local university greenhouse.

I attempt growing phalaenopsis—with hope, and I do well with growing their leaves once the flowers are spent. Alas, it’s orchid bloom season but my phalaenopsis isn’t blooming though it did make a new plant. I’m afraid to separate the two but maybe one day I will; I keep hoping the new one will bloom though if it did the flower stalk would come out upside-down. Maybe I can find some fertilizer* that’s not too chemically.

*My botany professor also insisted that, “fertilizer is not plant food—it’s fertilizer!”

The Little Things

So often the little blessings of life, like my Penta flowers, get overlooked in the wake of the hurryings, the crises, the spectacular, and the major purchases. These tiny deep pink Penta flowers—little stars no bigger than my smallest fingernail tend to fade into the forest of greenery surrounding them but I’m taking time today to realize how blessed I am to have flowers blooming indoors in the winter. They’re a bonus really; when I bought them I had no idea that I’d attempt to overwinter them indoors and I surely didn’t expect non-stop blooming! It’s good to take time to enjoy the blessings of life and be thankful (even when it’s not Thanksgiving)—no matter how small. As I’ve learned from my earliest years—she who appreciates gets more. As I read scripture I see a strong indication that the Lord applies the same principle.

Just One

For days, maybe even weeks, this single Angel Face Angelonia has bloomed, just one—alone. It doesn’t make as much of a show as would several spires of purple blossoms, but it’s there, blooming indoors—in the winter.

Loneliness is often the lot of one who is determined to stand for what is right. Often it seems that just one can’t make a difference but history is full of contradictions to that notion. And so what if the difference isn’t huge? It’s right to do the right thing, regardless. So what if no one else is doing the right thing? That doesn’t get me—or you, off the hook since we all have to give an account to God one day for our actions—and inaction.

Better Late Than Never

Happy second day of Christmas! We once had a pastor who emphasized that Christmas isn’t just one day but twelve, and the relative freedom and relaxation that comes from not being so frenzied. There’s also less of a let-down he insisted. That resonated in my spirit.

Not only did we see periwinkles and a few azaleas blooming in the mild Christmas weather (50’s) but daffodils! The buds of the Bradford pear outside the window are also eager to burst forth. The really amazing bloom though is the bud I found on the “bronze-leafed plant”; this is the one that the plant vendor insisted, “Remember, it has to be really hot before it will bloom.” It was really hot last summer but no blooms and now it’s not and it’s beginning to bloom. Oh well, better late than never and I’m glad for flowers any time I can get them!

Maybe this winter won’t be too bad after all. I’ve always strongly disliked winter until I read in Psalms that God created the winter (Psalm 74:17). Since then, I’ve been asking the Lord to teach me how to appreciate winter. My friend the (small) garden center owner says that we need winter to “wipe out the bugs. Without it, they’d take over.” Amen to that!

Bud Update

Oskar’s number one bud is beginning to open! Though it will take awhile for all the necessary petal tissue to build cell by marvelous cell and the bright red color to develop, this is an exciting beginning!


Meanwhile, the pink Christmas cactus has fully opened its wild beauty. At least two more buds follow.

According to the Church calendar, we are in the season of Advent—the season of excited anticipation of the celebration of Jesus’ birth and the anticipation of his return for his followers (John 14:2-4). Anticipation of the flowering of a bud seems a good way to celebrate the flowering of “the fullness of time”—Jesus’ birth, and his return.

Meet Oskar

Oskar isn’t a puppy or a kitten but a red amaryllis bulb. Oskar is the variety name for this giant red and there are undoubtedly millions of them—but then there are millions of Davids and Anns too. One of my garden books says that the best bulbs are sold by name rather than color; the named ones are grown “vegetatively” while the ones sold by color are grown from seed and not as good a quality*. The Latin name for amaryllis, Hippeastrum, is variably defined as knight on a horse, knight star or horse star (because it’s so big).

It’s been awhile since I’ve grown an amaryllis but I decided that it would be nice to have one for Christmas, and to share its growth with you.

I bought Oskar at a giant home improvement store, checking through several boxes to find one that had sprouted a bud rather than only leaves—sometimes if leaves come first, that’s all you get.

