"One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it brings."

Monday, November 1, 2010

Outside the window on a rainy day.

It's absolutely pouring outside today, luckily it waited until after the kids finished trick or treating last night.  I'm also glad I was able to get a little bit of gardening done at the end of last week, no bulbs were planted but I did do some clean up in preparation of bulb planting.  I also got all but one plant that had been sitting on the deck planted.

This is the view outside the kitchen window, gray and wet.  Inside this window is where the majority of my house plants are.  As you can see there are very few, I'm just not very good with them.  It's either too much water or they are dried up sticks before I realize they needed water.
I grew Amaryllis for the first time in many years last winter.  I had read that some people saved the bulbs and would get blooms again the next year.  I stored mine in the garage and didn't water them (actually I forgot about them), then this weekend saw that they had all sprouted.  So I brought them in and watered them and am interested in seeing if they bloom again this year.

A Christmas cactus from last winter, hoping it will bloom again this year.  I'm not sure when the buds would start to appear.  Wish me luck! 

A view outside part of the dining room window shows a couple of things.   One is that I finally planted some Pansies in the window boxes, they do great here and usually bloom all winter into spring.  I also did quite a bit of clean up around the pond, that's why it looks so empty on the right side.

A view from outside the family room shows that the big Japanese Maple is starting to turn yellow.  It's just beautiful right now, but it won't be long before the branches are bare.  This tree is gorgeous no matter what season it is.

The forecast is for some sun tomorrow which is very hard to believe when I look out at how hard it's raining.  But at least I have some pretty views to look out on while I'm inside today.
What's happening outside your windows?  I'd love to see views of what you see from the inside right now.  If you decide to post some views just let me know I'll add them to the bottom of this post so others can see too.
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39 comments:

  1. Beautiful Catherine!

    Big kisses.

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  2. Catherine, I have been hearing that your area is getting a lot of rain this year. It is so great that you can grow pansies all winter. I am looking at mine now on the shed hayracks, and I know they will be gone soon. They can't take temperatures much below 25 degrees.

    Your amaryllis should be fine. They say not to plant them for a second time until you see them showing some green.

    Eileen

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  3. I like the views out the windows. Amaryllis need to go dry (dormat) each year so I think you're in luck.

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  4. Hi Catherine, Glad you were able to get some clean-up done before the rain started. The pansies are beautiful! I am glad to see from the comment above that your amaryllis should do well ~ they are so much fun to watch bloom. Georgia did not have much color in the leaves this year; I think it was just too dry. I still have knock out roses blooming but that's about it. Lots of leaves on the ground too. Hope you all enjoyed Trick or Treat.

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  5. Catherine your window views are lovely despite the rain. Those pansies look like lovely colour too.

    I'm not too sure if your cactus will flower this year. It should be starting to produce buds about now.

    Did you keep it outside all summer in a semi shaded position as it needs quite significant drops in temperature to induce the flower buds along with long periods of darkness. Then they are brought indoors before the first frosts arrive.

    Have a lovely week :)

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  6. It really is quite a nice view from INSIDE the window. I had to go out in it and I was not pleased. Glad you got some chores done this weekend--great weather sunday for it. I now have all my chores done too and moat forming around the fall veggies! Eeek.

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  7. Nice views.
    Rainy days are great for resting.
    Maybe a cup of tea and dreaming of next years garden.

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  8. Your Japanese maple is gorgeous! Your amaryllis should flower great this winter. I've saved them with great success.

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  9. Love your Christmas cactus. I'm waiting on mine to bloom as well. Some years, I end up with Valentine's Day cacti!

    Jane

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  10. Sounds like our weather shifted north. It poured here saturday, but has been blazing blue sunshine today, and we're apparently headed for a short warm spell. The foliage on your Japanese maple is looking just gorgeous, I hope the rain doesn't make it lose too many leaves before it finishes turning color.

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  11. I've been watching your forecast, and figured you were getting rain. I think the views from your window are lovely! That Japanese maple is so beautiful. Hope you get your bit of sunshine tomorrow.

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  12. We're having the same rain, rain and more rain up here. The water is running in a stream down the drive. We got out on Saturday and managed to get quite a bit done, but there is still some cleanup required....when the rain lets up.

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  13. I had Christmas cacti on my sunny window ledge year round. I would make them flower twice a year by watering every day for a week and then just letting them dry out completely. It forced them into bud, and once in bud I would start watering as normal again. Worked every time for several years until I got a bit sick of them and gave them away.

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  14. Catherine,
    Willing to bet that is an Easter Cactus. Love the yellowing maple photo! I got everything planted but one spider lily this weekend. Hoping that somebody will be offering some real deals on falls bulbs soon!

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  15. It seems you found the easy way to store Amaryllis bulbs for reblooming. I haven't tried keeping them for the next year yet, but I think I could manage that method.

    Your new pansies should appreciate the rainfall, and it saves you work. They'll make a nice frame for viewing the pond over winter.

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  16. Hi Catherine, I love Fall! Your blog background is perfect. :-)

    I'm wishing you GOOD fortune with your amaryllis. There are times mine grow and bloom again and there are times that they don't. (This past Spring, I threatened mine with landing in the compost pile, and they finally bloomed!) ha.

    Your Cactus will be great, too. Let it get very dry between waterings. They also like to be rootbound, so don't worry about repotting for quite awhile. I brought mine in (I had them in the shade for the summer) and immediately they've budded! I'll be posting photos, soon. They usually bloom 2 to 3 times during the winter. Always amazing! :-)

    It looks great out your window.

