(Schlumbergera flower in the spring?)
This is the first of several updates regarding our spring plants. We apologize for the two month time period that has elapsed since the last post and we hope to update more frequently!

I think my Schlumbergera (Thanksgiving Cactus) plants at work are confused. For the past month or so my work plant has been sending out flowers a few at a time. While schlumbergera plants are not generally considered to be "spring" flowering plants , mine seem to disregard this.

(Schlumbergera photo taken in April.)
It all started when I moved the plant from my office to an area out toward a west-facing window. This area gets cooler than my office does and receives a bit more natural sunlight, rather than the fluorescent lighting my office receives. It is quite nice to take a quick stroll out of my office and admire the beautiful flowers!
(Schlumbergera photo taken today, May 29th.)
The brother of my boss recently decided that he no longer wanted to take care of his Schlumbergera plant so I decided I would. I recently placed it in the same location as the other plant and it is also getting ready to bloom. It will be delightful when I can get this other plant to flower too.


(The Schlumbergera given to me by my boss' brother.)
I guess I don't care when these plants bloom as long as I don't kill them by making them bloom in the springtime.

Another plant that was given to me by a coworker, a Kalanchoe, is flowering again. I had cut off the original flowers after they had died about a month ago . I enjoy this Kalanchoe a lot because it is yellow instead of red like the one I have at home.
(Yellow Kalanchoe Flowers.)
More to come SOON!

While Annah and I were watering our plants this weekend, we noticed that a few of them were flowering. This was surprising because it had seemed like most of the plants had slowed down during the cooler and darker winter months here in Minnesota, but apparently a few of the plants found enough energy to start blooming.

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(Annah's flowering Crown of Thorns or Euphorbia milii 'Creme Supreme'.)
Annah's Crown of Thorns or Euphorbia milii 'Creme Supreme', which we have had since January of 2008 (see Annah's post here), has decided to start blooming. This plant has small yet beautiful little flowers. It receives probably around 6-8 hours of sunlight per day and we allow it to dry out a bit before watering.

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(Red Kalanchoe flower.)
Our Kalanchoe, which has not been growing in the most ideal location, is still receiving a 3-6 hours of sunlight per day and seems to be doing well. When I first got this plant it had a difficult time adjusting the the growing conditions at the house and subsequently lost about 60% of it's leaves, but it has held on and is now seems to be healthy. While at the moment it only has one flower and one more on the way, at least this plant is alive and growing.

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(Aeschynanthus radicans or Lipstick Plant flowers.)
Our Lipstick plant or Aeschynanthus radicans receives about 6-8 hours of sunlight per day and gets a good watering every 7-10 days. The plant itself is in a pot with a hook on the top which allows me to hang it from the indoor greenhouse/shelving unit that we have. When we first moved into the house I did not have the plant hanging, but since I moved it higher up it has been receiving a little more sunlight and this has greatly helped the plant. This is the first time the plant has flowered since I purchased it, but I think the little flowers are beautiful and stunning, even though I almost did not notice them since they are such a dark red/purple in color. I would suggest this plant for anyone who is looking for a nice hanging plant.

(More Aeschynanthus radicans or Lipstick Plant flowers.)

If you have been reading this blog since last winter you will be happy to know that the Schlumbergera truncata (or Thanksgiving Cactus/Holiday Cactus) that I rooted and planted in a plastic cup -- (Read about it here and then in a subsequent post) -- is doing well and is currently flowering.


The Beginning of the Project: January 2008

In order to demonstrate how far this plant has progressed since I started this project in January, here are the photos from when I first started this project:

The cuttings were planted in their own plastic cup "pot" in the end of February. They survived the move to the house Annah and I are renting and have been growing in their new location since the middle of August.

The First Flower:

The cooler temperatures in last month or two have done wonders for all of the Schlumbergera truncata's (Thanksgiving Cacti) at our house and this is only the first of many blooms at our house. (The pictures below are close-ups of the flower shown at the top of this post)


This is the second Schlumbergera truncata post in recent weeks and will surely not be the last. Look forward for more to come in the upcoming weeks! Don't worry though, I will be posting about other houseplants/flowers besides Schlumbergera truncata's!

(Schlumbergera truncata 'Dark Marie' flower.)
On Monday of this week the blossom on my Schlumbergera truncata 'Dark Marie' at work finally opened up completely. I was very happy and astonished by the beauty of this flower since I had forgotten how beautiful it was due to this plant only producing one flower last year (which you can read more about that in this post).

I took several pictures while it was in the process of blooming so that I could document the flowering process after the flower buds had come out.


Unfortunately this flower did not last for that long since by today it had already wilted and is starting to wither away (see picture below). Fortunately there are other flower buds on the plant that are also getting ready to bloom and they will soon add another splash of beauty and color to my work office!

(Dead Schlumbergera truncata 'Dark Marie' flower.)

(NOID Plant...any ideas?)
During the past few days here in Minnesota we have been having an unseasonably warm stretch of days in the 60's and 70's, which is not what the weather should be around here. Normally at this time of the year its in the 30's and 40's and there is a usually a lingering threat of snow. I'm not going to complain though. The warm weather gave me the chance to go outside during a lunchtime visit to my parent's house. I was surprised to find the white flowers in bloom (see picture above and below) although I was unable to identify them.

