Luscious Cyclamen
Every once in awhile someone will ask ~ if you're so into gardening why live so high up in the mountains?
My very first Cymbidium Orchid
I guess it's like a lot of things in life. It just happened. And, now that I'm here I'm not terribly interested in leaving. I love my mountains. The bright sunny skies, crisp fresh air. Living in the mountains makes winter fun.
Phaleanopsis Orchid (I fell in love with her polka dots.)
I suppose it would be harder on me if I lived in a normal house. But, this place has massive south-facing sunny windows that let me 'garden' all winter long.
Which is why I was so thrilled to discover that Carol's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Days allow indoor goodies. Because there's lots of little pretties smiling in my sunny window right now.
Snowy White Azaleas
Crazy Orange Kalanchoe
Little help please? :)
And, then there's this sweet little hitchhiker ~ who sneaked indoors when I brought the house plants inside last autumn. A long, lanky vine with bright red buds. And, I haven't a clue. Do you?
The flower on the cactus is stunning. And orchids are nice anytime of year, but you must be glad to have them now. Sorry I can't help on the mystery plant.
ReplyDeleteNo clue as to the mystery! I have nurtured voluteer 'mystery' plants in the garden for weeks at a time, just to find out they were common weeds. Well, a lot of my flowers were weeds (species wildflowers), come to think of it...
ReplyDeleteThat is an eyeful of colour and shape to cheer up a wintry outlook!
ReplyDeleteCan't help you with the name of the vine though.
You are blessed to have a big south facing window for all of these pretties!
ReplyDeleteOh, those orchids! They're just the best...mind you, I'm pretty fond of cyclamen too. However, I don't know what that last plant is at all. Maybe a shot of the entire plant would help, but I'm sure others who are more savvy about indoor tropicals will solve this before I finish making the morning coffee!
ReplyDeleteYour indoor garden is beautiful. As for the final mystery plant....no idea although the foliage looks rose like.
ReplyDeleteJust popped by to thank you for visiting my blog, Kate.
ReplyDeleteHaving seen the wonderful blooms you manage to grow, high up there, I can well understand that you want to go down the "bigger image" path.
(To get the wider images you also have to widen the blog page. P'Pete sent me an email showing how to do it. If you would like a copy email me at avus@hotmail.com)
Great Pics Kate! So many ways to bring the colors of the outdoors inside to brighten up the dreary winter days.
ReplyDeleteI might be twitching a bit with jealousy.
ReplyDeleteNo idea what the mystery bloom is, either.
This post warmed my heart, literally! Love all of your orchids!
ReplyDeleteYour photo's are Gorgeous! Stunning! I'm sorry, I'm not help with the vine either. Perhaps a Google image search of vines might bring up a picture which will give you a lead? Happy Garden Blogger's Bloom Day!
ReplyDeleteHi, Brad!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by the blog. I feel the same way about your lovely photos. Plus, you have one up on me as they are truly blooming outdoors for bloom day. :)
Hi, Jan;
ReplyDeleteI like to say that all of my weeds are wildflowers. That way I don't look nearly so lazy! :D
Those orchids are magnificent!
ReplyDeleteIs it 'Red Birds in a Tree' (scrophularia macrantha)?
ReplyDeleteI love your flowers. And I think...I could do that, but my big windows are north facing. I now I remember I need to water my plants in the basement...
Oh my goodness....What a blessing to have so many south-facing windows. Your blooms are so varied and beautiful :^)
ReplyDeleteHi Kate,
ReplyDeleteAll of these blooms are just so bright and surely cheer you up in the winter. You are very talented with houseplants and nurturing them.
Rosey
Wow, very jealous. Thanks for stopping in to our blog. As for the mysterious mystery, almost looks like kinikinick.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog. Your's has a beautiful look. Wow do I love that polka dot Phaleanopsis Orchid . Sorry, can't help on the mystery vine...
ReplyDeleteSo many lovely blooms, Kate! They obviously like living in the mountains, too, especially with all your sunny windows. Your Christmas cactus is amazing--I've never managed to keep a houseplant that long. I have no idea what the mystery plant is; like Jan, I often nurture mystery plants only to discover much later that they're actually weeds:)
ReplyDeleteFound you from May Dreams.
ReplyDeleteWonderful that you can enjoy the flowers indoors in winter. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Kate,
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by and leaving a comment on my blog. Your indoor blooms are lovely . I do agree that the mystery plant's leaves look like roses but the buds don't.
