A Second Flush And Other Tidbits

My Amaryllis 'Blossom Peacock' bulb that bloomed back in January is blooming again.  It is not in good shape.  I put the bulb in a tall glass vase, suspending it above the water by virtue of the curves of the glass and the size of the bulb.  I guess the energy used to put out the first flower stalk depleted the size of the bulb just enough to let it slip into the water.  I didn't see that is slipped at first so the bulb sat in the water, rotting.   

Once I saw it, I dumped the water to well below the bulb.  I was about to give it the old 'heave ho' after the first bloom was finished as the bulb didn't look very healthy.  When I was about to get rid of it I saw new leaves emerging from the soggy looking bulb.  I decided to wait and see what happened.   Perhaps in survival mode it put up two flower stalks!
I like the picture above as the sunlight shines through the window and illuminates the blooms.  Photographing this beauty is and was a challenge.  The first round of bloom I used a black apron as a backdrop to give a very plain background.   Great effect isn't it?

This round of blooms I tried the black apron again, but with two flower stalks it was too large of a space.  Well, if you can't use dark, use light.  I put the vase on the floor in the laundry room where there is a blank wall.  It was a great 'photo shoot'!!  Front --

A little off set --

Side by side-

Which is your favorite background, light or dark?  Amazing how differently it sets off the flower.

Around here spring is in the air, teasing us with one tiny bloom at a time.  The Loropetalum 'Ever Red' is just starting to bloom, its blooms are such a rich red color, I really enjoy this plant.

The crocuses I planted all over the yard are finally starting to bloom.  C. 'Advance' had bloomed starting weeks ago, the others were in suspended animation.   Here is Crocus chrysanthus 'Ladykiller' finally opened yesterday.  Hooray!!!

Another second flush is my Clivia miniata, who has been banished to the garage.  Why?  Apparently a nest of ants had taken up residence in the soil during the summer.  I thought I had gotten rid of the ants, but found a trail from the container to the dog's dish....ick.  The garage seems to be a good place for it. 

The Edgeworthia chrysantha is at its peak now, the blooms look like huge pompoms hanging on each branch.

Also in the backyard is/was a Farfugium japonica, old name Ligularia.  I bought it in October and it was quite happy in a semi-dry shady area... love the large green leaves.

This is what I found last week-- makes you want to cry doesn't it?  This hole is larger than an inch, so something other than a vole has eaten the majority of my plant.   Think a rat trap is in my future.

Before I end this I wanted to share a few more birds....

Dark-eyed Junco

Goldfinch and Downy Woodpecker 

Full house on the feeder

How is your garden shaping up for the beginning of spring?

©Copyright 2012 Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for The Queen of Seaford. words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.