And Lead us not into Temptation. (Because we can find it pretty easily on our own.)

So, it's January.  The holidays are over, seed catalogs start arriving to warm our winter weary hearts.  Here, signs of spring are everywhere.  O.K.  we call them signs of spring when in reality we have a lot of interesting winter blooming things that respond to the increasing light almost immediately.  Anyway, a new season of growth and bloom begins early here but we  long for the lush green growth of summer.  What's a gardener to do in this weakened condition when he or she sees something like this?

 

Succumb to the temptation to visit a nursery of course!  As I've said before, I'm not a houseplant person even though I have a house full of plants but it's some kind of wonderful to take a walk in the tropics when it's stormy and cold (a relative term) and wet outside.  Molbak's and Flower World are two of my favorite places to find indoor/outdoor plants and with the big sale, we simply had to go.  Unfortunately, we didn't get to Flower world since someone spent so much time enjoying Molbak's.  That's perfectly fine as it gives us an excuse for a road trip another day and the car was full (another relative term) of plants anyway.

 

Palms are a plant that I grow well outside and usually watch die slow deaths in the house so this beautiful specimen  will get my admiration but not a ride home.

RED!  The cats are new to me and I think they're pretty groovy!

Love these oversized fruits!  So shiny and bright!

Succulents and cacti are perfect house plants for me.  I water them a couple of times a winter (or forget to water them altogether) and they don't seem to mind at all.  One of those cute Agave 'Kissho Kans' came home with me.  At 30% off now was the time to add to the collection!

I've never grown Anthuriums; have you?  Are they as easy as they seem?

Agave 'Crème Brulee' is one I admired but didn't buy. 

Gorgeous kalanchoe foliage!  These were both marked "assorted succulents"

Kind of wish that I'd gotten this one!

So beautiful in bloom!  I have some of these that have thrown pups everywhere but Cisco says that I'll probably never see them bloom again.  Have any of you grown these as houseplants (outside in the summer) and had them bloom again or should I plant them outside this summer and leave them there?

This bromeliad bloom was tempting but the foliage was a little uninteresting. 

 The new pink and red marked Aglaonemas are favorites of mine but I already have a couple.

Sansevieria grandis also sang a siren song but I remained strong in search of the prize after which I'd come searching!

Traversing the desert,

 Hacking through the jungle,

Being tempted again by a sweet blooming bromeliad, one of my favorites, in a cute little pot shaped much like me.

These tiny kalanchoes in two inch pots are adorable!

As are these diminutive African violets!

Love these sort of organically shaped pots light green on the bottom and metallic gold on top.  They'd need just the right plant/setting.

You just can't go wrong with chartreuse and black. I'm a fan of just about anything with a bird on it.

As you may have remembered, the rain was being thrown at the roof and walls of the greenhouse by strong winds.  The pounding of rain and rumbling of the panels of the greenhouses made one feel a little uneasy but walking near the calm lagoon in the café area was therapeutic.

Back outside, I found these two agaves on the 70% off shelf.  I passed on this one as it's similar to many that are already in my collection.

This one, with its sharp points called wanted to come home with me.  At only seven dollars, I should have bought them both and given the first one away.  Oh well...

We finally have come to that after which I'd been lusting, assorted Vriesias. I'd been admiring these on Deanne's blog and at a special California garden we visited on the fling this summer about which I'll post later.  The price was a little steep so I passed each time I saw them.  However, I had some Christmas money burning a hole in my pocket and at 30% off, I wouldn't have to decide on just one.   

 Aren't they cool?

 

In addition to the Agave 'Kissho Kan', a cool tillandsia in full bloom, and the big sale outdoor agave, these are the plants that came home with me:

 

Vriesia assorted

 This one is Aechnea 'Mend'

and back to Vriesia assorted

Along with some cool containers to slip them into.  These will brighten my garden this summer and be welcome indoor plants in the winter.  Danger posted about her recent indoor plant purchases at her local nursery's 30% off sale here.  How about you, have you adopted any new plants this January?