and a Happy New Year!!!
The year (all four days so far!) is off to a good start here.
The 'Apple Blossom' Pelargoniums I potted up last fall
to save for this summer, are beginning to bloom.
Delicate, feminine, plush blooms with rosebud likenesses.....
*sigh* The recipe for happinesss on a snowy day!!!
These two Pelargoniums were mail ordered (from a company I will not name because I would not recommend or consider reordering from them). They arrived as 1 - 2" pieces of STEM with the barest hint of a green leaf emerging & hardly any roots. I've never in all my years of ordering plants received anything so tiny. It took all summer for them to get to the size you see in the first two photos. I'd almost forgotten why I wanted them so badly but now am I ever happy I took the time to save them.
I don't know about you, but I always get a little confused between Geraniums and Pelargoniums?? Geraniums I've never grown much but on occasion, I purchase a Pelargonium. Now that I've found these double Pelargoniums tho, I've become an instant "fan" and I foresee even more purchases!!!
Speaking of Geraniums, this morning I mixed up a batch of "lemon geranium" sugar scrub.
Yum, the combination of these two essential oils is delicious. So fragrant. I can't wait to use it.
I've been making sugar scrubs for a while now but I'm just now getting into essential oils.
There are so many, I worry I'll never remember all of them or their specific properties but I'm really open to learning about the science & healing abilities they possess.
The next few months, while the garden is dormant, seems like the perfect time to explore and read more. For now, I'm just enjoying dabbling & the aromas of the few I've bought.
Something else sure to brighten a snowy day ~ Rex Begonia 'Northern Lights.'
Aptly named, don't you think?? The foliage is such an arresting combo of colors. Makes me smile whenever I walk past it. Another plant I'm glad I overwintered.
These dreary days, in the darkest quarter of the year, we need all the brightness we can surround ourselves with, right? Here's hoping each of us have a lot of good things (health, happiness, etc.) ahead in 2015...
Yes! You've brightened my day once again. Thank you! I had thought that Geraniums and Pellargoniums were the same thing. Thanks for setting me straight. The 'Apple Blossom' Pellargoniums are ... ah ... stunning.
Posted by: Beth @ PlantPostings | January 05, 2015 at 07:36 PM
The leaves on that begonia are fantastic.I had an Apple Blossom pelargonium but lost it over the winter and I never could get one to replace it before they were all sold out.I have the Red Blossom one that I have kept for a few years now and I propagate some each fall to keep it around. I love those blooms so much. They do not bloom with as big of heads as regular pelargoniums but the blooms make up for it. I am loving your salts collections. The tags are so sweet and you do such a wonderful job of making cards and tags. They are lovely and I imagine they smell divine. A good project for these cold days.
Posted by: Lona Stevens | January 06, 2015 at 01:17 PM
You are really getting me into the gardening mood with this post! Please remind me to look for those Wolff containers this year. I would love to learn about essential oils too, so maybe you can teach me? Let's get together when I get back from my trip - missing you!
Posted by: Dana | January 06, 2015 at 06:02 PM
I bought myself a lovely pelargonium that I intended to overwinter. It was a tricolor something, with the prettiest leaves and neon red flowers. I kept it potted so that it could live inside, but now it's withering away in here because I'm a horrible houseplant mother! Robin, you should be ashamed.
Posted by: Robin | January 12, 2015 at 12:01 PM