Tag: Cee’s Flowers of the day

AS GOOD AS IT GETS: THE FULL BLOOM OF THE CHRISTMAS CACTUS – Marilyn Armstrong

As Good As It Gets – FOTD – 12/10/2018

I’ve been following the progress of this lovely Christmas Cactus since its first bud last month and now, it has come, I think, to the end of its peak.

I watered it yesterday. The water quickly made the flowers limp as I knew it would. But the segments of the cactus were beginning to curl inward, a sign that the plant was thinking about dying too. So, there comes a moment when you either water it, or it could up and die.

I picked watering rather than death. This has been an extremely healthy plant and I’d like to give it another year to bloom a few more times. One of these days, I’ll be forced to put it in a new pot, but I shudder at the thought. These guys — as Mrs. Angloswiss discovered — have a knack for self-destructing when you try to pot them. The segments just separate. It’s what they are supposed to do, but it is very unnerving when it happens.

IF you are going to put them in a new pot, let them dry out completely first and don’t do it when they have any buds on them.

Since I didn’t want to lose it, I realized I was going to lose the last of the buds, but I watered it.

It felt like dried sand, so I don’t think it was too early. If I’m lucky, it will bloom again in a few weeks. This is, after all, the season for blooming cactus.

So these are the full blooming cactus. They are not macros, but they are shot very close, but not using the macro lens. I wanted to show more of the entire plant this time. I hope you have enjoyed the journey.

I certainly have had fun showing the process of budding, and blooming.

BETWEEN ONE DAY AND THE NEXT – Marilyn Armstrong

New Blooms – Christmas Cactus  12/3/18

Yesterday, there was one flower — beginning to look a bit weary around the edges and a lot of fat buds. Today the first flower is moving on, but three new ones are popping open.

I am sad that I can’t manage to keep a Poinsettia alive, but the Christmas Cactus makes up for it and the smaller one is just beginning to look as if it is thinking about setting buds. Funny that two essentially identical cactuses — they were both cuttings from the same friend — have such different blooming patterns.

Yesterday

TODAY

Bursting buds
Almost in bloom. Some of the petals are open
New blooms today!
The youngest flowers

 

GOLDEN FLOWERS ON A BITTERLY COLD NIGHT – Marilyn Armstrong

FOTD – November 20, 2018

Golden flowers in the bouquets of yesterday. Orange and dark yellow. It’s very gray and cold outside. I needed something warm! It is awfully cold out and there’s snow on the way. You can sniff it in the air.

‘Il n’y a plus de saison” – OUTSIDE, IT FEELS LIKE … WHAT? – Marilyn Armstrong

FOTD – November 10, 2018 – Autumn Leaf

I still have autumnal pictures, even though it’s raining. The wind came up and all day, it was like being in an oak leaf storm, with whirling leaves everywhere. It’s supposed to be over tomorrow morning, but the next day, new storm.

A rose and a brilliant Japanese maple.

The weather never really stays nice anymore. We haven’t had a single weekend without rain or three days of sunshine since last winter.

Evelyne Holingue commented that in France they now say “Il n’y a plus de saison.” Which translates to “There are no more seasons.” 

There’s definitely a seasonal blurring. We have winter and we have summer, but winter is longer than it used it be with intermittent weeks of almost summer-like weather followed by blizzards. Spring doesn’t happen and summer is one storm after another.

And there are places where the weather is more extreme than here.

Really, there are no more seasons and I think if you want to understand what climate change means, this is the beginning, that blurring of seasons and the loss of the “interim” short seasons of spring and fall.

I don’t know what comes after this because although we’ve always had erratic weather patterns here, this is somehow different. It feels different. I’m just hoping the rivers don’t rise.

This valley can flood. We’ve seen it, but never in November. Flooding is something for spring rains and snow melt-off. Meanwhile, it sure is raining hard outside.

MORE OF THE LAST AUTUMN TREE – Marilyn Armstrong

The Last Autumn Tree – FOTD – November 9, 2018

We had a second sunny day in a row. Unbelievable! But not to worry. It will rain tomorrow. Probably not until the evening. The rivers are full and they are expecting rivers to flood.

I am trying not to think about it, hoping the sump and the pump are up to the task. And our French drains are not clogged with leaves and the gutters are still viable. And the roof doesn’t leak.

The tree in all her glory

It has been raining  … major storms … several times each week and the rivers are cresting. And guess who lives in a river valley?

Amazing colors!

I went out and took more pictures of The Tree. Because after tomorrow’s storm, it won’t have any leaves left. Count on it.

I have save more pictures because I’m going to need them.

RHODODENDRONS BLOOMING IN OCTOBER – Marilyn Armstrong

Rhododendrons: Flower of the Day – October 9, 2018

My garden is a mess right now. Most of the flowers are dead and many need to be cleared out. I’ve done a bit of it, but it needs more. I’m not so steady on my feet right now, so I think it’s going to wait until I’m less likely to fall down.

Pretty and simple!

Meanwhile, my roses are blooming and there are a lot more rhododendrons. What’s even stranger is that the rhododendrons are blooming — in the middle of October. They don’t bloom this time of year.

These are our blooming rhododendrons. These are old-fashioned bushes with single, white flowers.

WILDFLOWERS OF THE DAY – ASTERS ALONG THE RIVER – Marilyn Armstrong

Flower of the Day – October 8, 2018

I always try to take pictures of the wildflowers down by the river and ponds. This time of year, mostly it seems to be Goldenrod and Asters. The asters come in a lot of colors. The ones at home are those tiny, dainty white ones with the yellow center, but the ones by the river are pink and purple and sometimes white … and occasionally bunches of them all different colors.

More asters

Meanwhile, my roses are still blooming but the rhododendrons have about tripled in size. Maybe it was because I cut back the roses? Did that give the rhododendrons room to grow?

Purple Asters

I played around with the colors and textures of the flowers. Sometimes, I can’t help it. I get artsy.