For years, I’ve been trying to get at least one of the Poinsettias I’ve bought at Christmas through the year. Some have lasted longer than others, but they’ve all died off for one reason or another – too much sun, not enough sun, too much water, not enough water…
But this year… this year I finally cracked the code!
I managed to get them through winter by putting them in a north facing window and letting them dry out just a little before rewatering. Then, when it was warm enough outside, I moved them to the woodland garden. Unlike the orchids, they didn’t get toasted by the late afternoon sun. I left it to nature to keep them watered… and well just look at them now.
They don’t look perfectly shaped like the ones at the grocery store, but they do look healthy and happy.
Now the real question… will they get enough light in the house to colour up?
Both are showing just a bit of colour. I’m hopeful that they will continue and by Christmas, look like this again….
I’ll keep you updated!!!
But in other news… about those orchids. I was lamenting that not one had a bloom stem after their vacation outside all summer.
But I was watering them the other day and look….
That, my friends… is the very beginning of what will become a long tall spike covered in flowers. It’s only one out of something like a dozen orchids…. but I’ll take it!
I’ll keep you updated on this too – but it won’t be often – orchids are very slow growers so I don’t expect to see actual blooms before the end of the year.
What I will see bloom any day now is this…
That’s the Passion Flower I have in a hanging pot. I find they do quite well indoors over winter as long as you can give them enough light and keep them from drying out. This one is hanging in an east-facing window. It has lost a few leaves, but it’s also put on this bud. In fact, it’s put on several buds.
It’s covered in them! The blooms only last as day, but they are so pretty. It’s a joy to see them unfurl.
Anything in bloom in your house?
Wandering Cat Studio 
My orchids are blooming again, thanks to your advice about putting them in an east facing window. They sure seem to like that.
Blessings,
Betsy
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I’m not good with plants, I have a few, some unidentified, and I don’t know how to look after them properly. My mother in law has a couple of orchids and gets them to flower. Cats are easier to keep alive!
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Last year’sk amaryllis spent the summer on the patio under a chair; usually we plant them in the garden but forgot it totally. I assumed it was dead (hot dry Texas summer) but we noticed a tiny tip of green so brought it in and gave it water and it now has 2 leaves, so I think it will give us a bloom shoot any day now. These guys are HARDY! Nothing to compare with your plant abilities but still it will be a nice thing to watch. Who knows, maybe our Christmas Cactus will have more than 3 flowers this year!
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Once upon a time I tried the poinsettia thing and failed miserably. I loved buying the cute little things but hated to see them on the trash heap after the New Year’s but I couldn’t keep that thing alive for anything. I stopped buying them. I admire them from afar. They really are beautiful plants.
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Congrats!
My orchid is about the same as yours. Last night I put a bent dpn in there to help the spike grow straight and tall.
My Christmas (actually Thanksgiving) cactus is in bloom, but I can’t take credit for that. I bought it that way a few weeks ago.
Enjoy all your lovely flowers. You worked HARD for them.
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Nope nothing blooming here!
Poinsettias need 12 hours of darkness for ten weeks to force the colorful bracts. Even a light turned on in a room will disrupt the colorful process.
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That should read 12 hours a day for ten weeks 🙂
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Very cool! A Christmas cactus is in bloom and an orchid is getting ready to bud!
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Your indoor gardening success is just as awesome as your outdoor gardens.
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You go!
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You sure do have a green thumb! Just a week or so ago we smelled a strange odor in our living room and discovered two blooms on our corn plant. The blooms are pretty, but the smell isn’t very nice. Nothing else is blooming at the moment except some Thanksgiving cactus plants, and they are about done. Your poinsettia photos reminded me that when we lived in San Diego, we had a poinsettia outside that was grew up to our roof! No outside poinsettias here though…
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