Amaryllis Beauty

How lucky we were to enjoy the incredible blooms of this amaryllis in early January. It missed Christmas by two weeks but we didn't care.




This bulb was purchased in the fall of  2015, so this was its second blooming. It is called "Flamenco Queen" and this time there was just a single stalk with four blossoms (last year it had three stalks and twelve blooms!) but it reached a great height, 35.5" from top of bulb to tip of bloom! Watching the buds open is great fun.

 What a beauty, and how perfect for the Christmas season with its rich deep red speckled petals and bright green throat. I so enjoy my amaryllis "collection" especially in the dead of winter as my perennial gardens slumber through the cold winter months.
I have four other bulbs "resting".... I must check them today to see if there are any signs of new shoots sprouting. More fresh blooms in February would be nice, wouldn't it?

Have you ever had an amaryllis?

I am linking to Mosaic Monday at Normandy Life. Be sure to stop by to check out the other mosaics.




Peace,
Linda

"Flowers always make people better, happier and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul."  ~ Luther Burbank

A Christmas Beauty

"Oh the weather outside is frightful...."   Well, not really, but that's how the song goes! The backyard has actually been quite beautiful after several recent snowfalls. It's not quite so "postcard perfect" right now but don't these photos just make you want to sing "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...."


















I'm not the biggest fan of the winter season, but  I do love these gentle snowfalls when the snow sticks to the trees and turns the backyard into a winter wonderland. It doesn't take too long for the novelty to wear off though, and that's when I love being able to turn my attention to some indoor beauty.

Coming downstairs in the morning and seeing this beauty blooming on my windowsill just puts a big smile on my face. I have amaryllis in several different colors, but this new one is my current favourite. It's name is "Flamenco Queen" and it was a new purchase this fall. You pay more for a larger bulb, but it is SO worth it.

It was already sprouted when I bought it in mid November. I potted it up and after about a week, it just took off! The first stalk, seen here, had five blossoms. We are now enjoying the second stalk with four blossoms and there is a third shoot, about 15" tall right now, so more blossoms still to come. Definitely worth the few extra dollars I paid for the larger bulb. As you can see the petals are a deep red on white, mottled on the upper petals and spotted on the lower, with a bright green centre. How perfect for Christmas!!

What a joy to look at such delicate beauty each day. The blooms are large and the current stalk is so tall I had to tie it up for support. Right now it is 32.5" from the top of the bulb to the tip of the blooms! I wonder if the third stalk will be even taller?!

Another amaryllis (a pure red, I think) is budded and growing quickly, I think it will bloom before the third stalk on Flamenco Queen. The bud is just starting to break open, so I think the timing will be just about perfect for a big red blossom on Christmas Day! I bet Santa will love it!

I am linking up with Judith's Mosaic Monday here.   Do drop by and see all the lovely seasonal mosaics.

Peace,
Linda

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful." ~ Norman Vincent Peale

A Giveaway Win!

I believe in giving praise where praise is due, and today I'm patting Canada Post on the back! I won a Giveaway at Holly's blog Through my Window on Monday, she mailed the package on Tuesday afternoon and I received it this morning! Wow! That's good service. My recent Giveaway which went to Dasha in Australia was there in less than two weeks... also impressive.  (We won't talk about the fact that my daughter's birthday card took almost three weeks to reach her, just two provinces away...)  I mailed a small package off this week to Ontario, I sure hope it arrives in good time as these others have.
Back to my Giveaway winnings. Holly has sent me a copy of Quilting Arts, Issue 71, in which she has an article published (how exciting!) along with a pack of Swatch Buddies (and refills), a beautiful bookmark that she made and one of her Fiber Art cards. How lucky am I?! Thanks so much Holly! Can't wait to read your article when I climb into bed tonight!

We have another mystery on our hands. Last night hubby left a large rolled tarp on our deck - not "out in the open" but rolled up in the sheltered corner, right by our "back door" hidden behind the barbecue.  No one could see it there, it was totally out of sight, not to mention hidden by the snow banks... This morning it was gone. There was no wind, so we're quite sure it didn't blow away. It is nowhere to be seen, not in our backyard or the neighbour's.. And it's too big/heavy to blame on Stumpy... lol   Could there still be leprechauns around?

A friend is away for a few weeks and the day before leaving, she brought me her budded amaryllis to "babysit"  while they're gone. Lucky me - the very next day it started to bloom. I've been enjoying it all week, and feeling a little "guilty" that she's missing its beauty while I get to gaze at it every day... I guess this is my lucky week...   :)

Peace,
Linda

"Winning is only half of it. Having fun is the other half." ~ Bum Phillips

End of the Week This and That

We've had a few days of sunshine this week, it sure feels good - to kitties and people alike! When Ollie isn't puddle-jumping around the house, trying out every little puddle of sun, he's in his favourite spot on his little windowsill bed behind the couch, soaking up the sunshiney warmth while keeping an eye on the birdfeeders just a few feet away. He chatters at the birds and squirrels, and I occasionally see him licking his lips. It's probably a good thing I can't read his mind...

