Christmas Cactus Blooming

Is it Thanksgiving Cactus or Christmas Cactus? 

I transplanted my cactus plant to new, rich soil and a larger part in late October. It was just coming out of the dormant period, to stimulate blooming. I was a little concerned that the roots would have to get somewhat re-established. 

It seems the blooms that came in late November were a little bit thwarted. Not quite as sharp as last year. None the less the picture above shows  relatively healthy bloom. Next year will be the real test. 

A larger question for me is this: Is this plant traditionally a Thanksgiving bloom or more  a Christmas bloom? Or does it depend entirely on when you place it in a cooler temperature and less light to trigger the bloom? 

The Art of the Deep, Red Rose

 

They say that Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What do you say? How beautiful is the Red Rose? What words do you use to describe its nature? Magnificent. Charming. Stunning. Poetic? 

This picture is of a miniature red rose that I bought at Giant Eagle for Valentines Day. It was in a small garden pot and I transplanted it into a larger pot, and enriched it with my magic soil. Within a few weeks the rose bush was responding well to the rich soil. Two small rose buds were on their way. The bloom you see here is the third bloom, with a fourth in the background.  

The astonishing thing is that this rose is on a shelf in my kitchen window; southern exposure. It enjoys about a half day of sun. That is all it needs to thrive and provide so much enjoyment. I water it conservatively. You can tell the leaves look very healthy and the bloom is bright with partial sun caressing the petals. 

The surprise I experienced when I got this plant home is that there were multiple stems in the pot. At the end of May, 2021 I plan to transplant the separate roses (4) into their own pot. I am eager to see how abundant the growth will be. My decision to buy this miniature rose was based upon the fact that a dozen of long stem roses cost $30.00 and they only last a few weeks in a vase. I spotted the small pot of live roses and decided it was a better and more permanent solution to my Valentine goals. 

My wife loved the rose, and now that it has bloomed numerous times she is very pleased I bought it rather than a dozen long stems. You may want to consider Miniature live Roses  for next Valentines Day. Perhaps you will be as pleased as my wife and I were with the result. The drama continues. Happy growing.   
 

First Red Geranium Blooms In Kitchen

This kitchen window sill has about five geraniums in pots; some bigger and some smaller. There is also a pure White geranium that is gorgeous. These flowers were kept dormant from Mid October to early January when I peeked into the Green Garbage bag and spotted buds starting. I knew it was time to plant them in my garden pots with magic soil. I also placed them under the grow lights and provided heat from heating pads.  Within one week, the buds were producing lovely green leaves. Its so much fun. I may have started a little early. My wife said, one or two flowers would have been great; but five? I have geranium cuttings in my office that I am trying to root. They are in water glasses. I also have four mother plants that I will use to generate more cuttings. So much fun. See you in the Garden. 

Popular Peony Bloom Begins May 28, 2019

One of the most popular old fashioned perennials is the Fragrant Peony. Stage 1 of the blom is when the tight bulb forms and the ants start crawling on the colorful tightly wound bud. The bud is almost a perfect globe. The sun is so bright today, the flowers are starting to open. I have a hot pink, white and two tone peony.

Caesars Brother Blooming in Garden of Deegan May 28. 2019

Caesars Brother is a prolific Siberian Iris bloomer, with an ever increasing audience of stems and thick, almost stump like base of roots. It is quick in its drama but worth the experience. Many of natures beauties are like this. You enjoy them for the moment and get a few great pictures. You almost need a Bob-cat to dig them out and thin them. It is time to thin this one. Not sure how I will accomplish this. A chain saw would be perfect.

This view shows the other tall stems, so you get an idea of how full the 

'bush' is. 

How to Re-cycle summer Geraniums and Save Dollars

Snow-White Geranium Bloom

Elegant simplicity is an accurate theme for this splendid new white geranium bloom. This is my first bloom on the white geranium flower, gracing my kitchen, on the southern windows. The white is so bright and the bud is so tender and fresh. It is hard to communicate the delight I experience with the first bloom.

