Rose Cottage Ltd

I probably shouldn’t be so proud of this plant, but it has the largest flowers I’ve grown from container and the display is pretty awesome. About half-way through its bloom period…

I brought it in today due to some rain in the forecast. Anyone heading to North Carolina beaches in the next day or two, please keep an eye on the weather. A tropical storm is heading that way – ETA – Thursday…

This is an amazing plant. It bloomed a bit earlier this year than last and has 14 more buds preparing to “show.” For a $12.95 plant from Lowe’s, I think it is surely a good one!

After the bloom season this year, I’ll be moving it to a larger pot…

I was very pleased with this plant last year. It had an amazing bloom which you can see here.

I’ve never seen as many buds though as it has right now so it looks like a colorful couple of months are on the way for me!

For anyone who has never grown Hibiscus, they are very easy to maintain – easier than I would have thought. They need regular watering and a lot of sun – but also need some filtering through the most intense mid-day rays.

More pictures soon!

Some nasty weather over the last few days in central North Carolina but nothing compared to what some are facing in Oklahoma and Arkansas and out nearer the coast of NC. Tornadoes cause death and destruction of property and flooding can do the same. Never take storm warnings for granted – they could save your life.

I’ve moved most of the plants inside that might have been damaged by hail and/or wind, but the Gardenia has been safe and sound inside since Fall 2014. It continues to bloom – with a new flower or two each day – and with around 20 buds that have yet to open, I call this plant a major success and a good start to the growing season!

I’m even having more success than usual with my Christmas Poinsettia – which you can see right behind the Gardenia. I’m amazed that on 1 May, it still has as many red leaves as it does – this is a new record for me!

Patience pays off and since I’ve never had any patience anyway, I’m glad this little Gardenia is doing so well and blooming so profusely! I babied it all winter – making sure it got as much available sun as possible and now payback time is here! I wish I could make this a “scratch and sniff” image for those who are not familiar with the Gardenia scent. Very sweet – and what falls into my category of “old fashioned” flowers.

The Azaleas have already bloomed outside and most of them even seemed to make it through the recent rain.

Inside, my Gardenia is FULL of potential with about 30 buds that will soon add a really nice fragrance to my dining area.

The good news is that the pollen seems to be through the worst of its “season.” The not-so-good news is that with the warmer temperatures and enough rain, I swear I can HEAR the grass growing. Lawnmowers can be heard on almost a daily basis around town this time of year. But, lawns look fantastic and the heat and humidity has still not arrived. You don’t have to ask me twice to do almost anything outside this time of year!

You can’t have one without the other!

North Carolina is fairly covered with pollen at the moment. I noticed the first few bits of new foliage on the trees and within 12 hours – the yellow dust was EVERYWHERE!

But, one can’t argue that this is not a pretty time of year – temperatures are near perfect, lawns are going green, and bulbs and shrubs are providing their spring “fashion” show.

So take some OTC sinus medication, stay inside on the worst days, and just enjoy the rest for what it is!

I moved this cactus to a larger pot about 3 months ago and it looks like it is returning the favor! There are buds all over it and a few blooms already open – much more activity than usual for this particular plant.

Most Christmas Cactus come in fairly small containers. Not sure why that is but it is obvious they can become large showy plants for winter months if given room to grow and increasing light and water from late summer on.

I haven’t been able to post much lately. It seems that about 75% of the leaves have fallen so raking has become part of a nearly daily routine! But, there are quite a few left ON the trees as evidenced by this colorful example:

For once there is a bird feeder without a squirrel on it!!

As for the Paperwhites…

I came down this morning to see several of the bulb stems bent over – meaning the top-heavy buds are starting to form. Right on track for some Thanksgiving Day blooms this year…

There has been a LOT of growth this past week:

Prior Weeks:

3, 2 and 1.

I’ll need to think about staking these – especially once the flower tips begin to form…