Boxes and boxes were stacked shoulder high; red, red & white striped, pink, pink & white, white & pink as well as white vied for attention. I leaned toward getting the deep pink but somehow, in my mind, amaryllis and red always go together—especially at Christmas. Besides, it had a gold-colored pot and I’ve inherited from my great grandmother, a fondness for gold paint.

My first memory of anything to do with amaryllis flowers is the name of the little girl in the movie The Music Man. A pint-sized Ron Howard liked her but was too embarrassed to talk to her since his lisp made her name very difficult to say.


Much later, though as I said, I had grown several amaryllis plants and photographed them and had drawn and painted most any other kind of flower, for some reason I couldn’t draw or paint an amaryllis. But I persisted and accomplished this collage/painting The Lord Turns My Darkness to Light.

*Crockett’s Indoor Garden, James Underwood Crockett; p.12

Firecracker Surprise

As I sat in the sunroom earlier this week reading the Bible and enjoying my surroundings, I glimpsed a spot of color behind one of my Christmas cacti. Was it a bud? I still have my sense of wonder and was delighted to discover two scarlet buds! Hmm, if this one is budding, maybe the other one is as well. Yes, it had a fully opened pink blossom with another close behind!

My Christmas cacti bloom sporadically and always on the side closest to the window; their firecracker blooms can burst open before I know it. The flowers don’t last very long so I have to enjoy them right away. I turned the pots so that the flowers face me; today I brought the scarlet one off its shelf into full view so I can enjoy its full glory.

Last night as I looked through a houseplant book I was reminded that many of my plants like high humidity. They’re getting plenty today with temperatures in the mid to upper 70’s and lots of rain coming!

The pink and scarlet “firecrackers” and a red hibiscus brighten the gray day.

Red Trio

Yesterday morning, I was thrilled to spot not one, not two but three red hibiscus blossoms! On my bush at least, it’s not only unusual to have three blooms at a time but unheard of to have three blooms indoors—and on a cloudy day! The red beauties brightened the cloudy morning and gave me a smile.


What wondrous autumn colors we have in the countryside! We also had wonderful weather over the weekend to explore some new-to-us areas. I wanted to inhale the beauty into my soul so that I would have it over though winter’s colorless days. I love taking photos of God’s glorious creation but pictures don’t quite have the impact of walking in sunshine, feeling a cool breeze blowing across your face, looking out at a mountain vista, marveling at the reds, oranges and golden yellows of the backlit autumn leaves, crunching fallen leaves underfoot.

Autumn has also fallen indoors as I’m still picking up various plants’ leaves as they adjust to their new drier environment. It’s nothing to be concerned about though, since they’re still pushing forth new leaves.

The pear tree outside our window is finally turning red, orange and yellow. Our area foliage is at its peak of color. There’s a particular stately ginkgo tree in town that’s one of the last trees to turn. We saw it Friday in its full golden glory; what a crescendo!

Garden to Art

Gardens and my art have nearly always intertwined. I grew up around my grandmothers’ gardens and at home, in a creative atmosphere. When I realized (later than most) that it was time to go back to college I began working in flower shops to help finance my education. Since art school was my goal and I wanted to draw flowers, it made sense to get to know flowers even more personally.

During my college years (there were many) I had the opportunity to plant a garden amidst the mature landscape of the older house where we lived. I yanked English Ivy out of the neglected soil until I fell over backwards. More than once, I came face to face with angry bees that left me with a souvenir of the encounter. But I grew the garden pictured here.

Okay, so all these flowers didn’t bloom at once--though most could have, but that’s the beauty of art. Though my painting teacher frowned on such romance, when I graduated from her excellent training I consolidated my reference photos to paint The Artist’s Garden.

Hmm…a small garden spider just hopped onto my mouse pad—definitely harmless to me…

The Last Flowers of Summer?

