Saturday, April 12, 2014

Spring Blooms

 Spring is finally here! Even though I'm still in an apartment and not gardening outside, I wanted some bulbs to enjoy. So I picked up this hyacinth at Walmart, and boy does it smell great!


While I was there, I gave in to my green urges and bought this nice large palm. Never had one before, so hopefully it will be happy in my houseplant family.

 
They had this colorful bromeliad too...

 
...and I couldn't resist a new african violet with these pretty picotee blooms.


Sure hope it's as successful as the violet I've had for years, still happily blooming every couple months or so.


 My carvivorous plants are doing well, and the flytrap is putting up another bloom scape!


                    At the same time a new small 'Poi Dog' nepenthes is growing these showy pitchers.


                                                  Phalaenopsis 'Happy Girl' is still happy....

 
...even though one of her leaves is turning brown. There's plenty of healthy new growth, but her roots are becoming quite crowded. I ordered a new type of orchid pot and a specialty soil mix, I'll post the repotting when I do it (after the bloom is done).
 
 
I'm very happy with my staghorn fern, after a crispy start I finally got the watering procedure down and it's looking very promising.
 



The passionflower vine is very rambling, I'm hoping to put it outdoors this summer and get some blooms.


 Both vanilla orchids are still alive, and the solid green is looking to be much more vigorous. It's even starting to put air roots into the tree fern pole as I'd hoped it would. I'll try some orchid fertilizer to encourage the variegated to catch up.

 
 Finally it was time to begin watering the cacti again last month, and they still look pretty good for living indoors only the past 3 years. This summer they need to go out, so I'm gonna try to secure my porch and get a shelf that protects them from the elements but allows the sunshine in. If nobody vandalizes or steals them, it will be a real boost for them to get some direct sun.


If they die or disappear, then it'll be time to go shopping for more plants. Kinda win/win, I say :)