Indoor blooms

Between this cold (of the rhinovirus variety) and this heat (of the solar variety) I've spent most of the last few days inside, and much of that sleeping, reading, and coughing. While the cough lingers, I've started to regain some energy. Enough that I spent Sunday morning lugging watering cans around for a couple hours to water some of the plants I've added this spring. I didn't get to the plants on the west side of the house or the ones growing in shade, but since almost an inch of rain fell before the heat arrived, I'm not too worried about them waiting a couple more days.

With energy to walk around, the urge to document also returned. Though blooms are abundant outside, I wanted to share some of the flowers that kept me company inside while I lacked the energy to do much outside.

Ascofinetia Moonlight Fireflies is blooming with pale peach blooms. Starting out almost white, they age to the color below and have a delicate fragrance like, but unlike, lemon blossoms. Helpful description, no? Actually, a couple days after writing this post the fragrance has changed to a heady mix of vanilla, chocolate, citrus blooms, and less definable components I will simply describe as "orchid-y." This little plant is only about 4 inches tall. It's produced several offsets which I hope are approaching blooming size so I can get more of these delightful little flowers.

Streptocarpus 'Bristol's Waterbug' is not as blue as advertised (a familiar story) but still beautiful. This is its first bloom. Hopefully the first of many.

The candy corn flowers of Guzmania musaica are still going.

Renanetia Sunrise (a hybrid between Neofinetia falcata and Renanthera imshootiana bears fiery blooms atop a tall stem.

I don't have updated photos of the rest of these, but I have several other plants blooming inside. My three rex type begonias are also blooming, with slightly varying pink blooms. I like the female blooms best, with the big, winged ovaries that make me think of strange, alien pterodactyl heads. Hoya carnosa currently has six umbels of powerfully fragrant flowers. Phalaenopsis Rong Guan Mary continues to bloom, though it has dropped a couple, proving that it isn't a fake plant (or that it was poorly glued together). Leptotes bicolor still bears two starry white blooms with pink lips. My peloric Phalaenopsis equestris has an inflorescence that continues to grow with swelling buds. When it opens I'll share it with you.

I'm happy both that I'm starting to feel better and that temperatures are supposed to moderate a bit as the week goes on. I can handle 80F, especially if the mornings are closed in by low clouds and fog as predicted.

Comments

  1. Glad to hear that you're gradually getting better. Hopefully very soon you'll be good as gold again and get back to full on gardening :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, guys. Unfortunately the full on gardening I have to get back to is mostly watering and weeding. I'm going to try not to plant much until fall.

      Delete
  2. Great news that you're regaining energy. Colds are awful any time of the year but spring/summer with all of the fun stuff to do in the garden is even more miserable! Lots if interesting blooms inside!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Peter. Not to mention I had trouble getting things watered over that hot weekend. At least I got the things in full sun.

      Delete
  3. No doubt being surrounded by beautiful blooms helps in your on going recovery. The Waterbug is very pretty even if it isn't a true blue. Very few I can think of that are :-) The end of the week will bring relief in the the weather: hand in there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm sure it did. :) I do really like Waterbug, despite it falling short of true blue. I hope it grows faster than the last two I tried. They didn't survive a round or two of houseplant culling. I'm looking forward to the cooler weather later this week. It's only after the temperature surpasses 80 that I'm grateful for it to be that low.

      Delete
  4. Colds suck! It's good you had some indoor blooms to cheer you up. Glad you're starting to feel better.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Good companions for a shut-in. I'm feeling like a shut-in myself today, hiding from the heat.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah, another heat hermit! Someday I'd like to live close to the ocean so I can have nice cool summers.

      Delete
  6. These are such wonderful plants, Evan, and, with the exception of the Streptocarpus, wholly unfamiliar to me. I hope your cold is on its last legs and you regain your former stamina soon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Kris! Coughs tend to linger for me longer than most, so hopefully this time it will go away relatively quickly.

      Delete
  7. I got to spend a couple of the hot weekend days at the cool beach, so missed some heat, though I was wondering if my plants would be toast when I returned, but they are mostly OK. I'm glad you are feeling better. The Moonlight Fireflies look more like fairies to me. Some in the nursery industry lie so much about blue in flowers, they should sentence them to only growing Delphiniums. I love Streptocarpus, so tough. The Renanetia Sunrise are fabulous, such a riot of reds and various shapes and embellishments, like fireworks. My hoyas are blooming too, I love the fragrance. I had a laugh over your fake-appearing orchid bloom descriptions, so funny.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts