A good time for flowers to stay inside

It's been in the single digits almost every day this week, but my strategy is to ignore the temps. There's nothing to be done; this is a time to sit around the fire with friends, visit the botanical gardens, browse through catalogs, and, oh yes, tend to a thriving indoor garden that now consists of about 40 hyacinths, 60-some houseplants in various stages of activity, and some other seasonal bulbs. I'm still waiting for all of my amaryllis to bloom, but most of the narcissus are either blooming or about to.


Here is the Erlicheer, which really creates one of the most upright and bountiful floral displays I've seen from one of these. It cam from Old House Gardens. Grand Primo is also blooming and I expect Grand Soleil d'Or and Golden Rain to pop out over the next week or so. Martinette will be the final one; maybe even a February GBBD.


With the humidifier and lights going every day, I've now managed to spoil my plant room into thinking it's summer. The gardenias demand more water than usual (no leaf drop though) and the orchids are responding as well.


The houseplants I've always had are having a very long bloom season; I don't think I've seen the African violet out of bloom since maybe summer. I am looking forward to seeing what this plectranthus will do when I take it outside this year. I'm guessing it won't get buggy, based on the interesting musky fragrance coming from—I think— the foliage, not the flowers.


There is lots to anticipate over the next few months (the Isabelle hyacinths, above) , including some double tulips I'm trying to force for the first time. We'll see how that goes. As many of you know, Garden Blogger's Bloom Day is the creation of Carol/May Dreams Gardens.