Friday, January 1, 2010

Blossoms and Other Hanging Things

Help! I'm a prisoner in an icy cage that's growing every day. Aren't these icicles amazing & beautiful!?

In fact, I must have some pretty major issues with the gutters here because icicles hang in front of many of my windows now.

And although it was brilliantly sunny for awhile today, the temperature began at 8 degrees and warmed all the way up to....18! Not too much melting going on.


I wanted to juxtapose the hanging ice with the hanging cactus blooms, but I just couldn't find a perspective to do that from. This USED to be an Easter Cactus, but it changed it's calendar. It's an older plant that I got from one of my favorite senior citizen neighbors a long time ago in my Iowa days...so I call it "Marie's cactus." In fact, she had an enormous specimen of this cactus and I grew mine from some small bits that broke off while I was re potting it for her in about 1999.

Such interesting forms.

This is possibly my favorite orchid because I adore chartreuse!

And wow did I ever hit a bull's eye for this year's poinsettias! I tend to favor the salmon pink ones over red or white...so when I found these two big healthy (& matched) ones, to use in my "snow sleigh pot holder" for a grand total of $7...thought I had died and gone to (flower) heaven. My entryway here seems a perfect micro climate for poinsettias and they usually look good all the way to June, so finding the perfect pair is worth the effort!

15 comments:

Unknown said...

Dear Karen,
I made a comment on the wrong post! I wanted to comment on your lastest!
Well, you will just have to go back one post to find my comment.
I wrote a little about a cat shelter in Sweden that burned down. Many cats were killed. Very sad.
Hugs
Anna

Artsnark said...

gorgeous!

Joanne Olivieri said...

Well, that orchid is exquisite. Those hanging icicles I know will inspire some gorgeous jewels. Great photos.

Ann said...

BRRRR, I got a chill just looking at those icicles. Although it's really not that much warmer here. Only 16 right now.

I used to have one of those plants, (the cactus) mine always bloomed twice a year , once at Christmas and once at Easter.

Those are some amazing looking poinsettias. I agree with the salmon color over the red. Everyone has the red ones.

Mountaindreamers said...

icicles are simply magical! How beautiful .

Unknown said...

gorgeous photos! the temp here yesterday was a -14 and with the wind chill it was -35! much too cold to even consider going outside, your nose holes would freeze shut...lol. have a warm and snuggly day...hugz!

Sharkbytes said...

Very cool ! I like the icicle bars. I have a Christmas Cactus about to bloom too, but just one blossom.

Rebecca Mecomber said...

Lovely! I love the contract between ice and cactus. :D

I haven't checked my gutters yet. I'm too afraid!

Rebecca @FreakyFrugalite.com

Anonymous said...

gorgeous! I hope you've had a wonderful New Year!

Marg said...

The icicles are gorgeous but I have to say, I am glad they are at your house and not mine. My roof would probably fall off with icicles that big. But they are pretty. And I love the cactus. I have two of them and they both bloomed like crazy this year.

Anonymous said...

AS intriguing as the icicles are I like the flowers better - that orchid is a stunner

BeadedTail said...

Lovely photos! The icicles are so pretty with the blue sky background. The catcus blooms are so beautiful too!

Sandee said...

Wow, what a lot of icicles. The shots are beautiful, but the temperature is fightening. Just saying.

I love all the flowers. My sister brings me a poinsettia every Christmas. The 2008 one is still sitting in the same place it's been all year. It too looked good until June or so, but I was shocked when it had new flowers show up in early December.

Have a terrific day and stay warm. :)

verabear said...

those icicles sure are amazingly beautiful. I've never seen one up close and personal, because it's never that cold here in the tropics. :)

Split Rock Ranch said...

Wow - I hope you don't end up frozen in your house by all that ice! ;o)

Lovely flower photos. My geraniums are blooming like crazy and the petunias are even having a go at it. Go figure...below zero temps outside and the flowers inside are making like its spring!

LinkWithin

Blog Widget by LinkWithin