We are enjoying two blooms on an amaryllis, one bud still to open. It was one that had died down and I was ready to put it away for a few months rest, when I noticed the tip of a sprout... what the heck? Could it be? I waited a few days and sure enough, it was a growing bud. They are such fun to watch, you can almost see them shooting up. This one is currently 29" from bottom of pot to top of bloom. Isn't it beautiful?

The winner of my Grow Your Blog Giveaway received her package yesterday - I was impressed - all the way to NSW, Australia in less than two weeks!! Congrats Dasha, I hope you enjoy using my photo cards! Waving Hello from snowy eastern Canada! (Big ThankYou to DD Laura for making this map for me...)

I also won a giveaway in the GYB Hop, and it arrived in my mailbox this morning! Yay! Don't you love getting mail? I mean real mail, not bills or flyers!! Thanks to Nan of Nanmade for the lovely earrings! You can see more of Nan's wonderful jewelry creations in her Etsy shop here. Waving Hi to you too Nan!

The view from my studio window last night, 6:30pm. No retouching or editing.Beautiful!

I can hardly believe this but I am approaching my thousandth blog post!! I will be having a special giveaway to celebrate, so stay tuned! Don't worry, I'll give you lots of notice!!  :)  It's just a small way for me to show my appreciation to all my faithful readers, followers and bloggy friends! I really do appreciate your visits and your interest in my crazy life, and I especially appreciate those who leave me comments. I know I have many readers who never comment... maybe it's time for you to change that? Why not let me know who you are and where you're visiting from..?

That's all for now. It's currently -7°C (19°F) but the sun is shining, so it's a good day! The days are
getting longer and with tomorrow night's time change, we'll have another hour of daylight in the evening. You can feel the sun getting stronger.. spring IS coming.... I'm sure of it.  Can you see my big happy grin?

Peace,
Linda

"In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous."  ~Aristotle

Simple Beauty

I'm busy busy today so just a very quick post to share this beauty with you. My (supposed to be PINK) amaryllis has four lovely scarlet blooms, with another stalk and swelling bud containing hopefully another 3 or 4 blooms still to open. The stalks are not as tall, nor the blossoms as large as some I have had. I bought this one later in the season and it was already growing in the box. I think this often results in one that is not as tall; I've gotten better results when buying these as soon as they appear in the stores, so the tip of the growing stalk/bud is just barely peeking out of the bulb. Just my thoughts, no scientific proof here.... And as for the size of the blooms, this bulb is smaller. Often you will see two prices on the amaryllis "kits"- the higher priced one will be a larger bulb (more mature) and this will give you a larger plant.
Regardless, it is beautiful- what's not to love about  gorgeous fresh blooms in the midst of  a cold snowy winter?!! So, no more talk. I'll just let you enjoy the beauty....

Peace,
Linda

"Each flower is a soul opening out to nature." ~ Gerald De Nerval

Blossoms and Birthdays

The last day of February. Yay! I don't feel one bit sad to say Goodbye February. For a "short" month, it sure has felt plenty long! On to March and hopefully some signs of spring.  So, just to get us in the mood for spring, I couldn't resist sharing a few more amaryllis photos with you. Both are now in bloom, 3 blossoms on the coral one and two open on the deep red with two more buds still to unfurl. You can't help but feel happy when you have such beauty to gaze upon first thing in the morning.

Today is Mark's 25th birthday!! My firstborn. Twenty-five! How can that be?! He arrived home this afternoon for his Spring Break week. And Laura will be home next weekend for her 23rd birthday. I haven't seen either of them since Christmas so am looking forward to having them home for a bit. Mark's birthday cake is ready... chocolate of course... is there any other flavour worth having? Oliver had his annual checkup and shots this afternoon, and a mini pedi, lol. All is well with his world!
Flowers and chocolate and a
healthy kitty.... it's a good day!

Peace,
Linda

Birthdays are nature's way of telling us to eat more cake.

Winter Blossom Beauty

Look at the beauty that greeted me this morning. How could this not make you start your day with a smile?! I love this Amaryllis - the color never comes out really true in photos - it's actually a coral color and always has double petals. It will have only three blooms this time around, but hey, I'm happy! So lovely. I also have a red one about to burst into bloom - probably the first of four blossoms will open tomorrow. So you'll be seeing it in the near future too! Just thought I'd share the beauty with you on this cold but sunny winter's day. February is almost over... yay!!!












Peace,
Linda

"Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul." ~ Luther Burbank

Red, White and Blue....

