I've got a lipstick plant that's thinking about blooming. At least I think those are tiny buds?

Christine, I love that too!! What a great pic!

Kalanchoe x houghtonii (I think.) Looking up from below.

Paul,
Hooray for Carnivores! Love your drosera blooms.
My butterwort will bloom eventually.... for now it is recovering from my idiocy.lol

So many lovely photos :), and I can't seem to get enough of that awesome shamrock.

Which do you have, Auron?

Osmanthus fragrant

Africa gardenia, both smell good

Paperwhite, dislike the smell

And of course, true Christmas cactus. Sorry for separated post, too lazy to do the upload and link thing from the iPhone. And if the pictures are sideway, blame the iPhone too :)

These pics are so varied and pretty. I've enjoyed every one of them, excuse me for failing to say so to some, as a more fastidious discussion host would. Absolutely no slight via omission intended, and a special "heck yeah" to all of those now!!

Seeing so many different ones, it's even more perplexing that holiday cacti and Poinsettias get all of the attention, or at least representation in stores. This is the 'normal' bloom time (with some wiggle room within hardiness zones) for these plants.

Greendale, how brave you are with that light-colored carpet. Have you dropped a plant on it yet? Please try not to drop that gorgeous CC at all!

LOL - 'dislike the smell.' I've gone through this! They actually smell good outside. So naturally one might want to cut a few & put in a vase inside. Did that at Mom's house & came back the next day & we spent I won't tell you how long looking for the source of the sudden, awful smell. My Mom can't smell so she was asking what I thought it was. The closest thing I could use to describe it was smelly, sweaty socks, which we found puzzling because the foul odor was in the kitchen. Hilarious! Narcissus is a scent-tease!

Paul, I forgot to say, thought the resemblance between your Pinguicula blooms and Oxalis flowers is remarkable. If you get in the mood to show a pic a whole plant, I'd love to see it.

How hard is it to pass the Amaryllis sending up flower stalks out there in stores now? I do not need more of these but they look so perky and robust, and of course there's no doubt the flowers will be awesome.

This is the same thing as yesterday, but a diff angle. Love the soft tone in contrast with the vibrant-as-possible holiday cacti. Something for everyone!

I just LOVE everyone's blooms, sure does help to put a smile on my face when I look outside and see snow and realize that winter has only started. Have a Happy Day everyone & keep the pic's coming.
Christine

Purple, LOL, for your paperwhite incident, at least NOT just me, you know I first thought is it something wrong with my nose? the flower/the whole plant looks so elegant. And no, I have not had a accident of dropping a pot on that carpet, I just put the pots there for a picture, but I also have some protection under the shelf in front of the window that the plants sit. That room is one of only two rooms with south facing window, I have to make do with what I have:)

I hope we will have threads like this every month especially in the winter months when we actually appreciate our plants more, at least to me I can learn what plant I SHOULD have for it activity in the dead winter.....:)

Me too! Whoever first crawls out of bed seeing straight on 1/1 can start 'Jan blooms.' I am also much more interested in this arcane niche of house-plant'ing, winter bloomers in general. If there are plants that bloom over the winter, when they would be in here with me anyway, I want more of them! The seem like predominantly succulents, that bloom readily & reliably, and much easier to keep alive in a pot in a house than full-sun summer bloomers like Gardenia or Brugmansia, other 'house plants' grown just for the usually elusive blooms.

And this month in particular, we can see what plants might be good 'blooming presents' to work on for next year, or other good ones to help with the festive decorations. Posting by month also shows the differences (when they exist) between a plant in Canada vs. one way down by me. Sometimes they're much earlier or later, fascinating stuff.

Good luck with your continued grace & coordination carrying plants around your carpet!

My bloom today is a diff color of TC, peachy. Can't get enough of these!

Tiff, the leaves of the vast majority of Pinguicula are nothing terribly eye-catching ... rather plain and simple.

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Those are fantastic pics of an unusual plant! TY for sharing them. Is that one of the carnivorous plants native to SE US? The bloom is actually more like a violet I think. I bet a lot of people think that's what they are if they don't pay attention to the unusual foliage. It looks extremely happy, cute as the Dickens as my Gramma would say!

Finally! True Christmas Cactus begins!

Beautiful, I like the color....

