Signs of Spring

It has been a cold, dreary beginning of April, and the weather report suggests that there is no relief in sight.  But cold or not, snow or not, nature is giving tiny glimpses of what is to come.

Iris reticulata cultivar

Another Iris reticulata

Crocuses

Of course, my houseplants can usually be counted on to help chase away the "where the heck is spring already?" blues. Below are a few plants in bloom that make a cheery contrast with the grayness outdoors.

Phalaenopsis Bella TN324 (That's what the tag says)

Columnea variety

Ludisia discolor in bloom, along with the Phalaenopsis from the photo above

Hoya carnosa inflorescence

Hippeastrum 'Red Lion' with a NoId Hippeastrum on the left

Anthurium NoId

Kalanchoe blossfeldiana

So where the heck is spring already?

Monday Macro:* Anthurium andreanum 'Oklahoma'

I have always had difficulty with Anthuriums, and this one is no exception. It was only a few weeks ago that I managed to free it from an infestation of spider mites. Then today, I noticed that the plant was looking a trifle lackluster, and discovered that scale insects had moved in on the territory the mites had left behind. Aargh! I actually considered just giving up and throwing the plant away, rather than go through the whole treat-quarantine-keep-my-fingers-crossed routine. But, I decided that I must keep an Anthurium alive for more than one year, if only through sheer force of will. I once had an Anthurium andreanum 'Arizona' which lasted for just about a year. It even rebloomed, but shortly after that it declined and just sort of petered out.

Anyway, here are some shots of A. andreanum 'Oklahoma' from happier days in September 2009:

Anthurium andreanum 'Oklahoma' flowers. The first picture was previously posted in compressed form, the second is being posted for the first time.

*I realize that I am probably stretching the definition of "macro" a little bit. Still, these are two of my very favorites among all the pictures I've taken of my houseplants, and opening them to full-size (two clicks) is a different experience from seeing them reduced to fit within the blog text.

Art Among the Leaves

As I mentioned in my post, "Eye of the Beholder" my husband Bob is an artist. One medium at which he excels is stained glass. I'm proud to have had some of my plants serve as inspiration for his work:

Hippeastrum 'Charisma' (Amaryllis)

Bob's Amaryllis panel

A really large leaf from my Monstera deliciosa

Bob's Monstera leaf panel

Anthurium 'Oklahoma'

Anthurium: my favorite of Bob's panels

The Amaryllis and Anthurium panels are 2/3s of a triptych in our kitchen hutch. The third panel is of a vase of poppies (Papaver species) which I may feature this coming summer, if the poppies I planted survive and bloom. The Monstera panel, which was made especially for me, (thanks, sweetheart) hangs in the pass-through between our kitchen and living room.

If you would like to see more of Bob's artwork (and several photographs of my plants) you can visit our family website.