Today I thought I'd give you a slightly different look at the ole "red, white and blue" theme. No, I haven't moved stateside,  I'm still right here in wintery white Canada. But red, white and blue is what I'm looking at these days. The white is on the outside - and it's piling up - snowing yet again tonight as another nasty storm system moves in. The red and blue are on the inside - I have a red amaryllis blooming, and my Blue Mystique Phalaenopsis orchid is still showing off, with all buds now open. So, take a moment to enjoy the beauty. Red, white and blue. A great combo, at any time of year....

This red amaryllis is a new one this year. After the bulb I purchased in November showed no signs of life after more than a month, I returned  and exchanged it for one already potted and growing. There were two stalks, the first stalk with five blooms is done and this is the second stalk- 4 blooms currently with  two more buds still to open. It is more of an orangey red and is called "Sovereign".




















Outside, the snow is accumulating. These photos were taken several days ago,when we had a brighter day - the last two days have been very grey - yep, another storm system moving in... We're supposed to get up to 25 cm. overnight- that's about 10 inches for those of you not familiar with the metric system. I can't remember a December with this much snow, not in a long time... Makes you wonder what things are going to look like in another month, if it continues like this...






My Blue Mystique orchid is still blooming. I've had it for about 6 weeks now, I think, and today was the first day that a few withering petals have dropped. This is my first ever orchid, so I am amazed that the blooms are this long lasting. Would that all blooms lasted so well! I loved the rich deep blue of the first "infused" blooms but now am enjoying the "two-tone" effect as the natural purple color has appeared with the last opening buds.

Peace,
Linda

"Colors speak all languages." ~ Joseph Addison

Winter Gardening...

It seems I may have lost my touch..... Maybe I should just stick to gardening in the summer. I purchased an Amaryllis bulb almost a month ago now, and followed the potting directions to a "T". I am not a "first time Amaryllis grower"... I have had many of these beauties before, (see header photo) and indeed still have a number of bulbs, in various stages (although, sadly, none looking like they will bloom this month). This year I bought "Minerva".







She has not budged. Nope, not one sign of growth. The bulb looks the very same as the day I potted it up, weeks ago. I think maybe I got a dud? Has anyone else had this problem this year? I keep telling myself to be patient, that she is just growing enormous roots and then will have a humongous stalk and multiple blooms.... But I'm beginning to doubt. I know, I know, I shouldn't be a doubting Thomas... "Oh ye of little faith" and all that... But I'm getting anxious!! Christmas is coming, after all.... Any suggestions from those experienced with growing Amaryllis would be appreciated. Usually these bulbs pop up pretty quickly. I'm hoping she is just a slow starter...

So it's a good thing I treated myself to another "special" plant this season. I could not resist this beautiful orchid at Sobeys several weeks ago. It has been "color infused"- in other words the blue color is not natural, and subsequent bloomings (if I'm lucky enough to get it to bloom again) will revert to the plant's natural bloom color which in this case is purple. (In fact, you can see the smallest blooms- the buds which have opened in the last week - have little blue and are mostly the natural purple color.) But isn't this electric blue, on top of the purple, gorgeous? (Kinda like those beautiful overdyed fabrics!!) Being a blue-lover, I just could not pass it by!! I have no experience with orchids at all, but I'm going to give it a try! This Phalaenopsis orchid has been named "Blue Mystique"  and comes from Silver Vase Orchids in Homestead, Florida (southwest of Miami). You can read more about Blue Mystique here.  I'll have more photos of my Blue Mystique tomorrow...

Do you treat yourself to any special plants at Christmas?

Peace,
Linda

"Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success." ~ Brian Adams

Of Kitties and Snowstorms and Blossoms...

Oliver is getting tired of  "watching winter" through the window.  I'm getting tired of winter too... Ollie loves lying on the back of the couch and it is his favourite spot on a sunny winter day when he can soak up the warmth of the sun. (I snapped this pic of him a few days ago when the sun was just catching part of his face.) But he's getting pretty bored with all this white stuff. We've had snowstorms the last three weekends in a  row and we have another doozy of a storm coming tomorrow. We're to get freezing rain and then 15-25 cm. of snow. Schools were closed yesterday and I suspect they'll be closed again tomorrow... I know we're now past mid-February and spring is only a month away (hopefully!!), but could someone please shut off the snow machine soon? Ollie and I are getting really tired of white...

So , assuming perhaps you are tired of white too, here's a little colour for you. I have been enjoying the blooms on another amaryllis. This one is a coral colour - I believe it's the same bulb whose blossom is in my header photo above. I've shared many amaryllis photos with you before so I have tried to look at this bloom with fresh eyes...from a new angle...  So just forget that snow outside and enjoy this wonderful colour - painted by Mother Nature herself. She's quite an artist. But  I am ready for her to put away her white paint  and get her more colourful palette out to once again paint our landscape...

 On a final note, my red quilt is all together. You'll see it soon....