Paul, sorry for getting back to you so late. Not sure what species, all it said was pinguicula spp. Spp= species right? Not sure if that tells me anything. It is very similar size to yours...or it was, but is currently reduced to a tiny rosette.

The leaves look like they belong on a cake......Or am i just a bit eccentric? lol. Your pings are awesome :)

Hello Everyone,

You gals and guys have amazing blooms, many I've never heard of let alone seen.

Rina. I wish my Ludisia looked 1/4 as nice as yours..Mine is barely hanging on..Last summer I thought it was dying, so I took cuttings and tossed mom.
It'll be a LONG time before and if flowers form.

What a gorgeous Impatient 'Parrot's Beak.' WOW! I didn't know the trunk grew so thick..Heck, didn't realize it grew tall either. Your PB is a tree. :)

How much sun/light does your Shrimp Plant get in summer and winter?

DZ...Amazing your Adeniums are blooming in Dec. Most Desert Roses are dormant this time of year.

Purple...Your TC has quite a few flowers. I like the combo. Your Peperomia clusifolia is unique.
Beside its flower spike, the other part looks like a bud, but not from a Pep. Do you have a photo of the entire plant?

I adore your Kalanchoe, too. Those blooms!!!

You wrote your TC flower changes colors. Looks like it's sprinkled with glitter. :)

Christine. Your Oxalis is so very pretty. Does it go dormant? It must be getting adequate sunlight, otherwise there'd be fewer leaves and no blooms.

Paul...I've never heard of Drosera or Pinguicula.
Is Ping a ground cover?

Paul, I disagree..Ping leaves are real eye-catchers.

Flowers on your Echeveria are exceptionally pretty.
Beautiful.

JD. The growth looks like a bud...Your plant is definitely a Gesneriad, 'Lipstick,' but seems to be a different cultivar.

Greendale..Lovely Osmanthus and African Gardenia. Which scent is stronger? I assume AG.
Last year I looked for AG, but the nursery I buy from was out of stock.

2014 list of plants I want.

Osmanthus...variegated
African Gardenia.....variegated
Ping
Impatiens 'Parrot Beak'

I haven't been snapping many photos, but decided to take a few pics yesterday. Saturday.

Sansevieria blooms are fading

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Crassula 'Campfire'

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Begonia

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Thanks for the pics...Toni

Toni

My Ludisia is growing well. It didn't do much for me first, I don't think I treated it right then. From original plant (just one stem), I have now couple of pots (hanging baskets) full.
Unfortunately, I left one pot outside for too long and it turned to mush...

Parrot's beak is still doing well, I keep them in full sun outside in summer. Same with shrimp plant. Now they are in the house, under shop lights & not enough sun - only whatever gets thru the small windows. I need a sun room or a greenhouse (keep dreaming...)
I have to remember to watch for seeds if any on parrot's beak this year.

Rina

Toni, my shamrock does get a decent amount of bright light, maybe a hour of direct morning sun. I thought I had alot of plants until I looked through all yours on your flicker page !!!! I only have 63, do you even know how many you have LOL :>)
Christine

Heythere, Toni, good to hear from you this morning! That's one wild Sans - I love it! In my Peperomia pic (Wed, Dec 4, 13 at 12:39) there's a new leaf forming in front of the flower spike. It does look like a flower bud in that pic! Here's a pic from a few mins ago. It's actually 4-5 separate plants. The one on the left has 2 flower spikes. The one just to the right of it has 1 flower spike and the new leaf forming, a little bigger now.

â¢Posted by Auron22
Not sure what species, all it said was pinguicula spp. Spp= species right?

Yup. Unfortunately, there are so many species that it's rather useless as a name tag beyond that. On the plus side, at least if it actually is a species, and if you ever feel driven enough, you might be able to figure out just what species by using the internet. Of course, if your supplier was less than scrupulous, than you might even have a hybrid which would make getting an real ID much much harder ... perhaps impossible. If you can, I'd suggesting contacting the grower to find out just what species he/she was selling -- or even send them pics of the plant and flowers.

â¢Posted by hopefulauthor
Is Ping a ground cover?

Only if you live in a swamp or area with seasonable marshy areas. heh

Pinguicula and Drosera are both genera of carnivorous plants.

â¢Posted by rina
I have to remember to watch for seeds if any on parrot's beak this year.

