Thursday, January 7, 2010

I Got Babies !!


"Alright do not look at me that way."
Some feat for an old lady, huh?
Okay, so they are not of the human variety.





Iceberg


The violet leaves that I thought was going to be
written into the old garden log as " do not try this
experiment in futility ever again " are starting to
actually grow and get new leaves.





Wrangler's Dixie


You gardeners with all these green thumbs and fingers
may think " what is the big deal" or " poor woman"
but to all of my old blogging friends who have seen my
admitted failures in botany know it is an accomplishment.
By the way, green thumbs comes from pinching off those
plants not from actually growing them. Even I can deadhead
and pinch with the best of them. LOL!

Anyway.... I am glad to finally see some growth
coming from them and I still have two more pots of
violet leaves starts that the jury is still waiting out on.

Amaryillis Picotee is putting on her finale blooms
for this winter so I wanted to share it one more time
with everyone. Besides from a few bulbs starting to
show some promise and the excitement over the violets,
well that is all I got blooming now friends.










And I know, I know, I promised to not show of the
"Ragtime " amaryllis any more this winter, but what the
heck they are in the same planter.







I want to tell all of you who are getting socked in with
the recent round of snow storms to stay safe and warm
and do not forget the birds.
We have been getting a little each day for a week
and expected to get up to six more inches today to
add to the five or six, or twelve ( it depends on which
snow drift you step off into) that we already have.
So I made sure this morning that the birds had
filled feeders and water. I also see a pot of chili in the
near future.

Growing outdoors....






The Lavender is slowly disappearing
from one snow to the other and will be out of
sight after today. That will be a good thing because
it will be insulated from the cold winds then.





The yellow "Capistrano" rhododendron now has
a broken branches, poor baby.




And the leaves on all of the rhododendrons are
curling up from the cold.



Joy, maybe I should have brought this pot
indoors for the winter.





And instead of sunflowers and daisies I am now
growing snow-flowers. Anyone in the market for one?






So enjoy Picotee and....

Happy Dreams of Spring to Everyone!




22 comments:

Darla said...

Congrats on your babies!! Even an experienced gardener still feels the thrill, don't let them fool ya, lol. I love seeing the Ragtime again. Your snow photos are so beautiful...

Lona said...

Darla: Thanks hon. I hope this cold that is sinking south doesn't do any damage to your gardens.

Chloe m said...

That is most rewarding! I am happy for your new babies to take care of. I love that picotee A.
Such a beauty!
Rosey

Jane Doe said...

My best wishes go out to you and your babies! Shall I send pink or blue booties?

It's snowing like crazy here! Beautiful, soft, white. Stay warm and cozy!

Amy said...

When propogation is successful it sure is satisfying! I don't have many success stories, yet. I will keep trying. Pretty post!

Helen said...

I used to grow those kind of babies but quit fooling with violets or any inside plants. Your flowers are beautiful. Makes a person feel a little cheerful.
Yes, I have been tending to the birds. It has been snowing some but I don't think there will be any accumulation.
Stay warm.
Helen

Janet, The Queen of Seaford said...

Poor Capistrano..it looks sad. I rooted some African Violets by putting a leaf stem in water --took about 30 days for enough roots to support being planted. Kind of fun. It is my best bloomer!
Love that Amaryllis..ok, both of them.

Unknown said...

I'll pass on the snowflowers, thanks, but I'm with Darla that your snow photos are lovely. So are the amaryllis ones, but we know that I'm a big fan of those lovely flowers. So post away!

Patsy said...

I know your joy to see the new baby's. mine died. it is cold here to and we had a little snow.
Patsy

Heather said...

Congrats on the botany accomplishment! This will be a year I try to do more of that myself. I always seem to fail but maybe I will give it another whirl!

Anonymous said...

Yes, Lona ~ celebrate your victories! That's awesome. It always feel good to grow something but especially during winter and when you haven't been successful before.
I am SO jealous of 'Picotee'. I think I told you that's another bulb I ordered last fall and it is STILL just sitting there. Holy cow. I've never had that happen before. Maybe it's payback for having too many other amaryllis!? Ha ha. It's a beauty tho ~ I will definitely enjoy it as I may not ever see mine bloom.
You asked about the miniature amaryllis ~ yes, they are supposed to have smaller flowers. 'Fairy Tale' (that I had on my blog today) is taller then my regular amaryllis so I don't think the name refers to the height? I took side by side pictures of the miniature compared to a regular (Razzle Dazzle) and will post them tomorrow. There really is a big difference! Aren't Amaryllis fascinating? (or am I just obsessed?!) Stay warm.

Debra Howard said...

Your babies are beautiful. I completely understand.
Debbie

Victoria said...

Yay! Happy for you and your new babes! Wonderful! LOvely pics..awesome!!Great post!

Lona said...

Rosey; I think picotee is my favorite so far but I have others yet to bloom.

T: oh yellow will do. LOL!
It snowed like crazy here too.We got an additional 6 inches here in the hills and are on a level 2.But it is kind of pretty.

Amy: I have little success with it either so I am glad to have at least a couple.;-)

Helen: i could always send you some snow. ;-)

Janet: I tried rooting them in water but they always just rot so I tried potting some leaves and using rooting compound.

Jodi: Seems no one wants to take me up on the snow flower offer. Too bad it is even prettier today.

Patsy: Hey you and the Bennie stay warm.

Heather: I usually fail to so I was glad to finally see some growth. I just kept trying different ways and one finally paid off.

Kathleen: Tell that picotee this is its last chance, Grow! LOL. Thanks so much for answering the question on the miniature amaryllis. I will look forward to the pictures.

Debbie: I am glad someone understands my silly sense of humor.LOL.

Kiki: Thank you so much. I see you are not interested in a snow flower either. LOL

Anonymous said...

Yum, chili sounds perfect! Congrats on the violet babies, they do look promising. And it is a very big deal to do what you have done! :-)
Frances

Noelle Johnson said...

I love your babies. They are so cute. It has been years since I grew new African Violet plants from cuttings. I think I may try again?

Your photo with the tips of the lavender peeking out from the snow is priceless.

Balisha said...

Hooray for you...Isn't it exciting to see an accomplishment like this? I too love that picotee. Wish I'd ordered one, but through our blogs...I can enjoy yours. Keep warm and enjoy your chili.
Balisha

VW said...

Congratulations on the new additions! May this year bring many more (of the plant variety, of course).

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

What pretty babies! :) I've never tried rooting Violets before, but it looks like you've got it down!
I'm still waiting for an Amaryllis bloom here, getting closer though. Seeing yours is helping to hold me over.
Stay warm!

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Unknown said...

YAY!!! Congratulations on your new babies-that's so exciting. :)

My rhodie is pouting the same way yours is. Its leaves look more like pine needles than the fat evergreen leaves I'm used to seeing. I know it's a defense mechanism for the plant, but it's still amusing!

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Congrats on the babies!! What fun. I keep eyeing my sunny window (aka nursery) though, as yet, I have no new kids to brag about... :)