and a Christmas wrap up.
First things first tho because we always have our priorities in order around here! ;-)
Amaryllis 'Exotic Star:'
Another holiday bloomer.
Purchased as a fill-in for 'Papillio' which hasn't re-bloomed in over three years (squashing any notions of an "Amaryllis Whisperer" in this house...)
At least 'Exotic Star' is prolific ~ below you can see two of the three bloom stalks she generously produced:
No reason for discontent tho. Besides 'Exotic Star' and 'Cherry Nymph' (which continues to be sensational), a serious talk was had with the Clivia.
It (or rather the bloom stalk) was told to "get up out of the foliage and grow!" ha
Who says plants can't listen?
There is a believer in this house because look what happened:
A bit of a stalk! Woo hoo. More talks are planned!
Outdoors a chinook (or snow eater) wind blew throughout the day yesterday and uncovered a bit of the frozen tundra also known as our garden. Who knew what excitement a few visible blades of grass could create?? All things are relative, right?
I'm sure we'll see more of this before winter is over:
but for now a twinge of spring fever is stirring...
It's a safe bet that twinge will switch to full on "spring fever mode" after the holidays are completely over.
Meanwhile there is Peppermint Cheesecake cake to finish (recipe from the December 2011 issue of Southern Living:)
A real hardship.... :-)
And a Christmas Day mishap (everyone needs one, right?) involving the Lantana topiary I was carefully cultivating.
Completely decimated by a green-seeking puppers:
We can now testify with 100% certainty that Lantana is NOT toxic to dogs!
Hopefully it will make a comeback (in its new elevated position, safe from the reach of a certain small, four-legged friend!)
Woah...stunning photos of the Amaryllis blooms! Now I remember that visits to your blog helped sustain me last winter! Yikes, I'm glad your pooch is OK! My cat has been eating dried Hydrangea (snuck into a closed-off room when I wasn't looking) and has had intestinal issues. Duh! No wonder I don't have more indoor plants. ;-)
Posted by: PlantPostings | December 30, 2011 at 03:12 PM
well, I beg to differ Kathleen - you'd get my vote for Amaryllis Whisperer any day! :) Glad the pupster is okay... hope your plant fares as well. So hard to believe this year is almost over... wishing you and Janae a wonderful, healthy, and happy 2012!
Posted by: Alice Golden | December 30, 2011 at 07:47 PM