My daughter Cathy is the houseplant expert so I'll tell her to have a look see.
Hi, Joco;
ReplyDeleteThanks for paying me a visit! I'm in love with that photo of your iris in the snow... :)
Hi, Darla;
ReplyDeleteI'm relieved to see that this cold snap hasn't stopped your Florida garden from smiling.
Hi, Jodi;
ReplyDeleteWow! You're an early riser. :) I'm new to orchids so the jury is still out on whether I'm any good with them. However! I grow Cyclamen indoors and out. The perennial cyclamen is even prettier than these wimpy indoor girls. :))
Hi, Layanee;
ReplyDeleteThanks for paying me a visit. I now have Aubutilon on my must-have list, because of your lovely photo. :)
Avus, I am ever so grateful for your visit. My blog design is giving me fits and your links, hot tips have been very helpful. I'm hoping for a bad weather weekend so I have a lame excuse to sit in front of my computer all day and give my poor old bloggie a facelift. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Peggy -- A teensy bit of indoor color can make all the difference in my mood.
ReplyDeleteHi, Melospiza;
ReplyDeleteGlad to read you survived your condo weekend. I'm a bit embarrassed of the stupid comment I left you. Blogger really needs an 'unpublish' button! :D
Hi, Katie;
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're in good spirits over this awful deep freeze. I wonder... would anything I have grow for you? Happy to ship off a care package! :)
Hi, Jo;
ReplyDeleteThanks for paying me a visit and congrats on your Snapdragon win. Very cute!
Thx, Sweet Bay; I'm new to orchids but suddenly gaga over their complicated and beautiful blooms.
ReplyDeleteIron; I think you're right! Now I feel dumb. :)) I have several red birds in my yard. But, I've never grown one from seed. Sheesh... Learn something new every day.
Thx, Noelle; It's a fun hobby that keeps me sane in the long, long winter.
Really lovely photos of very healthy looking plants. I have no idea of your mystery plant. Maybe should it to us in more detail as it opens more. Valerie
ReplyDeleteAll blooms are good ones. Glad to get to see your blog. I love the mountains, but I guess I'll stick to my Oklahoma hills. :) ~~Dee
ReplyDeleteYour indoor garden is totally dreamy! (and, I think, qualifies for full garden status -- quote/unquote-less.) Thanks for stopping by Bwold - I'm glad to have "met" you! (I heart polka-dots too...)
ReplyDeleteWow - what a talented photographer you are! Thanks for the lovely photos...and sorry I can't help you out with IDing the mystery plant!
ReplyDeleteHi, there! Just visited here for the first time, following the link from Bloom Day. Lovely blog, lovely pictures of your indoorgarden, andlots of other interesting blog entries -- I'll be back!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Glorious blooms. Is that really beginner's luck with the incredible orchid? I'm in awe.
ReplyDeleteYour blooms are gorgeous - just stunning! I wish I could grow houseplants but they would be kitty salad, I'm sure. I've had to settle for (gulp) SILK plants indoors!
ReplyDeleteHi, Rosey;
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you are up and feeling better. And, that you're a fellow snowshoer. It's a blast, don't ya think?
Hi, Jeremy and Jenny, Susie, Kathleen & Carolyn;
Thanks for stopping by! I had today off so curled up with a pot of tea and visited many new gardeners participating in GDDB. It was really fun discovering your blogs!
PS to Susie: Good to meet a fellow polka dot lover! :)
Happy GBBD, Rose;
ReplyDeleteI can't take much credit for Edna's long life. That Christmas Cactus is a tough old bird. Trust me on this one... she's put up with an astonishing amount of abuse and has decide to live in spite of me, not because of me. :D
Hi, Kris;
ReplyDeleteYour writings, today, just cracked me up. I look forward to more visits. :)
Hi, Helen;
I wish! That orchid was a Christmas gift.
Hi, Valerie;
I think we figured out that the mystery plant is a Red Birds In A Tree ~ which makes me feel silly. I should have known that one!
Hi, Rebecca and Rosella;
Thx for the kind compliments, but I can't take much credit. I think I just have a really good digi camera. It seems to do all the work for me.
Hi, Dee;
I'm a big fan of red dirt and red rocks, too! Thx, to the beauty of southern Utah, which might be similar terrain to yours. So, glad we've connected.
And, thanks to Carol. As this has been a super fun Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!
A hardy round of applause for Edna! Everyone needs an Edna in their garden to bring some joy into their lives.