If you watch for actual seeds, you will be too late, Rina. You will need to watch for seedpods -- and you will need to get to those pods before they are ripe. There is a reason Impatiens are also known as "touch-me-nots" ... a ripe seedpod will explode at the slightest touch flinging the seeds in all directions several feet away or more.

If a flower is successfully pollinated, a developing pod will become visible at the base of the flower (more so after the wilted flower falls away). As the pods grow they will look like those in the photos Iinked to below. "*NOTE: The lower pod pictured is "dangerously" ripe. I'm honestly amazed the photographer was able to pluck that pod and set it on the paper without setting it off.> Once the pod gets to the size of the upper pod -- or even a bit sooner than that -- gently encase the pod in a loose "sack" of cheesecloth, tying the sack closed with some thread. (You might be able to clinch it shut with a twist tie if you are really careful.) Check every few days to see if the pod has burst. The cheesecloth should capture the seeds for you.

Here is a link that might be useful: Impatiens seedpods

Not a very pretty flower, but the first blooms of my Mammillaria Plumosa.

Isn't that CUTE Laura..I love it..

Again, all you men and women and friends never cease to amaze me with your plants..

Here is one of mine that I thought I could never get to re-bloom...It smells like candy, very sweet.

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One of my many Citrus Trees..

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One of my Tc..

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Awesome, Mike!
And I'm likin' that new camera. We'll have to catch up soon, buddy...this is my last week before Christmas Break, but I've got finals to deliver first....then I'll have more time. Is that the Orange orchid that you hunted down a year or so ago?

Josh

Paul

Thank you for the tips on saving seeds from parrot's beak plant. Hopefully I'll be able to get some in summer.

Mike

Beautiful plants-blooms, as always.
I have a question about growing citrus: I have seen so many photos of your very healthy plants. My one & only Mayer lemon seems to get scale here and there (I keep checking it & use rubbing alcohol is I see any scale-it works since I always catch it early).
What do you do to keep bugs off your plants?

Rina

Such lovely and inspiring blooms, everyone. Threads like this make winter tolerable.

Around here, the plants are mostly in an in-between period, with lots of buds, after the holiday cacti and the first round of Hippeastrum blooms. I'll likely have more to post in January, but, for now, some promises:

Two Veltheimia bracteata. One is pink. The second, which I bought as a seedling, is supposed to be yellow to cream. This will be it's first bloom, so we'll see.

Amanda

Awesome additions!!

This Bilbergia arrived as a naked (no roots or soil) cutting less than a month ago. How could it possibly be making a flower?

There are several 'copies' of this same Kalanchoe blossfeldiana around here, but for some reason, this little 4-leaf recently propagated cutting is the first to pop open a flower.

asarumgreenpanda,
That veltheimia is so cool! Had no idea you could get flowers like that indoors, I googled it. Can't wait until it blooms for you.

Purple,
That is odd, is that billbergia nutans? According to my grandmother in FL, they are very vigorous, easy growers. Is it variegated? Looks awesome. That was my first houseplant, didn't last long....thought it could survive z6 winter at the time.lol. I need to try again...

Have never grown Bilbergia , but generally speaking, many members of the Bromeliad Family do not use their roots for much more than to "anchor" the plant to a tree branch or rocky outcropping. Some of my Tillandsia have never formed any roots period -- and they are several years old.

Auron, I hope gramma's info holds true for my plant! TY. Yes it's striped, similar to a Sans leaf. When the bud looks diff I'll try to take a better pic. That one sucks but I was too lazy to go take another (and also that leaves lots of room for improvement, huh?)

TY, Paul, I was somewhat intimidated when I started reading about these plants though I have a Tillandia also that's been here for about a year and doing well, gauging from the presence of a new pup over the summer.

The Billbergia pot has about 8 separate pieces that I nudged into the surface (of very loose, NOT packed soil,) with just enough oomph so they would stand up, kind of leaning against each other. The soil was somewhat moist, so I didn't water the pot for a couple weeks. Then gave it a drink about 10 days ago, pouring water into the crowns, but not intentionally on the soil.

Maybe I should 'prop' them within the trellis/vines of a large planter of heart-leaf Philo? Trying to ignore this pot until spring so I don't love it to death, but it's hard to do that with the bud there. Um, now it's on a TV tray next to me, and of course I'm wondering if it's thirsty... oh brother.

