Thursday, December 15, 2016

Mid-December Flowers


Despite the cold weather outside and sudden changes of temperatures  -10 ° C up to + 5 ° C, my indoor plants are doing well, and even some of them have begun blooming. Dracaena, dieffenbachia, cacti, Saintpaulia are growing well. Even the garden plants that had been moved to the city are healthy under special lamps that are on to increase a light day.

I bought Clivia few years ago and it has never bloomed before this December when to my surprise a spike appeared, several flowers have blossomed and there are more buds.

I learned that the Clivia usually blooms in a cool, bright place and I have before tried to make such conditions but it did not blossom and now ... the beautiful flowers opened for Christmas.

Schlumbergera is considered a very capricious home plant. Here we name it 'Decembrist' because it usually blooms in December. Another name is 'Christmas cactus', it wildly lives high up in the trees of rain forests and jungles. 
As a home plant it lacks light either it's too much, needs a certain temperature for flowering, a pot with the plant can not be moved when buds appear because the buds tend to twist towards the light, which can make them drop off. 

And you have to water it a bit, and so on. I have done all the necessary: reproduced the natural growing conditions, haven't moved the plant pot. And Schlumbergera has had buds and beautiful flowers have appeared. 

And finally the plant that is very thankful for little care, it's pelargonium, the variety 'Royal pelargonium'. Having been moved to the city it blossoms as mad, its velvet dark purple striped flowers appear time to time, it's a pleasure.



Do you grow these plants inside or outside? Do they bloom well every year?


48 comments:

  1. You have a summer garden on your windowsill! These plants give me a nostalgic feel. My mother used to grow them. Groetjes Hetty

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    1. Summer on the windowsill and snow outside, Hetty!

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  2. Están preciosas, mi cactus de navidad todavía no ha florecido el pelargoniun esta fuera de la casa y florecen en primavera y verano. Besos.

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    1. Estoy segura tu schlumbergera va a florecer, solo el necesita un sitio frio, Teresa.

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  3. Look at the color you are surrounded with. Beautiful. I do not have any blooming house plants this year because we are going to be gone for the month of January. There is nothing like a blooming plant when the temps are frigid. It perks you right up. :-)

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    1. Yes, it does, Judy, you're right. I'm especially glad that clivia blooms this year.

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  4. Oh, how lovely flowers! We also blooming cacti. 2 white and 2 pink. Greetings

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    1. Nice cacti, Anne. Mine do not bloom, maybe later :(
      Happy week!

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  5. Hello Nadezda, your flowers look lovely - as they always do.
    I like Clivia very much, but haven't tried to grow it here in Finland. The second photo is my favourite, are those wonderful splashes of light sunrays? :)
    One pink pelargonium is still having flowers in a cool room where they are stored, but otherwise they all look a little bit unhappy. (I don't use lamps.)
    Thank you for your comment today. I knew you would appreciate good music. :)
    Have a lovely rest of the week!

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    1. Yes, it was a sunny day and Clivia flowers bathed in sun light, at that moment I took a picture. Of course, now in dark season the plants do not feel well, it's understandable.
      Happy week, Sara!

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  6. Now you have a pretty little garden in the House. I do not have to do another flower Happiness, I do not want in my house to grow. I greet and thank you for visiting me.

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  7. Oh Nadezda!
    Your Clivia is beautiful and the color is also beautiful.
    What a beautiful color is your Pelargonia Royal.
    Greetings.
    Lucja

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  8. I have a Christmas cactus in my conservatory. So nice your French Pelargonium is still in bloom, mine are already in winter rest, I store them just frostfree. The Clivia reminds me to my grandmother, she had a giant one which flowered every year. Your Clivia is doing great now, I suppose from now on you will have flowers every year.
    Regards, Janneke

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    1. I do hope as well Janneke. I've been waiting for years Clivia's flowers, and they're so pretty. Interestingly you named this pelargonium 'French' and we name it 'Royal'. However it's lovely flower.

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  9. You have some beautiful blooms this cold month! I have a couple of clivias that were given to me several years ago and they usually bloom in January of February. Schlumbergeras are a favorite and I have many as one of my plants got some sort of disease and parts of it kept falling off and I kept rooting the fallen segments. Happy Holidays, Nadezda!

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    1. No doubt you have many home plants Peter. I did the same with Schlumbergera fallen parts, I hope they will have roots I keep them in a small pot.

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  10. They are so beautiful! And wow, you are getting some frigid weather there :) good for drinking cocoa though!

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    1. Ha, ha I love cocoa, Keith. The weather is enough cold, no frost, it's time to be at warm home looking at burning logs in a fireplace.

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  11. Absolutely gorgeous, Nadezda! I love how you captured every magical and beautiful detail! Thank you so much for sharing.

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  12. Your flowers are really beautiful, Nadezda !!
    Greetings

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  13. ☆ه° ·.
    Belas flores em belas fotografias.

    Que o menino luz de Belém esteja em nossos corações, no Natal, mas também em toda nossa vida!

    Bom fim de semana!
    Beijinhos.

    ✧°ه.‿⎠

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    1. Gracias, Ines, tienes razon, es la luz en nuestros corazones.

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  14. Bom dia, lindas fores, mesmo com o muito frio se desenvolvem, as fotos são magicas.
    Bom domingo,
    AG

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    1. A pesar del invierno mis flores crecen bien, Antonio, gracias!

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  15. Lovely flowers Nadezda! I follow you:) Kisses :)

    xxBasia

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  16. The Clivia are beautiful - love the orange color.

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  17. Hi Nadezda! Thank you for visiting my blog :)

    Your recipe for an easy Charlotte apple pie is great. The reason mine came out flat is that
    I didn't use real sugar, and that's because my husband has diabetes. The pie still tasted good :)

    Greetings from Finland !

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  18. It is funny, I am not a particularly clever gardener but I generally find Christmas cactus easy to grow, and not fussy. I would love to be able to grow a pelargonium as beautiful as yours, indoors. How do you do it?

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    1. Jenny, pelargonium needs to be watered and grows well itself. No problem. Christmas cactus is capricious, it may not to be flowering for years. So if you purchase pelargonium you'll have nice indoor plant many years.

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  19. Replies
    1. So do I, roughterrain crane. Have a nice week!

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  20. I also have a Clivia, about a two decades now. It tends to flower littlebit later - in February or March. Your winter bloomers are beautiful!

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    1. You have so old Clivia and it still flowers, Tistou. It must be a large plant, isn't it?
      Have a nice week!

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  21. Wow! what gorgeous flowers. I have a Christmas Cacti but it has not flowered so far. You must be having lots of windows to have such gorgeous flowers grow inside the house. I loved the first flower (forgetting its' name). I have not grown them.

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    1. KL, I have enough windowsills and they are full of plants - some are inside ones and others are from my garden overwintering in the city. The first flower is Clivia, I do love it too.

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  22. Boa tarde, mais uma vez apresentas lindas fotos das maravilhosas flores, são lindas.
    Votos de feliz natal em família,
    AG

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