There is a fun aspect to winter in the greenhouse that I often forget–the surprises that come when I only look around in there once a week. Today brought a perfect example. I opened the door and happened to look at the right shelf to see my hardy cyclamen seedlings blooming for the first time.

These seedlings are about three years old and two of them have formed bulbs in the small pot. I didn’t want to put them out in the garden for fear they would get lost or eaten–they are pretty diminutive.

Viewing them close up is a benefit to keeping them in pots in the greenhouse.

Between the two bulbs, there are at least 4 flowers coming, so I’m pretty excited! And my micro lens picked up the pattern inside that flower that I never would have noticed from the side or top.

The memory garden looks a mess, with lots of branches having fallen from the big Douglas fir and the garden’s edging having been ripped out by man or beast at some point. But the plants don’t seem to know. Already, there are snowdrops, crocus, Iberis, and strangely, a rose!

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It feels an awful lot like an early spring…but I’ll wait to see what February brings.

I spent some time in the greenhouse this weekend and found a few happy surprises.

First of all, sister Cate had sent me a link to the snowdrops blooming in British gardens and I realized I should check out my own. Sure enough, in the first week in January, they were already in bloom, the bravest of all garden bulbs.

The first Clivia blooms have made an appearance! This seedling is blooming for the first time. I found it under the bench and so the color is maybe not fully developed yet. Within a few more days the color should adjust to the true hues. So far, though, it looks to be a peachy yellow, which might be really nice.

I dug this precocious plant out from under the bench and watered it well. I’ll get more photos as the full flowers open in the coming weeks.

Just as I was ready to give up on Cymbidium orchids due to poor blooming, my plants are all spiking this year! I fed them better than I had in the past and I think that made a difference.

If I can keep the mold and mildew away, these should produce some amazing flowers. I am guessing there will be seven or eight spikes in all, maybe more.

Lastly, also in the greenhouse, the Veltheimia bracteata bulbs have flower spikes coming, too! Their buds are beautifully intricate even before the flowers open. I need to get some magnified photos of them in the next few day.