ReplyDeleteI have indoor plant envy! Those orchids are stunning, and I love Cyclamen. I bought a Kalanchoe last year & it rebloomed wonderfully over the summer. I'm doing something wrong (letting it fall in the sink too many times?) and now it just looks pathetic.
ReplyDeleteKate,
ReplyDeletePeople who ask why live in the mountains if you like to garden, have never lived in the mountains. The shorter growing season makes the garden results all the more cherished. And frankly, I love our mountain-hardy plants more than the lowland plants. Love you photos!
Hi, Debbie;
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting. Your GBBD quotes were marvelous. So nice to meet another Wyeth fan. :D
Hi, MMD; That sequence of your amaryllis was sooo pretty. And, you're probably just being too kind to the Kalanchoe (except for dropping her in the sink :-) I haven't tried that one but I'll keep it in mind!
ReplyDeleteLove your perspective, Linda! :) Thanks for stopping by.
ReplyDeleteKate, I love your cascading blooms... wonderful photographs! Lovely light and colors ... so cheerful! I have not a clue about your hitch hiker. I am amazed and dazed by the splendor in your header photograph! Knock-out gorgeous! I want to bundle up and walk into the breathtakingly beautiful landscape. I will be wearing a long black coat and green knitted beret ... just so you will know who it is! ;-)
ReplyDeleteOh, Carol... You're too kind. :) I was mesmerized by your butterflies!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great collection of indoor colour you have going there Kate and so well photographed. They all obviously thrive on those south facing windowsills. Does Edna know she is over- achieving or are you keeping it quiet from her in case she sulks. Thanks for stopping and commenting on my blog.
ReplyDeleteHi, Anna -- Every once in awhile I bring in a young whipper snapper of a Christmas Cactus just to keep Edna on her toes. :)
ReplyDeleteCatching up on your blog, Kate. Truly amazing pictures of beautiful blooms. But especially love your madly sexy snowwoman. Happy January.
ReplyDeleteHi Kate,
ReplyDeleteYou have a nice assortment of blooms! I love that first orchid you showed. It's so full, and the color is gorgeous!
Oh, that cymbidium! That is the most beautiful color combo I have ever seen on one! Good enough to eat! We let ours go because they were so large, sadly, but the flowering stalks were incredible. Yours is fabulous, as are the other shots. That plum bonsai is pretty dadgum special! :-)
ReplyDeleteFrances
Thanks, Cynthia;
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your 'flavor of a small town' photos. Nicely done. :)
Hi, Sue & Frances!
I fell in love with that cymbidium's color combo, too. Just looking at her makes me smile.
Hi Kate! Your photos are great - but I'm in awe of your orchids. Beautiful blossoms! :-) Happy day!
ReplyDeleteThx, Shady;
ReplyDeleteIt was cool to see that we're nurturing many of the same indoor flowers. I'm green with envy over your cardinals. Such a gorgeous bird! I don't think they like it out here. At least, I've never seen one. Happy Bloom Day! :)
What wonderfully healthy houseplants you have. I had an orchid for three years until it die, overwatering. After the initial flush of flowers it never did it again. Do your orchids re-flower? What do you do?
ReplyDeleteHi, Melanie;
ReplyDeleteGreat timing to see this today as I just spotted a bud on one of my moth orchids!
I'm no orchid expert... so it is highly doubtful my method is the best. But, here goes: I use a very diluted basic 10-10-10 fertilizer plus some magnesium. I dissolve that in a bucket of water and immerse her, pot and all, in that mess for about 30 minutes every 7-14 days ~ depending upon when I remember to water her. :D
Your orchid with the polka dots is very appealing. No wonder you fell in luv with her.
ReplyDeleteMountains, blue skies and crisp air....that's a hard combination to beat.
It's a bonus for all of us that you don't live in a "normal" house. If you did, we might miss out on all the beautiful blooms you've shared with us on this GBBD.
It was a pleasure to visit your blog.
donna
Hi, Donna;
ReplyDeleteThx for visiting and thx, too, for the kind compliments. As an ex- Minnesotan I really enjoy your pics and perspective.
I'd love to see a shot of your entire plant display by that sunny south window. You have some real beauties there.
ReplyDeleteThe orchids are magnificent!
That's an enthusiastic Christmas Cactus you have there!
I have no idea about the mystery plant but it sure is pretty :)
nice post. thanks.
ReplyDelete