flowers inside

It is -10 celcius and the wind is roaring, but inside, things are blooming!

The amaryllis took a long time to get started this year - I bought the bulbs in November, and no life appeared until January - but they are making up for lost time.





















Two weeks ago, I cut some branches from my forsythia shrub and brought them inside, plunked them into water, and now there is a bit of spring come early in my house!

This orchid has been persuaded to reflower many times.  My secret is to whip up a batch of lukewarm water, use half as much orchid fertiliser as recommended, fill the entire container with the water and let sit for a half hour.  Then drain the water completely, and use it for other plants.  Do this once a week, and it will probably work for you too!

I just brought home this miniature rose, and it looks lovely on the windowsill with snow behind it.  When it stops blooming in a few weeks, I will water it sparingly, let it rest, and then in June I will cut it back and plant it outside in a sunny spot.  These roses are perfectly hardy and will survive PEI's cold winters year after year.

The dainty pale pink flowers of this burgundy shamrock (oxalis) make a great contrast with the leaves.

Here are some tulips I bought for my birthday.  It will be 3 months before the outside ones open their petals.

When I was rumaging out in the garage, I was horrified to find this pot of hyacinths I had foolishly left there for almost a year.  I had purchased these forced bulbs last year, and I should have planted them outside in the spring.  Against all odds, green growth showed between the cracks of dessicated soil that had not been watered for all that time.  I brought the pot into the house, and within a week the darlings bloomed and rewarded my negligence with their lovely scent.  Nature truly is persistent!