Oklahoma is cloudy and wet on this December Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day hosted each month by Carol Michel at May Dreams Gardens. Cold is supposed to return tomorrow. Oh joy.
Each morning for the last two weeks, I woke to mostly gray skies and fog. This advection fog is an unusual phenomenon for this time of year caused by a warm and moist air mass moving over the cooling earth. Yesterday, thunderstorms rolled across the state, and even a couple of small tornadoes touched down in open fields. No one was injured, and no property damaged.
Think a moment about what I just wrote. Thunderstorms, tornadoes and fog–does this sound like winter in the central South? Do you remember last year? The only place that was warm was the greenhouse.
Still, the calendar says December, and I haven’t bought a poinsettia yet for Christmas. I’ve been terribly busy, and haven’t shopped at TLC Nursery in over a month. However, I have my bulbs to keep me happy. My paperwhites are up and growing. I have five or six different kinds, and I’m testing them to see which ones have less scent. Thus far, ‘White Nir’ and ‘Ariel’ are blooming. Of these two, I like ‘White Nir’ best.
Several of the hippeastrum (amaryllis) are also blooming. I gave away four pots of them so far. I still have six varieties left to bloom. I am clearly a hippaholic!
In the greenhouse, surprises await. In USDA Zone 7a, we never see Hibiscus acetosella ‘Haight Ashbury’ bloom outdoors. I took cuttings last fall, and several have bloomed even though they are tiny things. What a scrumptious color! All of the coleus are also trying to bloom, but I keep pinching them. I’ll do the same with the hibiscus now.
The biggest surprise was Senecio rowleyanus, string of pearls. I’ve never seen it bloom before. I have a small hanging pot in the greenhouse, and it’s blooming with abandon. I hope it doesn’t up and die afterward. I’ll research it later to see. Notice how the normally round pearls have elongated and flattened? I find nature amazing every single day.
In other news, I decided to start sweet peas in the greenhouse. I got the idea from Matt Mattus because he is doing the same thing with low-light blooming sweet peas at his home outdoors. He may be starting some in his cool greenhouse too. I don’t remember. Here’s is one of his posts about growing sweet peas as cut flowers. Pursuant to his instructions, I ordered seeds for winter-growing sweet peas from Owl’s Acre in England. It took them awhile to get here, and quite frankly, I forgot about them. I’m going to trellis them up the sides of the greenhouse so I can smell them. I hear my west coast and British friends laughing now because sweet peas are easy to grow in their climates. I have the worst time growing sweet peas in Oklahoma and only smelled them for the first time when Garden Bloggers’ Fling went to Seattle a few years ago. My surprised photo is about three down in that post. My little seeds are up and growing in the greenhouse. It’s the little things.
What else is blooming? I have a new Christmas cactus I picked up at Whole Foods yesterday. I’ll need to repot it after it blooms, but what a pretty color.
That’s all I have in Oklahoma. Happy Bloom Day everyone.
Dee, you’re post here makes me want to rethink building a greenhouse again. I had dreamed about it for years, as I would love one to use as you use yours. Where I live however, keeping one warmed through our winters would be a cost that I have yet to convince myself of justifying. I’m settling for my dining room south facing window, which is large and works fairly well- as long as I grow things that don’t need a lot of humidity.
Everything is beautiful. Your blooming pearls is my favorite.
It warmed my heart to see your December blooms in the greenhouse, especially the hibiscus with the matching coleus! I was just lamenting the lack of flowers in the garden, and I have easily three more months to wait before they come back. *heavy sigh*
Hey Dee,
I totally endorse your efforts with the sweet peas. Back in my youth in Sydney, they grew so fast and thick and the fragrance has to be one of the best. My Mum would bring in buckets full. Haven’t smelled them since those days. Trinity is building and moving to a new location. You’ve inspired me to lobby for a lean-to greenhouse. I’ll always think of you when I get it.
Best,
Patrick
My string of pearls bloomed last year in a friend’s greenhouse and continues to thrive. We have joint custody. It resides in my garden in the summer and at Aunt Susan’s greenhouse in the winter. It has the best of both worlds!
Kathleen, glad to hear it survives! Yes, here’s to the best of both worlds for succulent plants and the gardeners who love them.
How wonderful to be able to grow so much in your greenhouse at this time of year–what a great retreat on these gray, gloomy days! I don’t remember the last time we saw the sun here. The amaryllis, the sweet peas, the begonia–everything looks lovely!
Thank you so much Rose. It has been so gloomy and gray here in Oklahoma too. Wet, which is wonderful, but so dark and gray. Where is my lightbox? Chuckle.
You have optimized your blooms for December with the inside plants. Love that you are growing sweet peas. That is a haunting scent. Happy Bloom Day.
Greenhouse growing lets you see a whole other side to plants you think you know. My White Nymph is also blooming. But why would you pinch off the hibiscus blooms? They are gorgeous!
Hi Kathy, I’ll pinch them off because I want the little, tiny plants to bulk up. Once they are bigger, they can bloom all they want. I just had to see them before that first pinch.
Happy Bloom Day, Dee! I enjoyed all your blooms, but especially the String of Pearls–I don’t ever think I’ve seen one blooming before. The angle and light of the photo are magical, too!
Happy Bloom Day to you too Beth. I know I’ve never seen string of pearls bloom before. It was a bit of greenhouse magic.
Beautiful flowers, especially the Amaryllis blooms
Happy Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day!
Lea
Thank you so much Lea!
Dee, I am one of those unfortunates who can not stand the scent of paperwhites (Zivas, the only kind I find for sale locally) – to me, they smell like garbage. Your post led me on an Internet search, talking about varieties other than Ziva – could I find a paperwhite that would smell pleasant to me? Apparently, I might have the same problem with the White Nir and Ariel you mention, but I might have some luck with a variety called Wintersun. And, I’ve never seen String of Pearls bloom, either. Happy GBBD. If I find a paperwhite I like, I will have you to thank.
Ah, Alana, I can’t stand the smell of Ziva either. That’s why I’m growing so many different ones this year. I do have a large living area (a log cabin great room) so maybe that’s why I can stand White Nir. I am growing Wintersun. It hasn’t started blooming yet. You might also like Geranium, but scent is one of those things that is very selective. I know people who think certain roses smell great, while others think a particular rose has no scent. My test won’t be scientific, but I hope I’ll be able to rank them from smelliest to least smelly.~~Dee
You have a lot going on in your greenhouse and otherwise. I love the amaryllis. I didn’t get any this year. I hate the way they have to clamor for light in my house. Just not light enough for them to stand tall and pretty like yours. Happy GBBD.
Oh, I don’t know Lisa. I have one leaning terribly right now. I forgot to turn it every day. I guess I’ll turn it tomorrow. Or, maybe not. Ha!
My hippeastrums haven’t even started growing yet as I was so late potting them up, but hopefully I will have 4 blooming this year. Love you senecio, must check that out
Helen, it’s a unusual little plant. We use it a lot outdoors in containers because it loves the heat. I suspect it’s light sensitive, and that’s why it’s blooming now.