Orchids, Amaryllis ..................

I can not help it, my "green thump" is taking over, at least, it looks like it.

Every time, I get flowers from my husband, he brings me an orchid or sometimes, I even buy one or two or .... by myself, if I see a pretty one with lots of flower buds. Some of my orchids are now resting on the window sill in the basement, others are still here upstairs, blooming and even getting more buds.  We got a 4 shelf "kind of bookcase" and made 2 "kind of benches" (2 shelves each) out of it, when we put the thing together. They are standing under the windows in the breakfast nook and are packed with orchids and a little container garden, a miniature Pomegranate tree and other species.  I have also a little cactus garden and "Living stones", one of then actually bloomed last summer and I was told, that that is a very rare occurrence, I'm so proud!!


Here are some more pictures of my "green-thump"-work:

 I like owls very much (Owl hats for grand kids), so I found this little fellow, looks comfortable and cute in there.

Here we have some cacti
and a succulent, accompanied by a snail.

By experimenting with diff. plants (cacti or succulents) together in one container, some of them did not survived,  probably little water for one species was not enough for the other one. Will do better coming summer, when all those plants will be outside on the patio, enjoying the hot Kansas sun.



Wintertime is for me the time, when I remember more then other times my mother Helga and grandmother Agnes.
It is kind of  a sad time for me, because my mom's birthday is/was December 26., which is in Germany still a Christmas Holiday, called: 2. Weihnachtstag. Actually, I'm missing the whole Christmas season in Germany, the "Weihnachtsmarkt" in Hannover's Altstadt, Gluehwein, everything. And then the window sills of my grandmother: full of blooming Amaryllis and Clivias.
So, this year, I got me some Amaryllis (blooming Clivias are hard to come by, but why?) Some of the Amaryllis got 3 big stems with 3 to 4 flowers on it and the colors, stunning. Red, White and the pink-striped already bloomed or are still in bloom, the Apple-blossom is not ready yet.
I was never able to get those plants to re-bloom the next season, but after I got from trusted Amazon a book for "Amaryllis, Paperwhites and Poinsettias, I'm hopeful this time around.

The seed capsules of the Giant Red Amaryllis got very big and according to info's from the Internet, in about 4 - 6 weeks total, the seed can be harvested (as soon the capsule is open) and the seeds can be put on top of some soil and with some luck within 14 or 30 days in room temperature, there will be some little tiny sprouts, so to say.  Can not wait to try that out, so excited. Of course, it will take some years or so, until a plant, which was grown from a seed like that, is ready to bloom. But who knows me, knows also, that I'm very patient and that I like to try out everything.  I promise, I will take picture, when there will be more to talk about.