Tell the Truth Tuesday - Orchids

On Tuesdays, Alison at Bonney Lassie invites us to share parts of our gardens that are less than perfect.  Today, instead of sharing photos of my incredibly messy winter garden, I'm posting a confession of sorts.

I've spent a lot of time resisting orchids.  The blooms are pretty enough but the plant itself doesn't thrill me.  Last May, I received a white cymbidium orchid in bloom as a teacher appreciation gift.  It lived on top of my file cabinet at work until the end of the school year at which time it came home and continued blooming for a couple more months.  The longevity of bloom was remarkable.  Since it didn't die, I repotted it recently and it's putting on growth.  Hmm.  Certainly this plant that's notoriously finicky would have died under my care but it seems to be thriving.  You know how success leads to further experimentation, right? 

At Lowe's picking up supplies for a class, I checked out the plant section.  The fragrance and form of this Cattleya caught my attention and somehow hopped into my cart.  When I think of orchids, this form is what comes to mind, perhaps because these were once very popular corsage flowers. 

This flower is beginning to fade a bit but they're only supposed to last for three or four weeks.

Another visit led to this one  hitching a ride in the cart.  Who could resist such a warm color in the winter.  It's softer, more subtle with more pronounced venation in real life, like a tropical sunset. 

Watson's indoor plant sale included their orchids.  This tiny one, stuffed into a 2" pot seemed innocent enough.  Now that it's home, a second flower spike is emerging. 

The last two are both cymbidiums and if they bloom as long as my first, there will be blooms until the end of the school year.    So, there you have it, the orchid collection now numbers four.  Plants grown exclusively for flowers with no foliar interest at all.  It's a slippery slope toward the world of flower flooziness.   They may end up as compost but even if they do, they will have provided cheerful flowers for a long period of time at a cost less than buying cut flowers every week for three months, right?  (Not that I often buy cut flowers, just saying is all.)

What's your Tuesday Truth? 

It's Indoor Plant Sale Time

Many garden centers in our region discount indoor plants in the month of January.  It's a great bridge between the holiday craziness and the spring rush.  Watson's is one of them and, since they're between home and the Sunday job, it's easy to stop in and see what's happening.   Come along and see if there's anything you can't live without. 

Beside the parking lot.  Look at that blue sky!

It's the time of year when evergreens are the stars of the show. 

While these are winter bloomers, anything in bloom can be counted as a sign of spring, right? 

It's sobering to think of the amount of work that goes into the nursery business.  Things are constantly being moved, planted, watered.  One of January's tasks is potting up the newly received bare-root roses.

 In just a few months these will be covered with blooms. 

Now, inside for the indoor plant sale.  

I've been eyeing these Kalanchoe delagoensis since they were covered with tightly closed buds.  Very tempting.

Indoor plants aren't the only things on sale.  There are many sale tables containing all manner of other merchandise as well.

Cacti and succulents.   Kind of sad to know that I already have one of each of these. Having a greenhouse is a dangerous thing.

 Truth be told, I'm not much of a houseplant person, it's just that so many of the outdoor plants like to spend the winter inside.

Staghorn ferns mounted on wood are lovely but they make me nervous.  Do they ever need to be re potted?  (Re wooded?)

Winter containers combining succulents and orchids.  How long can that marriage last? 

This bromeliad came home with me.  Yes, there are already a lot of these in the hoard but none like this one.  Because bromeliads have proven fairly forgiving of neglect on my part, they've won a place in my heart.

These are kind of cool and from the hardware on the back it looks as though they're meant to be hung on a wall.

Labeled "Fern" these were kind of cool. 

I love the color combination on these aglaonemas but they eventually want attention to look their best so admiring them at nurseries is best for me.

 More orchids and succulents.  

 The indoor plant sale continues through February 3.  Back out to the car with my new plant.

Have a great weekend all!

Random Friday

Seedpods of Cardiocrinum giganteum are nearly as delightful as the blooms themselves and they last a lot longer.   These caught my eye on an evening stroll in the garden.

Growers for the big box stores seem to always be looking for new ways to display tillandsias.

And now for some new plants.  At the after Christmas sale at Watson's,  a free poinsettia came with every purchase. Many people just toss these as soon as the holiday season is over but why not enjoy the bright red bracts for a bit longer?  The price was certainly right for this large specimen. 

One can never have too many Cryptanthus and the patterned leaves of this last one on the shelf called out to me.

Abies koreana 'Kohout's Ice Breaker'  has glorious silver needles like it's parent.  It originated as a witch's broom from 'Silberlocke' in Germany.  Hardy to zone 4, this miniature will grow to 1.5' x 1.5' in 10 years (it's already 1'x1') so it should be perfect for a pot.  I've no idea if it'll produce the beautiful cones that 'Silberlocke' does.  It really wanted to come home with me. 

Well, that's it for this random post.  Have a good weekend all!

Getting out of the Rain - Inside Watson's

Yesterday we wandered outside Watson's in the rain; today, we'll look inside.  Interesting to see these arrangements with cut roses in them.

They're baaack.  The velvet pomegranates once again caught my eye but at $90.00 a pop one won't come home with me.  I bet I could make a few myself...

Ho, ho, ho!

There must have been some magic in that old silk hat they found.

These pots were attractive but the more I looked at them, the more they looked like kleenex boxes. 

Orchids everywhere.

And, of course, quite a few of these.

These were labeled simply "Hoya."  I've never seen one with foliage like this before.  

The pianist was away at the moment.

They've got you covered in the tree department!

I thought that I'd seen all the holiday stuff already but they just keep adding more.

Interesting vase.  Not $300.00 worth of interesting but fun to see. 

Some years I'm attracted to everything;  other years I look forward to it all going away to make room for plants.  This year falls into the latter category. 

In some cultures, chrysanthemums would never be brought into one's home as they're associated with death.   The mum/poinsettia combo is pretty colorwise but the significance of birth and death together adds a bit more meaning.

Oh, so cute. 

Are there genies in those bottles? 

Love the big gold fatsia leaves.

An idea for a Monday vase. 

Come on, it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you.

Yet another interesting way to present forced paperwhites.  Forcing vase, napkin ring and boom. 

Have you decorated for the season?