Enjoyment of the Garden from Indoors

Although frigid temperatures keep me inside during January, there are plenty of ways to enjoy the garden from indoors.

I watch birds and take photos. With limited foliage, it's easier to see and photograph birds.Here's a flock of Dark-eyed Juncos eating seeds from a Pampas bush. How many birds do you see? I counted 10.

A Brown Thrasher feeding off the ground near a feeder.

 

A Northern Flicker Woodpecker scavenging the ground for food.

An Eastern Towhee visiting friends at the bird feeder. I highly recommend putting a bird feeder where you can easily observe it from indoors.

6 Goldfinch on Feeder

If you enjoy watching and identifying birds, participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count. From February 15  through 18, 2013, you count and identify birds. Your results can be entered online and tabulated with other bird counts across the country.

I have counted birds sighted from my windows or while out running errands. Last year, my husband and I parked at a country pond and counted Canadian Geese, Hood Mergansers, and Kingfishers.

Although temperatures are low, there are still opportunities to enjoy flowers.

A Periwinkle vine blooming in January. This was an unexpected surprise.

Potting a few pansies in the fall can bring you delightful glimpses of color during a bleak winter.

Don't forget a few indoor plants to challenge your green thumb. I've been blogging about an orchid and amaryllis that I'm babying through the winter. It's my first experience with an orchid, and the amaryllis has provided wonderful photo opportunities.

A gift of an Amaryllis

I received a boxed Amaryllis bulb before Christmas and planted it. In photographs, I've chronicled its progress.

Week 3

                                                     

   Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

At Week 8, the flower stem is 17 inches long. The leaves have separated from the stem. The swelling flower bud should be blooming soon. I am adding a small amount of water anytime the potting medium is dry.

Week 8

The plant is changing very quickly now as it prepares to bloom. I'll take photos as frequently as I can.

The images above and below were taken a day apart during week 8.

The plant is getting ready to bloom and changing on an hourly basis. The next photos represent rapid changes leading up to a bloom.

These were taken during week 8 day 4.

Week 8 Day 5 (a morning,afternoon, and evening photo)

Week 8 Day 6 (2 morning photos and 2 afternoon photos)

Week 8 Day 7 (morning and afternoon photos)

Week 9 (morning and afternoon photos)

At 9 weeks all four flowers are in bloom. Beautiful!

Care of Amaryllis after Blooming

The instructions that accompanied the Amaryllis bulb are:

1. Remove flowers and stems. Continue watering and add liquid fertilizer.

2. In September, remove the bulb from the pot, cut away any leaves, and remove excess soil gently. Store bulb in a cool, dry place.

3. In November, replant bulb to start a new flowering cycle.

I'll follow these instructions and report back on the results.

Don't over-water your orchid

4 months ago, I received my first orchid as a hostess gift. I'd never owned an orchid, and my indoor gardening has been pared down drastically over the years. I had the impression that orchids were difficult to sustain.

This "Just Add Ice" orchid came with instructions to water with an ice cube every 3 days. The blooms were gorgeous and the plant bloomed for a couple of months. After 2 months, the blooms started dropping off so I moved the plant to a steamy bathroom with filtered light. Every three days or longer, I added an "ice cube's worth" of water.

In my 4th month of ownership, the leaves were starting to yellow and the stems had faint, black spots. A bit late, I finally consulted the orchid website.

On the website, I learned that the plant was double containered. At any point I could have pulled the plastic inner planter out and checked on moisture at the roots. Now as I did that, water gushed out of the pot, and there was a faint odor of decay.

I'm in the process of drying out the plant, and will blog further on its survival.

My mistake was over watering and not reading the website. I've always thought one learns more from mistakes than from success so we'll chalk this up to my education.

January 12, 2013 Update
The orchid has dried out nicely. I removed another yellow leaf (have only lost 2 leaves total), and cut off the dried-up stems. When I pulled the inner container out, the roots looked dry so I added a small amount of water. I may save it yet!

January 19, 2013 Update
The orchid is still holding up nicely. I pulled the inner container out, and found standing water. I better leave the outer container off so I can keep an eye on the moisture level. The roots look crowded and the potting medium is very porous. I plan to research and determine if re-potting is recommended.

March 29,2013 Update
New leaves and a stem are sprouting. A recovery is definitely underway!
May 26, 2014
The plant is still healthy and growing although I haven't been able to get a flower.