Begonias!

This week, there was a note in our mail box about a package being held at the post office as it stated “Do not freeze”  As the temperatures were quite cold, I was puzzled as to what it may be.  Turns out it was begonia bulbs.  So I bought some peat moss today and started them in a flat.

3 bulbs (mixed colors) of Double Roseform Begonias on the left and 3 bulbs Yellow Hanging Basket Begonias on the right.

One of the hanging basket ones even had a little growth started.

 

Here they are sitting in our living room near (but not in direct light) of a window. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And while I was in the sunroom planting, I noticed that my rosemary bush has more flowers on it than I have ever seen.

Last but not least, the buds on my orange tree have started opening up.  The flowers are so fragrant you notice the smell before you can ever find the opened flower.  Sorry, but I didn’t take any pictures of them.

The beginning of the planting season… maybe.

This has been an especially cold and snowy winter that started earlier than normal and clearly will last longer than normal.  I really enjoy the snow, and even the cold but I may be alone in those likes.  I attribute it to the fact that I was born in Bismarck, North Dakota on a day when temperatures were well below zero (30-40 degrees below) and it was snowing.  I must have been born with thick skin.
Anyways, I was itching to add some new plants to our house so we headed to Steins and used up our Steins gift cards and then some with new plants, pots, and soil.
First, I’ll start with Paul’s favorite:  Dracaena Marginata ‘Candelabra’

We put it on the window ledge in the living room next to our Anthurium that got a new, bigger pot.

Then for work, I found a neat tin planter and bought some tropical plants for that including: Lemon Lime Dracaena, Maranta Leuconeura, Aphelandra Squarrosa (Zebra Plant), and Dwarf Palm Neanthe Bella (Chamaedorea Elegans).

I planted some herbs for the kitchen window sill:  basil, chamomile, and parsley.  My pepper plant in the middle is about at the end of its life but we enjoyed a lot of peppers from it these past couple of months.

And I although I had previously decided I was not going to grow any plants in my sunroom this spring I made the exception for just a few.  The light green pots are broccoli, the yellow pots are brussels sprouts, and the dark green pots are collard greens.  I also planted collard greens in the long grey planter above. 

A couple of weeks ago, I also put in my order for plants and seeds mostly from Jung Seeds & Plants but a few from Burgess Seed & Plant Co.  I ordered many different flower plants for different areas of my garden, plus vegetable plants and seeds for my dad’s garden (and lettuce and herb seeds for our home garden).  And I bought the coolest looking 3-in-1 Angel Trumpet tree (which will be a potted tree I bring indoors in the winter).  The first of the shipments arrived (seeds).  The plants should arrive at around the appropriate time for planting and/or as the weather conditions allow safe shipping.
Last, but not least, I would like to share with you the first flowers of our orange tree.  I gave my lemon, orange, and avocado trees some fertilizer so maybe we’ll get more fruit.  We enjoyed two lemons this winter from our lemon tree.