Okay, so it’s only day two of Cathy’s Week of Flowers and I’m already cheating a bit. These are the flowers of my winter garden, a fancy name I like to use when referring to the fluorescent shop lights in the back of the (slightly) heated garage. From now until the weather warms again it will be my garden home base where I sow seeds, strike cuttings, repot and pot up all the plants which don’t mind living on the cool side, but prefer not to freeze.
Geraniums (Pelargonium cvs) don’t mind cold nights and cool days and will flower all winter.
Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) are almost a required flower for any indoor grower. This treasure was given to me by a friend who collected and grew on seed from one of his own bulbs. I love it!
In a good winter I’ll have a few primula seedlings potted up and ready to crack out of the ice mid-winter, to bring indoors to force along. Sadly this year the primula seedlings were a neglected bust…
On and off through the winter an occasional succulent will throw up a flower stalk. This Echeveria (E. diffractens I believe) is usually quick to develop flowers once it comes indoors, showing off this bright orange explosion of color from December into February.
Hopefully no one has been offended by all these mentions of cold and winter and ice, but I’m sure Kathy has fired up the troops and there are more summerly visions of flowers if you need some warming up! Give Cathy’s Week of Flowers a visit for all the links and I’m sure she’ll have a good dose of color from her own garden as well. Enjoy!
sorta like suburbia 
I love your winter garden, Frank. I imagine it is a hopeful refuge in the depths of winter.
Thanks! It’s an excellent hiding place for those cold winter days and those early winter nights
Wow, that Hippeastrum is gorgeous! Your winter garden looks so welcoming, although I suppose it isn’t very warm in there actually! The plants all look really happy though and I do admire your devotion to them even in winter. Love the Echiveria flower too.
Isn’t the amaryllis nice? I’m sure an expert would cringe at its basic, wavy-wild look, but I think it’s great. The weather in my winter garden ranges from warm sweater on a chilly, chilly day to regular house-clothes on most average mornings.
Oh, how lovely to see those bright flowers on a dreary, cold day! That orange echeveria…wow! How cold would you say it gets in your winter garden?
I love that echeveria as well! I had no idea the flower would be so bold when I bought it.
On a real cold, windy day some of the pots on the windowsills will freeze, but that’s a once a winter event. Usually it’s in the 50-60’s range.
That Echeveria is a stunner. What a boost to morale to see that in December. I love Primulas and just ordered some online after telling myself I would make no plant purchases before the first of the new year. Ha. Knew I was kidding myself.
You can’t go wrong ordering primroses. I might have to do the same this year since my seed efforts this year were a bust and the ones in the yard tend to fade away unless I water and fertilize… which I didn’t!
These delicate plants that you overwinter sure must like your attentions. The flowers show the care.
Thanks. Of course I don’t show the corners where things are fading away and suffering 😉