This mama Kalanchoe blossfeldiana is only 1 day behind. Begonia cuttings are trying to make blooms too.

Thanks, Auron. I'm excited to see them bloom. Tthis is the first time either of them has set buds under my care. (The pink one had a bud when I got them both, about a year and a half ago.) I think they're worth growing just for their foliage, but I'm not complaining about the buds. :-)

I've never seen a variegated B nutans--how cool! The little kalanchoe is so cute, and the larger plant, so cheery.

These buds look like tiny lightbulbs to me. I haven't kept up with the nomenclature debates, so I don't know whether this guy currently goes by Hatiora or by Rhipsalis. Either way, it's one of my favorite plants. This particular pot of it is recovering from a near-death experience over the too-hot summer, so it's a bit roughed up. Definitely on the mend, though/

Amanda

E. shaviana decided to bloom, just one stalk & small flowers. It is in colder room (48 F), by the window, with few hrs of artificial light.

Rina

A surprise - lonely bud on brugmansia, that is supposed to be resting. It is also in colder room (48 F), but that is probably not cold enough for it to go top sleep.

Rina

I never knew of so many plants that bloomed this time of year, one is nicer than the next. I look forward to seeing what blooms in January. Kudos to all our green thumbs :>)
Christine

I'm blown away too, Christine! Amanda's Rhipsalis/Hatiora with the little pops of yellow looks like fiber optic lights - how festive!

Are variegated Billbergia unusual?

This is totally cheating - TC I got for .50 at L's on Monday.

Rina, I love that picture of your E. shaviana. Is the brugmansia in bud a fragrant one? If that were my cool plant room, I'd be living in it, 48* or not. :-)

"Are variegated Billbergia unusual?"

I've never seen a striped B nutans, but I'm far from an expert here. I've seen other Billbergia species that have some pretty wild flecked and striped coloration. The bud on yours looks quite different from the buds on mine. It'll be interesting to see how that bud progresses, and what the flowers look like.

Pretty TC! Here is a bud forming on my B nutans.

Amanda

And something with an open flower: Hippeastrum 'Evergreen.'

Amanda

Yes, brugmansia is fragrant. It is a cutting from plant I grew from seed. I am not sure what the flower will be like, I think 48* is bit too cool for it (will not harm it thou), and probably not enough light. I have way too many plants in that small bedroom, most smaller ones on shelves across the windows with shop lights above, others on a 6' table in the middle of the room, and large plants sitting on the floor - for sure they could use more light. And unfortunately, there is no room for me!!!
I posted pics of the 'mother' plant in the following thread:

flowering brug

Rina

This post was edited by rina_ on Sat, Dec 21, 13 at 21:04

Forsythia blooms before Christmas. Never tried forcing Forsythia this early before, but it worked.

Christopher

A Phal. "Golden Embers"

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A Noid AV:

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Merry Christmas everyone !!!! The flowers keep getting better & better, all the different varieties and the colors are just eye popping,heres my begonia that completely opened this morning and was just a cutting from a sweet lady that I knew that passed away almost 2 years ago, I think it was her way of saying Merry X'mas to me.
Christine

That's sweet, Christine, and Merry Christmas to you too!

Billbergia:

Aw, December is almost done. At least that means spring is that much closer. I have almost nothing to contribute other than some buds. It's my first orchid rebloom, think it's going on 2 years I've taken care of orchids. The spike is very small in comparison to when I first got it, but that probably just means I need to alter conditions...fertilizer might help...

Happy holidays everyone, and such lovely blooms :)

Onc. heavens scent 'redolence'
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Nice flowers everybody.
Purple, it looks like your variegated one is not Billbergia. B. nutans has very narrow leaves and blooms a bit later. Sorry for any confusion. You might get flowers in Jan. This is B. nutans flowers:
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This is the variegated one.:
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Dz, TY - and awesome! The confusion is all mine, TY for the correction. I haven't forgotten about you, just being a worthless slug about it! I have a surprise for you though, for waiting so long.

This has been a blast! I had no idea December had so much to offer in the way of house plant blooms.

Here's a Kalanchoe blossfeldiana fully blooming now. One of the most cheerful things in the house currently.

December blooms are going out with a big bang!!! Great job everyone for growing such beauties.
Christine

The little pig :)

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The Chinese Sacred Lily :) They smell really sweet :)

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