Category: Phriday Phlowers

Phriday Phlowers – Amaryllis

On By TimelessladyIn Phriday Phlowers11 Comments

The amaryllis bulb I purchased this year finally bloomed 3 weeks after Christmas; its beauty surpassed my expectations, and it was forgiven. I knew it was going to be of the apple blossom type, white with variegated pink and red lines, but I wasn’t expecting a double bloom. The beauty of the flower is awesome and reminds me to praise the Creator of the heavens and the Earth.

The macro photograph of the blossoming center shows the beautiful melding of the colors and the chartreuse green of the stems. I love the details the camera picks up that the eye sometimes misses when gazing at the flower as a whole.

The stem is quite long, 16 1/2 inches from bulb to the top to where the stems begin to bear the flowers. This makes for a spectacular display, but whenever I’ve had an amaryllis so tall, I’ve also had to stake it in some way.

To keep the plant looking natural, I usually clip off a forked Branch from one of my bushes or trees and use that to help it stand upright. I always try to choose one that follows the curve of the pot so it won’t pierce the bulb and let bacteria get into it.

I also saved an amaryllis bulb from last Christmas. I did everything required. I let the long, strappy leaves grow all summer outdoors on the porch. Sometime in September or October, I stopped watering and then cut away the yellowing and brown leaves. I could see that the top of the bulb was green, but it displayed no shoots reemerging from the top. A week or so ago, I decided to give it a bit of a nudge to get it blooming. I took it out of the cold window I’d been storing it in and placed it in a Ziploc bag on top of a heating mat. Voila, within a few days, I saw a rounded tip of a leaf at the top, and sure enough, true to its nature, the leaves started growing at a galloping rate. I am hoping it will send up a flower stalk in the next few weeks. Updates will follow.

Phriday Phlowers – Torenia/Wishbone Flower

On By TimelessladyIn Phriday Phlowers4 Comments

Torenia are one of my favorite flowers to grow in the summertime. They are low-growing and perfect for the front of a border or in pots. They don’t appreciate constant sunlight but are a good choice for half-sun, half-shade areas. Torenia flowers come in many varieties and colors, but the common thread for each flower is the wishbone inside. One of my favorite uses for Tornenia is flower pressing, and they are a staple in many of my pressed flower design cards.

Torenia holds onto its vibrant color for years when pressed. You can see the wishbone in a few of the flowers above. I use porous paper for pressing. This was an old, discarded college catalog I bought for 25 cents at the local library.

A few more examples of the color of Torenia available in many garden nurseries.

Will I ever change my mind about growing a few Torenia flowers every summer? Never!

Adding this post to Floral Friday Fotos link-up.

Phriday Phlowers – Signet Marigold

On By TimelessladyIn Phriday PhlowersLeave a comment

Yesterday, while walking in the yard, I was amazed by the blossoms of a lemon signet marigold. The plant is still going strong even though we’ve had several hard freezes and the weather is consistently cold now, as December always is in the Northeast. The plant grows along my back patio and is really not sheltered any more than something planted in the middle of the yard.

I sowed signet marigold seeds late in the summer season to fill in holes left by the annuals that came and went quickly. The seeds are from Botanical Interests, a very reliable seed source, one of two seed sources that I use every year. I just looked up the seeds in the online catalog of botanical interest, and they are once again available for a reasonable price. I also noticed they have received a five-star rating from customers in the reviews. I might add a review, and it will be a 5-star rating too. I’ve never had an annual Bloom so profusely in December.