(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.

---

(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.

---

(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.

---

(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.)