(NOID Plant)
I also found my Easter Lilies (Lilium longiflorum), which I had placed out in the yard when I was still living there. I never got around to actually growing them in the garden and I am wondering if I'll be able to bring them inside during the winter. I will have to do some research on that, but luckily they are still alive and green.

(Easter Lily #1.)
(Easter Lily #2.)
I also found some Sage (Salvia officinalis) and Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) still clinging to life and ready for use in our future cooking adventures.
(Sage and Rosemary.)
Unfortunately this warm weather will not last so we better enjoy it while it does!

You may remember our post about our first Phalaenopsis Orchid. Well, Annah and I purchased another orchid about a month ago when we traveled up to IKEA to purchase a piece of furniture for our house. The newest orchid is the pink one on the right. Upon closer inspection you can see the amazing perfection and beauty of all of our orchid flowers. Click on any of the photos to see the larger picture of them. The white and pink orchid is the first one we had purchased and is still doing well. (All of these pictures were taken a month ago on September 27th except for the last three pictures at the bottom of the post.)

Scroll down to view the pictures of our orchids and then read more about the newest pictures of these orchids (and our October snow!) which I took yesterday.

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October 26th, 2008


Yesterday I decided to take more pictures to put in this post. The lighting in the room was not the best for taking these pictures, since it was late in the afternoon, but you can still get a general idea of what the orchids currently look like. All of the flowers are currently in bloom and they are both a delight to see in our bedroom. The temperature in the house is a little cooler than it was in the summertime, but the room still usually remains above 65 degrees and the orchids have so far not shown any signs of distress. They actually seem to be doing well and each of them even has new growth. It will be interesting to see if this new growth will bloom for us. In the future we definitely want to purchase more orchids to add to our plant collection!


It seems like it is a few weeks early for us to be getting snow here in Minnesota, but yesterday we had a cold, blustery, and overall awful day outside. The snow only amounted to a dusting of flurries during the day but it was the wind and the wind chill that made it awful outside. The 35-55 mph winds outside did not help the comfort level outside either. Hopefully we will have a few more nice fall days before winter is here for real.

My Schlumbergera truncata 'Dark Marie' or "Thanksgiving Cactus" at work is sending out blossoms in preparation for the upcoming bloom, which will probably occur next month. This is the first schlumbergera, of the numerous plants Annah and I purchased last year, to begin flowering.


Last year this plant only fully produced one flower due to the fact that it was adapting to new surroundings here in my office at work. During the weekend my office is darker, although not completely dark, and the office is probably around 60-65 degrees. This has probably helped induce the plant to start these flower buds.

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My Dieffenbachia 'Perfection' at work has new growth on it and the plant in general is looking good. I have a slight concern that I may have spider mites or other pests starting to colonize this plant. I will have to continue monitoring this and provide pictures eventually to see if the problem can be diagnosed.

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My China Doll (Radermachia sinica) plant is doing well since my post on my office plants. It has grown a couple of inches and has so far survived longer than the China Doll plant Annah's mom had owned. The colder weather, less humid air, and reduced amount of sunlight, might be detrimental to this plant's health in the upcoming months, but we shall see.

NOTE: Due to the high number of pictures in this post, the page might take a while to load for those of you with dial-up connections!

One afternoon while vacationing along the Oregon Coast this past August, Annah and I visited Shore Acres State Park, which is located in Coos Bay. The reason why we were in Coos Bay, Oregon in the first place was to visit my paternal grandmother who lives out there. My parents and I had been to Shore Acres State Park before during previous visits out there, but it is a nice and quaint destination which was exactly what we were looking for one afternoon.

Here is a little description of Shore Acres State Park from The Friends of Shore Acres website (http://www.shoreacres.net/)

Perched on a scenic bluff above the Pacific Ocean, Shore Acres began as a private estate with luxurious gardens featuring trees, shrubs, and flowering plants brought from around the world aboard the sailing ships of pioneer lumberman and shipbuilder Louis J. Simpson.

[The Gardens Include:]

• Hundreds of spring bulbs and daffodils - late Feb. thru March
  
• 5,000 tulips - late March thru April
  
• Hundreds of rhododendrons and azaleas - April thru mid-May
  
• 5,000 flowering annuals/perennials - May thru Sept.
  
• 600 rose bushes - June thru Sept.
  
• 250 dahlias - Aug. thru mid-Oct.
  
• 250,000 or more holiday lights (almost all L.E.D.)- Thanksgiving thru New Year's Eve.
  
• Hundreds of spring bulbs and daffodils - late Feb. thru Mar.

The weather that day was in 60s, cloudy, and lightly misting. Although sunshine would have been nice, this light mist created an environment that was very calm and soothing. The peak time for the sensational rose blossoms had already passed by, but there were plenty of other flowers to look at and photograph. We were also able to see some rabbits and a friendly chipmunk. It was delightful!

If you are ever out along the Oregon Coast and want to do something other than visiting the beaches or going fishing, then you should check out this wonderful little state park in Coos Bay!

Enjoy the pictures!