Common Red Geranium 

The second picture is the first red bloom from a geranium cutting that I made this Spring. This is more of a traditional red, or ordinary red. Common red, may be a more accurate description. None the less, it is a long stem, reaching for the light and it almost gives the impression of being a Christmas flower.

How to Start our Own Geraniums from plants you dig up in the fall

If you think you would enjoy having early geranium blooms in your kitchen next Spring here are a few simple steps to make it happen. Plan ahead and make a note on your calendar. (bring in a few geranium plants)

1. Dig up a healthy geranium plant about one week before typical frost arrives ( third week of Oct in Ohio)
2. Shake the dirt off the roots gently and whatever falls off is fine. Its OK if some dirt remains.
3. Allow the plant to remain outside for a day or two. Shake the remaining dirt that may have dried in two days.
4.  Remove any spent blooms and stems that are yellowing.
5. Place the geranium plants upright in a big plastic garbage bag. (place as many as five or six plants)
6. Tie a knot at the top of the bag and punch about 20 air holes in the plastic using your pointing  finger.
7. Attach the bag on a nail that is pounded  into a rafter in the basement. There should be good air flow around the bag, and it should hang freely, with nothing pushed up against the bag.
8. Around January 1 take a peek in the bag (through an expanded air hole)   and see if buds are starting to protrude from the plant. If so, this is a good time to take those budding plants out of the bag and plant them in an appropriate sized (Plastic) flower pot. Save a five gallon container of good planting mix from the fall and keep in the basement, starting in late October
9. Before planting, remove any dried out stems that were on the plant in the fall and discard.
10. Mix up some good planting soil in the fall. Ideally you want 50% peat moss, 25% pearlite and 25% humus (rich black soil) Mix in a wheel barrow and then place in a five gallon bucket. (can get these at Home Depot)     
11. Planting your geraniums. Put some of the good planting mix  into the flower pot and stand up your plant, and then place soil around the entire plant to stabilize it. Place the pots on a stable shelf, table, at a southern window exposure. Place a drainage plate underneath and give the plant a good drink of water. Give the plant a drink about once per week.Make sure there are drainage holes in the bottom of your flower pots. Do not over water, if the soil does not seem to be drying out in a week.
12. You will see steady growth of the buds that have started, and soon new leaves will appear and before long, after a few months, (April, you will see your first flower buds and blooms to follow shortly thereafter. Enjoy your hand crafted, re-cycled  new geraniums.

Typically, geraniums cost about $4.00 per plant at the greenhouse. So if you like to watch your penny's, there is a nice little savings opportunity here as well. Obviously, it adds up if you eventually do about a dozen plants.

I generally avoid planting my hand crafted geraniums into my garden until after Memorial day; when the threat of frost is virtually gone. Happy planting. If you have any questions, you can subscribe to my Blog and make comments. I will post an answer. See you in the garden. 

First Red Geranium Bloom

My favorite color of geranium (pelargonium) is a deep red. (sometimes I think of it as a fire engine red or blood red. The first geranium bloom  is always special.

I re-plant several dormant geranium plants in mid January (when they start budding in the dark green garbage bags in the basement) It usually takes a few months for them to produce a bloom. The sun continues to get brighter and warmer as the plants grow more leaves. Eventually the first blooms begin but it takes longer than outside to produce a flower. The plants are placed in a southern exposure where the mid day sun gives them a splash of warmth for five or six hours.

I also have a snow white geranium blooming and a more traditional red geranium has just shed its petals. Soon, I will move these flowers to my greenhouse for a good shot of humidity which will stimulate faster growth and more blooms. Eventually, I will transplant some of these flowers into large pots for my deck and some will go directly into my front yard flower bed. I usually wait until memorial day to transplant to the garden. I am old fashioned and have learned from experience that there is not point in exposing these sensitive plants to a possible late frost. The frost will wipe them out. Even though the odds are small, I don't take the chance.

Happy geranium growing this season. See you in the Garden.