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Amaryllis Dancing Queen
'Dancing Queen' from White Flower Farm, a holiday gift, is my only new amaryllis bulb this winter. I started watering it about 6 -7 weeks ago and patiently waited for the flower buds and stems to grow. The first dancing...
January 23, 2012 3:59 pm
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I cannot pass up these primrose plants
I happened to see many beautiful primrose plants as I ran into a nearby supermarket. I have plenty of primrose in my front garden (all in reddish purple) that bloom every year, usually in April and I don't need any...
January 20, 2012 11:15 am
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The irresistible cymbidium
I cannot count the number of times that I have found flowering orchid plants irresistible. Today I found another cymbidium in light yellow, a color that I've never had before. It cost $22.99 which I thought was a reasonable...
January 18, 2012 11:33 am
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Hellebores in early January!
The temperature reached 61 degrees yesterday afternoon! How could I not take advantage of this unusually warm winter day? I started out weeding, then cut dried branches off several chrysanthemums, two scented geraniums and a few Montauk daisies in the...
January 9, 2012 2:18 am
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Amaryllis Rosado ... the third time around
I did not have long to wait before the first of 4 amaryllis flowers opened up, followed by the rest on a single tall flower stalk. 12.31.11 1.2.12 This is the third time this relatively small amaryllis bulb has flowered....
January 6, 2012 5:42 pm
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Watching the Amaryllis grow
Another Christmas came and went ... Nothing much is going on while waiting to ring in the New Year ... Poinsettia is still in bloom, but both poinsettia and cactus appeared passé by the end of December. I am thankful...
December 29, 2011 1:15 pm
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Festive Gerbera daisy for the Holidays
I gave a cursory glance at some flowering plants in a small flower corner at my usual grocery last week and spotted a bi-colored gerbera daisy with sprayed-on glitter. 12.21.11 I thought to myself, "That's new to me!" While worrying...
December 25, 2011 11:30 am
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Cymbidium, Boat orchids
Cymbidium, also known as "Boat orchids," belong in the genus Cymbidium and the family Orchidaceae. The name is reportedly derived from the Greek word kumbos, meaning 'hole, cavity' and referring to the form of the base of the orchid's lip,...
December 17, 2011 5:40 pm
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Yellow Christmas cactus
I love Christmas cactus but have had very little luck with it in the recent past. The last one I had, in 2009 , died; but the Easter cactus I got in the spring appears to be doing well. I...
December 13, 2011 5:35 pm
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Rhode Island's winner of kids' cabbage-growing contest gardens in Newport
Trinity Dinunzio of Newport with the cabbage that made her the state's winner in the Bonnie Plants 3rd Grade Cabbage Program Trinity Dinunzio, now a fourth-grade student at St. Michael's Country Day School in Newport, has been awarded a...
December 4, 2011 8:49 pm
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String of Pearls, Senecio rawleyanus
My newest houseplant, String of Pearls (Senecio rawleyanus), ordered online for $12.99, arrived a week after the order was placed in a small hanging basket. The strings were tangled up a bit, but the plant looked relatively healthy. 11.28.11 This...
November 30, 2011 1:23 pm
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Poinsettia 'Winter Rose-Early Family, Marble'
Thanksgiving is just around the corner and Christmas is still more than a month away. I am not ready to look for any poinsettias, still waiting to see if the one I had from last year will "bloom" again. 11.17.11...
November 18, 2011 7:11 am
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Phalaenopsis, a mini orchid
My first mini orchid was purchased in late July or early August at $6.99 in a very small pot (3 inches). 8.2.11 The second one I found in mid-August, also at the same price. 8.15.11 I kept both of...
November 14, 2011 5:11 pm
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Gloxinia (Sinningia speciosa), the gift plant
I was one of those who regard Gloxinia as a gift plant. I loved to buy gloxinias as a house gift but when I received one my gloxinia usually died soon after, probably from over-watering. This week I welcome new...
November 8, 2011 4:34 pm
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The first morning frost
A few inches of snow on Sunday in our area did not produce damage as serious as the hard frost that followed Monday morning. This marks the end of my zinnias, dahlias, morning glory, nasturtium, verberna and many others. 10.31.11...
November 1, 2011 2:48 pm
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Climbing nasturtium
Nasturtium has been part of my summer garden for several years, but climbing nasturtium was new to me. I picked up 2 tiny plants labeled "climbing nasturtiums" at the Southside Community Land Trust annual plant sale in mid-May. They were...
October 28, 2011 6:13 pm
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My favorite orchid, Cattleya!
The Cattleya orchid plant (bought along with the Lady Slipper, at the same price of $29.99) was practically falling out of its very lightweight, clear plastic container when purchased about a week ago. There were 2 buds on the plant....
October 27, 2011 3:59 pm
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My first Lady Slipper Orchid
Yesterday, as the weather is turning colder and there's not much time left to bring many plants such as angel's trumpet, euphorbia and tropical hibiscus indoors, I ran out to the home/appliance store in the steady rain for potting soil,...
October 20, 2011 5:03 pm
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Diascia hybrid, Flying colors Coral
It has been more than 2 years since I wrote about my first orange diascia hybrid. I had thought they would become popular, but somehow they have yet to catch on. I was delighted to have found a new diascia,...
October 20, 2011 5:44 am
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Scented geraniums
My two scented geraniums (Pinewood and Sandalwood), purchased as very small plants in 3-inch containers at the RI Flower and Garden show this past February, have grown by leaps and bounds since I put them in the ground in late...
October 16, 2011 9:21 pm
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