Bursting with indoor colour for Bloom Day

I don't do a post for every Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, mostly because I don't like to follow memes every time they run. But in the bleak midwinter, we need an outburst of colour to cheer our souls, and I have to say my house is blooming happy right now. Let's lead off with those tropical-looking darlings, members of the hibiscus family. I have two young, vigourously growing plants, both of which are flowering right now. This porange (pink-orange) beauty is one of my favourite indoor plants.

Hibiscus are well suited to growing as houseplants for most of us. They like it a little warmer than some varieties, so at this time of year I move mine out of my office (the coolest room in the house, unless I run a heater) and to the sunniest, draft-free spots. They don't like soggy feet but need to be watered regularly, especially this time of year. I draw off a watering can full of water and leave it set all day before I water the hibiscus, and this keeps them from getting shock to their roots.

They and their relative the flowering maple can be prone to whitefly and aphids. Touch wood, I have none of either in the house these days, nor any spider mites, probably because I mist the plants pretty much daily with water that has a drop or two of liquid seaweed fertilizer in it.

Many of my African violets have been taking a bit of a flowering break, but are ramping up to begin another outburst. There are a few blooms happening, however, including this lovely double lavender-purple one...

And this ruffled, deep pink and white beauty. I don't know that this is Honeysuckle Pink, the colour of the year as defined by Pantone, but it's definitely a happy African violet!

We put it to a vote, and my cohorts in the amaryllis loving world agree that this is 'Apple Blossom' amaryllis. What is interesting, and a bit annoying, is that this is a new bulb, and I didn't buy it to be that cultivar, but something more unusual. Obviously, somehow it got mixed up but it's okay, because it's a beautiful cultivar. I especially love the green-apple throat of the blossoms.

I'm more bummed out about this, as I bought a collection of amaryllis from a reputable mailorder company, and these are supposed to be 'Green Dragon'. As you can see, they are anything BUT green. I assume, however, that the mistake was made at the company that supplies the mailorder company, as every one of the bulbs that were supposed to be green are this variety instead. Oh well. I'll send the company a note, but I don't consider it their fault.

For the past couple of years, I've nurtured this zonal geranium, or pelargonium, which is called 'Graffiti Violet.' Photos don't do it total justice, as it's a vibrant red AND the most vibrant fuchsia imaginable. I love it, and have taken a few cuttings so as to have more of it next year.

This NOID pelargonium was given to me after a talk several years ago, and I really love it. Usually I leave the zonal geraniums outside to meet their maker in winter,  but I bring this one and 'Graffiti Violet' indoors, and they bloom regularly throughout the winter.

I've rabbited on about my phalaenopsis orchids quite a bit in the past few weeks, but I include this photo for a different reason. Local potter Denise Aspinall doesn't have a website yet, but she does have a profile at the Wolfville Farmers Market website. She has recently started doing plant pots along with her line of gorgeous, functional porcelain ware, and of course I had to add one of her big pots to my collection of great planters. I've suggested she make bird and butterfly baths too, so I'm hoping she works on those over the winter--I think they'd be spectacularly popular.

During a mild day earlier this week, I responded to the pleas of this striking phalaenopsis orchid to rescue it from sure death at a department store. It's a vigourous, healthy plant, and I couldn't bear to see it dwindle away and die. Of course not!

The crisp white blooms of this cyclamen are so beautifully dipped in fuchsia, a great cheerful colour for this time of year. Cyclamen like a cool room so they thrive in my office, and then go outside for the summer. Sometimes, they collapse and die despite the best of care, so don't take it personally if they do. That's plants for us.

To further encourage us that we'll make it through the winter, the first of my forced hyacinths are beginning to open, filling the hallway with the scent of spring. Not everyone enjoys the scent of hyacinths, but I like them and am always happy when they begin to flower.

And the most definite sign that we'll see spring once again was found outdoors a week or so back. These are the buds of hellebore 'Golden Sunrise', which I bought last year and nurtured tenderly throughout the year. I went out to see how this plant was doing and found it budding nicely under the snow, took its photo for posterity, then replaced the snow gently, and mulched with evergreen boughs. I'll see them again in a couple months time. Spring always finds us again...eventually.