Tag Archives: Christmas

Spring Has Sprung!

  By Rachel | February 22, 2012 - 9:37 pm | Plants
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Here are some pics of some of my flowers and some of the green leaves that are peeking through.  I love spring, I am excited to see all the new growth on flowers I planted last year, and to add new shrubs around the outside of the house.  Here are the late February highlights.

Camellia Japonica ‘Elizabeth Ann’

Autumn Joy Sedum

Camellia Japonica ‘Elizabeth Ann’

Butterfly Whorl (perennial)

 

And finally, a Mum planted out front of the house in the fall, showing some new growth this spring- love their rounded growth habit and beautiful fall color.

Rex Begonia

  By Rachel | February 19, 2012 - 10:00 pm | Plants
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I got a cutting of this plant from one of my Mom’s neighbors at Christmas.  That is one of the things I love about people who have plants and are passionate about them.  If you compliment a plant or express interest in their plants, they almost always offer a cutting.

So, I brought it home and followed her recommendations for how her plant has thrived.

I looked at some of the internet info on rex begonias- I know there are many different cultivators- but I do not have my plant on a tray to increase humidity, and my plant gets some direct sunlight- and it has been doing great.

Both of those things are in direct contradiction of the care instructions that I have found online.  This supports my suspicion that some plants are widely adaptable and you can usually find at least one hybrid of any plant that can survive in any home.

So, if you really like a plant but the particular cultivator that you buy dies- try another one- more than likely you will be able to find one that will adapt to the particular conditions of your house.

This plant has been very hardy and low maintenance.  I brought home several cuttings and rhizomes and they are all doing very well.

I will post more info about this plant as time passes. If you have any insight into care for rex begonias, please share.

***I have two pics at the beginning and end of this post- they are the same plant taken about 2 months apart, and it shows the new growth and flowers.

 

 

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Masquerade and Revelations

  By Rachel | February 16, 2012 - 12:16 am | What I'm Reading
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These are two books in the Blue Bloods series by Melissa de la Cruz.  I read the first book, Blue Bloods, over the Christmas break.  I was worried that this would be another knock off of some of the other vampire novels written in the past- with no original ideas or plot.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that Melissa de la Cruz has in fact found a niche all her own.  So far I have found the plot predictable at times but not completely- so therefore there are some portions that keep me wondering- and very interested in the story.

If you are a fan of vampire fiction- you will really enjoy this series.  They are fast reads and very enjoyable.

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Camellia

  By Rachel | February 5, 2012 - 5:12 am | Plants
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My Camellias are blooming.  What a glorious sight for late January/early February.  I planted these shrubs in partial sun next to our house this past summer and I have thoroughly enjoyed the color they have brought to our rather shabby and gloomy winter exterior.

I have two Camellia japonica ‘Elizabeth Ann’ (pictured above) that are presently in bloom and one Camellia sasanqua ‘Mine-No Yuki’ that bloomed over Christmas and early January- it has white blooms.

The Camellia japonica will not get very tall, probably about 3 ft.  but the sasanqua is supposed to get up to 6 feet tall and wide.  I hope it does.  What a lovely site that will be.

Camellias require a little bit of work.  They like some acidity in the soil, so we amended with peat moss, checked for good drainage (also important) and heavily mulched the plants.  We were also diligent to keep them watered during the hot summer months (we had a very dry summer).  Some pruning is also required after they have bloomed- I have a book called The Pruner’s Bible by Steve Bradley that I have been using to help me with some basic pruning tips. Once established, this shrub does very well with little attention. This pic below is not my shrub, but the flowers look similar to my Camellia sasanqua when it was blooming.

Camellia japonica English: Flower and leaves o...
Image via Wikipedia
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