Flowering Houseplants to Stave Off Cabin Fever: Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day January 2012

– Posted in: What's up/blooming
10 comments

Forced Paperwhites

These paperwhites, a housewarming gift from a dear friend, are almost as white as the snow outside. They may not warm my toes, but they warm my heart!

The weather outside is finally frightful (subzero Fahrenheit as I write this, and dropping), so I can’t show you the pansy that had been blooming in the unseasonably mild weather. I do have more blooms than usual in the house for January, thanks to a thoughtful friend, a container plant wintering indoors, and an impulse grocery purchase.
Hothouse cyclamen

I passed it by the first week. The second week it was the only one left in the grocery store, and marked down. Last year I had no success inducing dormancy and rebloom in a hothouse cyclamen, but this year I'm going to try again.

You saw it last month, and it’s still blooming: the Red Dragon Wing Begonia.
Dragon Wing Red Begonia

When it was blooming outside, the flowers were a deep red. Now they are pink. I guess I should just be thankful it's blooming at all.

Inspired by the words of Elizabeth Lawrence, “We can have flowers nearly every month of the year,” Carol of May Dreams Gardens started Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. On the 15th of every month, garden bloggers from all over the world publish what is currently blooming in their gardens, and leave a link in Mr. Linky and the comments of May Dreams Gardens.

About the Author

Kathy Purdy is a colchicum evangelist, converting unsuspecting gardeners into colchicophiles. She gardens in rural upstate NY, which used to be USDA Hardiness Zone 4 but is now Zone 5. Kathy’s been writing since 4th grade, gardening since high school, and blogging since 2002. Find her on Instagram as kopurdy.

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.

~Albert Camus in Albert Camus quotations

Comments on this entry are closed.

Kevin January 18, 2012, 4:17 pm

Three cheers for blooming houseplants!

Heather @ whats blooming this week January 18, 2012, 8:34 am

It’s nice to be able to pick up a grocery store treasure – got my narcissus bulbs at half price and they were also the only ones left at the local grocery store. Hope it warms up a bit for you.

Donna January 17, 2012, 12:13 am

The indoor blooms brighten up those gray winter days, but there has been a lot of sun this winter for a change. Our snow will be melting most probably this week if temps get to what is predicted. What a roller coaster winter it has been.

Phil January 16, 2012, 6:11 pm

My parents have had a cyclamen hanging from the hutch for as long as I can remember (decades?). It’s become a member of the family. (Your 3 photos didn’t load in Safari for some reason, although all others on the page did).

Mr. McGregor's Daughter January 16, 2012, 2:47 pm

Good luck with the Cyclamen. If you figure out how to do it, please share your secret. I just love them.

Gail January 16, 2012, 8:17 am

That’s a beautiful shot Kathy~all sparkly white snow, white rocker and white flowers! I’ve gotten out of the habit of indoor plants; it might be time to try a pretty pink cyclamen. Happy GBBD. gail

Frances January 16, 2012, 6:43 am

I love love love that first shot, white on white! Good luck with the cyclamen, they are so exotic looking.

Yael January 16, 2012, 2:22 am

Kathy,
Love your pretty winter blooms. I always get cyclamen. They are one of my favorites. I have some hardy ones, too, that bloom in Autumn.
Yael

Leslie January 15, 2012, 8:50 pm

I’m glad you have some pretty blooms to cheer up that white world! Although I think perhaps the cold is worse than the white 🙂