Perhaps this is the last arrangement of my garden “flowers” for the season. The Victoria Blue Salvia is more intensely blue violet with the cold weather and the Parrot Leaf is as bright as ever, not seeming to mind the cold one bit (yet). When I uncovered them this morning I was struck by the intensity of their colors and knew that a cobalt blue “vase” would magnify that intensity. Why not bring some in before they were gone since both “flowers” were plentiful? (When I was younger, it seemed that all the “older” women referred to everything in a garden that wasn’t vegetable or tree as “flowers”).

I spent several years in the floral industry but I still like my grandmother’s flower arranging style, “They need to look natural like they do when they’re growing.” She was ahead of her time. ☺

In the garden I saw two bright red male cardinals vying for territory and, probably, a mate. I can’t remember when I last saw cardinals around here.

It’s a Jungle in Here!

Saturday evening prior to freezing temperatures, I made “The Great Plant Haul.”
In an hour or so of clearing spaces, cleaning saucers, and heaving plants, I brought in all the plants that would still be too cold-- even under the covers. Though the freeze was too cold too soon (as was the snow on the upper east coast) I decided it was time to bring them in for wintering-over. For the most part, once they’re in—they’re in for the duration since it takes so much time and effort to haul them back and forth.

This year, I’ve brought in more plants than usual, wanting to “protect my investment”; maybe I won’t have to buy new ones next spring. As it turns out, some of the new to me plants do well as houseplants. For example, one houseplant book says that pentas bloom in December and January; what a treat to have them bloom all spring and summer then indoors in winter too (maybe they actually will)!

The plants are definitely too crowded so I’ll have to continue to discover better configurations to spread out “the jungle.”

Double Blessing

On the rare occasion that I find one of my favorite herbs--Pineapple Sage, I buy it quick; what a treat! The leaves really do smell like pineapple and give a hint of pineapple flavor to fish and chicken. The pointed leaves also add flair to salads.

I also enjoy their magenta stems but their red flowers are what I seek. Though small, these bright red jewels are rare among herbs and stand out. Red flowers aren’t usually my favorites, though you can probably tell that I’m smitten by red hibiscus (the attraction to those is a special memory), but Pineapple Sage flowers make my favorites list. The plant was blooming when I bought it but not since; I missed photographing it then and hoped it would bloom again so I could share it here. I was delighted to discover that it had indeed bloomed again.

Sometimes the herb can last two seasons outdoors, dying back and sprouting again in the spring, if you keep it watered but that can vary with how severe the winter is.

It’s a very cool and cloudy morning in the 50’s with temperatures expected to drop throughout the day as the clouds drop rain. Tonight’s temperatures in the 30’s may be the turning point of bringing in the more fragile plants that can be overwintered. The window areas are beginning to get crowded but once the pear leaves outside drop I can place plants farther away from the windows since there will be more sunlight.

Amazingly, the pear leaves are still green; they usually turn red and yellow but I only see a tinge of red. The autumn foliage in the mountains is reported to be the best in years; hopefully our hills will be dressed in similar finery!

The Beanstalk Has Blossomed

The lovely hyacinth bean vine is presenting her beautiful purple flowers (I use purple in a general sense to cover all versions of the color). I’ll have to sit on my hands to keep from “deadheading” these flowers (cutting off spent flowers to keep a plant blooming). I’ll have to remind myself that beautiful glossy purple bean pods and eventually artistic black and white seeds follow these flowers.

In one of my earliest gardening attempts, my parents let me plant English pea seeds in their front planter box. They came up nicely and bloomed. I had read about deadheading in my garden books—my first book club books were gardening books, so I dutifully deadheaded my pea flowers against my parents’ warnings. I unfortunately didn’t make the distinction between decorative flowers and flowers that “produce fruit”. I never did get any peas on that round. (I think there’s a parable in there somewhere. When I find it, I’ll let you know—or if you find it, you can let me know.)

A ladybug has made her way to my garden. May her tribe increase. The hummingbird darted in this morning for a visit while I was sitting in the garden. He or she briefly investigated the hyacinth vine flowers, flitted over the rest and darted away. The garden likes the cooler weather; yesterday the temperature only reached 73 degrees. As a result, more plants are blossoming, the four o’clocks were still blooming at 9 o’clock am and crickets are singing.