Peace,
Linda

"In all natural things, there is something of the marvelous." ~ Aristotle

A Little Color in a White World..

Only one who has had an amaryllis really understands the "anticipation" as you watch this wonderful bulb produce its regal blooms atop towering stalks. Several weeks ago, after my Christmas red amaryllis had finished blooming (2 stalks and 8 blooms), I cut the stalks down and resigned myself to watching the (somewhat boring) leaves grow. Just a few days later, I noticed something else...could it be? In another day or two it became clear that yes, it was another bud. I had never seen this happen before (and I have had quite a few amaryllis over the years).








So I've been enjoying the entire process again, from the same bulb. Lucky me!! Now in full bloom, it has reached a height of  19.5 " from pot edge to tip of blossom. These are such amazing plants, well worth the investment. There are days when you truly feel you can see them growing. Once the bud cracks open to reveal the tightly furled petals, it is several more days before they actually open; you can watch things "shift into place" as each vertical bloom bud moves down into a horizontal position so each large funnel-shaped blossom will have space to open. Nature is amazing, for sure...

Watching the daily growth progress, seeing the buds crack open and the petals "color up",  the petals open into the huge blossoms, the entire thing is one of nature's  miracles. I am always fascinated by the long slender stamens, tipped with pollen covered anthers. The petals are velvety and there is more "variation" in the red coloring than shows here.








Even the back side of the blooms is interesting, don't you think? Look at the coloring - how the red shades almost to a purple... If I was a little buzzy bee, I'm sure I would be attracted to this beauty if it was in the garden!! Wouldn't you?

Amaryllis (pronounced am-a-RILL-iss) is a small genus of flowering bulbs with two species. The better known of the two species, Amaryllis belladonna, is a native of South Africa. They are widely available in early winter, often already potted up in time for Christmas blooming.

And.... I have another bulb sprouted; I'm not sure which one it is, so the blossom color will be a surprise. (I should label the pots.) So stay tuned for more photos - I'm happy to share some more of nature's beauty with you... especially in the midst of winter.

Peace,
Linda

"Nature is the art of God." ~ Dante

Winter Beauty Bonus!

Here we are five days into January 2013 and it's time I got back to blogging! Our nest is now empty once again as both my chickies have flown back to their "other" homes... The laundry is caught up and the freezer is a little lighter... Supper is in the oven - a nice rich Beef Stew - slowly simmering away and smelling yummy. I love "comfort food" in the winter, don't you? Stews, soups, chili, Shepherd's Pie... yummmm. Just add a salad and some crusty rolls and my tumtum is happy...ahhhhh.



I neglected to share these Amaryllis photos with you in December when this was in full bloom. It had two stalks with four blooms each. My photos are not the best, but you get the idea. It is such a treat to me to have fresh blooms in the midst of a cold snowy winter. There's not much I enjoy more than this (well, maybe chocolate.... wink...) Although the two stalks did not grow quite as tall as usual (I blamed it on the lack of sunny days) the red blooms added a festive touch to my blue kitchen! I cut down the two stems about  a week ago and placed the pot back on my kitchen windowsill to watch the three emerging leaves grow...
 



Imagine my surprise when two days ago I see this! Another big bud is growing - there's going to be more blooms! BONUS!!! How lucky am I?!! I love the anticipation  - watching each day as the stalk grows a measurable amount and the bud slowly cracks open to reveal the unfurling petals. As the long cold winter stretches ahead of us, what a treat to have this to look forward to. Of course.. the blooms never last quite long enough. Too bad they couldn't last for weeks instead of days... But hey!  I'm happy. I'm certainly getting my money's worth from this bulb!!

Peace,
Linda

"Faith sees a beautiful blossom in a bulb, a lovely garden in a seed and a giant oak in an acorn." 
~ William Arthur Ward

True Beauty...

I don't know about you, but fresh cut flowers, or having a plant in bloom, always gives me a lift and puts a smile on my face. So I thought I'd pass on the smiles today.. hope you enjoy this amaryllis which is in full bloom. This one last bloomed in January, 2011, and at that time it was quite "stunted" - the stalk only grew a few inches tall before the buds started opening. You can see it here. It's made up for that this time- it is currently 26" from bulb to top of blossom. It's a lovely coral color - very cheerful! It was a "surprise" - that is, it was NOT what was pictured on the box when I purchased it, so I cannot even tell you it's name.. I just call it "Beauty".  Enjoy!

I am linking to Little Red House for Mosaic Monday.

Peace,
Linda

He has made everything beautiful. ~ Ecclesiastes 3:11

One Word Wednesday

Anticipation....

Peace
Linda

Every gardener knows that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle... a seed waiting to sprout.. a bulb opening to the light.. a bud straining to unfurl. And the anticipation nurtures our dream.
~ Barbara Winkler