Easter Parade

Every Friday, KC and I get together for a long, hard hike. Then we hightail it to a restaurant where we consume at least as many calories as we burned. (Hey! We earned it.)

This week, we switched up our routine, skipping the hike and heading straight to lunch. Why didn't we think of that years ago??

I still got a great workout. We spotted a 50% off sale at the local flower store. So, I arm-wrestled other gardeners for great deals.

I bought a newfangled Easter Cactus (above) to keep Edna (below) on her toes. You remember, Edna, don't you? The Christmas Cactus I've had since college. She began flowering last November. Still going strong. That's 4 months longer than normal.

This does not have me delighted. I fear she's trying to tell me something. Like ~ pay attention to these blossoms, buckaroo, this is my last hurrah. I sincerely hope that is not the case.

Not the best photo of Edna, though it sure has everybody excited. Look behind her grand display of flowers to understand why. You can just make out a.... vacuum cleaner!

Hmmm... I wonder if it still works? It's been so very long since I've turned it on... 'Tis a holiday weekend.  I may just have to give that a try.

I came home from vacation to discover that one perfectly horrible housesitter let some of my (indoor) flowers die. And, I know of only way to manage that grieving process...

Buy new ones and try it again!

I hope you've enjoyed the old and the new. Happy Easter to one and all....

Festive Flowers

 Edna, my prehistoric Christmas Cactus, has been with me since my college days.

When I think of Christmas colors, I naturally think of red and green. Yet everything that's blooming in my house is a happy hot pink!

I'll readily admit that eleven months out of the year Edna (the Christmas Cactus I've had forever) is the homeliest houseplant I own. Her 12th month makes up for everything. 

This holiday season she's getting some serious competition from Snowball, my white Christmas Cactus.

And, this newcomer, with deeper pink blossoms, who gets a picture but not a name. Not yet, anyway.

I'm not nearly as crazy as you might think. I don't name my houseplants until they've been living with me for a good, long time. At least a decade.

Edna is so old she doesn't like to discuss the real numbers any more. (Hmmm... neither do I!)

Jane's Azalea

This kid's got a long ways to go. A gift from a good friend last holiday season. I'm not the fortunate one who can grow Azaleas outdoors but with a little luck and some TLC this young lady should decorate my sunny window for many years to come.

A Deal with Myself

Early Birds: Edna, my Christmas Cactus, is jumping the gun.

Chaotic weather patterns continue. First bitter cold and heaps of snow. I busied myself baking bread and grumbling about the weather.

Now comes unusually warm days. Bright sunshine melts away the snow offering a last horse back ride of the season. In a t-shirt, no less!

Cyclamen flowers decorate my office on these long, dark nights.

This heat wave is simply postponing the inevitable, I suppose. Even so, I was glad to see a summer-like day. This time of year is always a little hard on me.

The nights are too long and the days too short.

My goofy Plum Bonsai tree offers only 1 flower at a time.

I find myself pacing restlessly wondering what to do... What should I do?

Seems my passions run high in the summer months and are running on empty now that gardening and horsies are done for the season.

Kalanchoe radiates happiness on dreary days.

It was nice, though, playing hooky from work. Trotting along a quiet trail. Soaking in the last little bits of a lingering autumn.

While I was out there I decided to strike a deal with myself:

Right here, right now, stop whining about the weather, stop mourning the end of this sweet, sweet summer.

And, be on the prowl for a new winter hobby...

Tickled Pink

This Christmas Cactus dates back to the Pleistocene period of mankind.

Well, not quite. But, pretty damn close! Mom gave it to me when I was in college.

Even then I wanted to fill my windows with beautiful flowering plants.

So, she sent me back to the dorm with a cutting off her own cactus and a few bare bones instructions.

It thrives, she said, on a little bit of water and a consistent dose of neglect.

She wasn't kidding.

That first year all it drank was beer. (Hey, I was a dumb college kid!) Later on, it developed a habit for Diet Coke.

These days, it's all pumped up on antioxidants and green tea. Basically, I water the poor gal with whatever liquid is left in my cup. :)

She put on her prettiest show ever after surviving 6 weeks in a cold, dark storage unit when I first moved here. (I think she had a new lease on life after that episode.)

She'll bloom in a cold, north window. And, just as happily in a hot, south window.

Sometimes she blooms for Easter. Other times, she'll bloom in summer.

The one thing she has NEVER done is bloom for Christmas. And, that's okay. I figure, when you get to be this old, you should be allowed to do whatever you damn well please.

~ Control bloom times with periods of darkness.
~ Cool, night temps and a little plant food can inspire these gals to flower every few months.
~ She's very fussy about being touched or moved, while blooming.
~ Notice the sections of her leaves? Trim back using these as a guide.
~ Allow soil to thoroughly dry between waterings.

The parent of this pretty Christmas Cactus was in our home before I was born. Which makes us both at least... 29.

Update: Becky's right. These plants have a mind of their own. The one Mom gave me is a tough old bird. Some newer varieties and especially younger plants thrive with consistent water and tender loving care. This pretty peach cactus died a terrible death last spring because I was too lazy to water it. :(

Peaches and Cream

On nothing days like this, I wander aimlessly around the house. I spend ridiculous amounts of time staring into the refrigerator, hoping something delicious might magically appear. After I give up on that idea, I go back to pacing and feeling sorry for myself. You don't fully appreciate me until you see how melodramatic I can become when life takes a wrong turn.

It is not lost on me, that all my little buddies are working overtime dragging me back to a happy place. (I'm getting there. Just kickin' and screamin' all the way.) Take this little gal, for instance. She's a Christmas Cactus who has suddenly decided to be an Easter Cactus, as well.

You can make yours do this, too, by doing the polar opposite of what you think you should. She was sitting on the sill of an open window, where night temperatures probably cooled her down to 40 degrees. Cold temps, and a little plant food, inspire these gals to rebloom every couple of months. Give it a try... She can drag you back to your happy place, even when it's the last place on Earth you want to be.

New Christmas Cactus!

Jane doesn't know it yet, but she's becoming a team member on this blog, come January. She has too many great ideas to keep quiet any longer!

The Christmas tree didn't cheer me up. And, the parties have been a bore. But, a special little package from Jackson & Perkins really brightened my day. I knew it was from her before I opened it. (Soul sisters.)

Keep Christmas Cactus happy by ignoring the word 'cactus.' They prefer cool temperatures and moist soil for longest blooms. But, they cannot sit in water. Drain their saucers and wait until top soil is dry to water again.

These beauties are breathtaking for awhile but they look pretty ragged as the flowers tire out. That's a good time to cut back their sectioned leaves for stronger flowering. Propagate these leaves in moist vermiculite and they should bloom the following year.

* Schlumbergera truncata, the Christmas Cactus, feels right at home in high altitudes. It was originally a forest cactus at high (4,000+) elevations in Brazil.

* Cool nights, around 50 degrees F, get them on a blooming schedule for a bright Christmas show.