Bloom Day from the Greenhouse

A friend told me today that one of the things she liked about greenhouses was their quiet energy.  My greenhouse quiets my soul.  It makes me feel serene and helps to eliminate the stresses of my day for a little while.  There's so much beauty to be found and today I'd like to share some with you.

Mother of Millions is a common plant that is easy to share with others.  Many baby plants are born on the leaves of the mother plant, and when they fall to the ground each one sprouts into a new plant.  This plant was shared with me in this way.  I was given multiple babies and they grew and grew until finally this winter they flowered.  It was quite unexpected, and because it was unexpected, it was all the more special.

In a heated greenhouse environment, hibiscus never stop blooming, but it doesn't make them any less beautiful.

Propagated from a cutting during my Master Gardener class in October 2011, Country Girl mum is about as cheerful as they come.  My little cutting has grown up and is already blooming.  They grow up so fast.  Sigh...

Bougainvillea are rather ubiquitous here is Texas, but there are probably not many blooming in February like this specimen.

I bought this abutilon from Barton Springs Nursery where they used to have a magnificent specimen growing in a moist, shady spot.  I think it died last winter during the 17 degree cold snap.  You normally can grow these in the ground, but I've never been able to keep mine watered enough, so I've been growing this one in a pot.

During an upper east side garden tour, some generous home owner gave me my first angel wing begonia cutting.  I carried it around all day in a diet coke can till I could get home and plant it.  Today, I have many of these easy to propagate plants, which I share with anyone who asks. 

This desert rose, adenium obesum, has not stopped flowering all winter.  It really likes life in the greenhouse.

Globe mallow is not a greenhouse plant, but this guy has been living the high life in the greenhouse for months. I'm going to plant it outside in the garden soon.  I've heard these plants are reliable bloomers that will continue to bloom during a mild winter.

The wonderful smell of this Meyer's lemon in bloom promises many juicy, sweet lemons to come.

While neither of the next two plants are blooming, I just had to share them.  The first is a new addition to my collection called a paper spine cactus.  The spines are not sharp and this plant is just too cool!

My final plant is one of my all time favorites.  This is Persian Shield.  Technically not in bloom, this plant can put a lot of blooms to shame.  Grown in the shade, this plant really pops.

I hope you enjoyed these beautiful flowers from my greenhouse.

Happy Bloom Day!  Please visit May Dreams for more great Bloom Day blogs.