Yes, I know it may not be winter where you are, but it sure is here. Cold, sunny, with about 6 feet of snow on the ground (a whole new foot in the last few days). So, no blooms outdoors, but indoors: it’s spring!
Dozens of plants are in bloom. Here are just a few of them.
Neomarica northiana, called the walking iris because its bloom stalks bend over with babies on the tip that root, so it spreads by “walking”. The flowers only last a day each, but there are always several per stem. Still, it is certainly not a long-blooming plant: take a photo when it blooms or you may not see another for a whole year!
Aloe vera: yep, the medicinal aloe. It doesn’t bloom very often for me: every few years. Of course, then I appreciate the stalks of greenish yellow blooms all that much more!
And finally, my Thai hybrid crown-of-thorns (Euphorbia x lomii cv) is always in bloom. I have it stuffed back behind other plants, so I can only get a glimpse of the flowers. That was a silly thing to do! Next time I clean up the greenhouse, I’ll give it center stage!
I’ve been growing aloe vera for a few years now and they just haven’t bloomed yet. To be honest, I didn’t even know aloe vera plants could bloom until now 🙂 The Euphorbia hybrids looks fantastic! I have this plant in every room.
Thank you for sharing this glimpse of your indoor spring amidst the winter season. It sounds like a wonderful way to enjoy the beauty of nature even when the weather outside is cold and snowy.
All sorts of Aloe bloomed through winter, and some of them continue to bloom.
Eleven Walking Iris blooms so far this winter. Beautiful sight. 🙂
How long did it take your aloe vera to bloom? I have one that is several years old and I honestly didn’t even know they bloom! Is there any way you know of to encourage it?
I’m more than a bit slow to respond (I didn’t realize there was a “Comments” button!), but here goes: my Aloe vera took about 10 years to bloom for the first time and now blooms every 2 to 3 years. I did nothing special: it just has to mature.
Well, it would seem that I have a few years to wait then! Thanks so much for getting back to me! 🙂