It was a rather modest Christmas mean solar day , and lastly , the sun came out , enough to raise the temperatures in the nursery to near 70 level F , opening the vents . This is not unusual for New England , and looking back at other belated December photos , I can see my love bees taking advantage of a warm - ish 40 degree heat wave . This short excursion are fine for them , as long as they can return back to the hive in time , before the automatic greenhouse vents close . Every Christmas day , I wish to take note of what is in blush in the greenhouse . It ’s interesting to see what plants bloom incisively on docket , and which ones take a year off . for sure there are many reasonableness , daylength is vital , but then , so is temperature . How many cloudy days , vs. how many cheery Day also factors in . With the greenhouse , one thing is for certain , WInter never feels dead to me , in fact , it is quite alive and vibrant under the Methedrine .
The unexampled addition to the greenhouse bulb collection this year , is the Calochortus species I purchased . I ’ve ward off amass these bulbs for no reason , other than to salve something which I could collect when I am old ! Sad , but genuine . Alas , I could not wait , and although I sure enough am ‘ older ’ . ( turning 50 in 2 weeks ) , I am still learning when it come to plants . Calochortus is a genus aboriginal to North America and the new globe , with near 70 species . I see my first Calochortus , not in the wilds of Colorado or northern California , but in the alpine house at Kew , in England , growing in pots . That one June visit , win over me that I must grow this amazing genus , but the rare bulb nurseries carried so many species , and they were a little pricy , that I would end up making compliments lists in the pin , but then never getting around to order them , becuase I could not make up my mind once I realized the cost involved . Not that they are expensive , but when add to my Oxalis , and other South African bulbs on my wish lists ( which you may ideate are quite wishy ) , I simply had to edit , and the Calochortus were the first to go . Calochortus uniflora
This year I finally started with 5 species , and the first flower on Christmas day . I know that I made one mistake already , I pot my bulbs in small pots ( 6 - 8 inch Henry Clay pots in sandlike , fast enfeeble land ) . I read later that they prefer larger pots , but since they are plunged in a sand seam , possibly they will be alright . The first species is this lovely lavender species Calochortus uniflora . The stamens are vivid powder blue , which is so different . I think I will order some seed of other species and try grow some from semen , since I am told that that is not that hard .
Some Velthiemia are in bloom also . I receive this industrial plant as a giving from a friend who told me that it was the one species of Velthimia which I did not have Velthiemia capensis , but I think that it appears that the plant is simply the still beautiful , V. bracteata , which is more vernacular , but still gracious , although I have ten of them . Still , it bloomed early , at Christmas , so I add it into the plant windowpane for a piffling South African cheer .
Velthiemia bracteata
Narcissus romiuxii are still flower , with many more on the fashion . Clivia caulescens
Also in bloom , Camellia , cymbid orchids , Clivia species , Oxalis species , Vireya Rhododendron , Haworthia , and in bud are many more plants , like the tree aloe that froze last year , a massive putting surface blossom Cymbidum orchidaceous plant that I recieved as a gift from a supermarket ( Whole Foods ) last year , and this year it has 11 spikes ! We are all convincing ourselves that winter is almost over , and imagining that the days are already get longer .
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