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  17. I love rainy days. We lived in the Pacific Northwest for six years and loved it. Everything looks and smells so fresh and clean after the rain. Especially miss that smell! Thanks for the trip down memory lane. :)

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  18. I love window views! Yours are wonderful.

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  19. Hey Catherine,

    I forgot to tell you, last time I was here, how much I like your fall layout- very nice. I do miss the Portland falls- but not the gray skies. We're still in the process of getting things organized in our new home in Redmond, OR. Still so much to do. DH has been traveling practically since we moved, so not much has been happening. A year break from blogging was a bit long, I think! Hoping to get the greenhouse up this week though- it's a start!

    Happy fall to you,

    Tessa

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  20. Wowee, I've lived in a dry climate so long now it would be hard to get used to rain like you have! I think I might feel a bit "rusty??" I know the plants love it tho and your garden shows that. If you look out my windows right now, you see everything has changed color but we still have lots of leaves ON. :-)
    That makes me happy since I'd rather see that than bare branches. We've had one hard frost so most of my flowers are gone.
    btw, Thank you for offering me the pink poppy seeds. You sent me some with the "gardening by letter" project tho. I sprinkled them about this spring and got some nice blooms. I've saved some seed myself now and will re-sprinkle next spring.
    I also haven't forgotten that I offered you more Campanula "cherry bells" but (lazy slug I've become) I never got around to digging them up so hopefully you won't mind getting some next spring?? (They are pretty much all but gone now.)
    I will be sure and e-mail you if I make a trip to your area to visit my brother. :-)
    Hope your girls had a fun Halloween too!

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  21. PS I forgot to say "good luck" with the Amaryllis from last year. I baby mine to the max to get them to re-bloom so it will be interesting to me to see if your method works!

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  22. What a wonderful Japanese maple, I bet that looks stunning right now! Good luck with the Amarylis bulbs. It is easy to get them to make green leaf the second year and beyond but difficult to get them to flower again.

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  23. I love the beautiful view outside your dining room window. It is so tranquil. ANd the tree with all the fall colors. Just lovely. We finally have some rain today!

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  24. Girl I'm fixing to get some much needed rain. Then we are to have freezing temps later this week.

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  25. You do have some great views from your windows. It's gray and dreary outside my windows today as we are anticipating some rain and much cooler temps for the weekend...the thirties....sigh

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  26. Hello
    You still have something to watch. We are here in Finland much more close to winter. We had few frost night so everything are dead for this year.
    Enjoy your beautiful autumn tree:)
    Greetings
    Henrietta

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  27. G'morn, Katherine ~ No matter what time of the year it is, the Japanese maples perform beautifully ... so colorful, delicate & gorgeous!

    We brought in all the geraniums for another season in the garage, I dig them all up. This year I decided to see what happens with the impatiens, petunias, etc. It will be fun to see how all perform ... the begonias I brought into the house. I can't bear giving them up to winter!

    Have a lovely week ~
    TTFN ~ Hugs, Marydon

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  28. A simply gorgeous J. maple! I like the view of the pansies too. Glad the kids did not get rained on.

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  29. That Japanese Maple is positively gorgeous! It's raining here too. I don't have much luck with house plants here, probably due somewhat to the lack of lighting here.
    Brenda

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  30. Hi Catherine. You have some lovely views out your windows to your garden. We could use some of that rain you have been getting.
    I just drug up my amaryllis plants from the basement today as I was doing a final clean up and planting. I am hoping they will bloom again this year too.
    Have a wonderful week.

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  31. Hi Catherine, I've managed to keep amaryllis for several years without doing much to them. Usually forgetting them as you did!! The pansies look cute. Ours have bloomed all year and are still smiling away at us. I just adore that maple. We have a purple one that turns bright red at this time but with the recent wind and rain it has just dropped all its leaves! And I was going to collect them too. Ah well. Lovely to see the pond too.

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  32. Hi Catherine, You were very wise to situate your pond in such a way that you can see it from indoors so well.
    It's great that we're getting a reprieve from the rain. I wonder how long it will last. LOL

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  33. Dear Catherine, What rain you are having. It does seem to me to be endless [and perhaps also to you by now!]The garden looks very neat and tidy...I have no idea how you have managed to do the work.

    As for houseplants...believe me that you look like an expert compared with me. Presently, I have none and I prefer to keep it that way!!

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  34. Very nice view out your window. Wish we would get some of your rain.
    We're still looking at warm temps.
    I bought 2 new amaryllis this year and have repotted 3 from last year. I'll post how they do.

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  35. Lovely views - that maple is superb!
    I haven't got a post on the view through my window, but I have just done one one the Acers in my garden :)

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  36. You've been very busy. And your Japanese Maple is gorgeous - it's sooooo huge! I didn't get to tear my front bank apart now that I was sick and still have a couple of little plants set down there to be planted yet. Maybe I can get out and do that today. Looks like it might be nice. Here I was so far ahead for this time of year for the first time. So much for that plan. Guess the bank can be done next spring! Or maybe January when we have nice days and I get early spring fever.
    Thanks for your support on the post I did the other day - I really appreciate it!

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  37. I meant to comment that your Amaryllis should be good. Bob took over the one I bought last year and it's doing great.

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  38. I'll definitely post if those Amaryllis bloom. It sounds like quite a few of you do the same thing with your bulbs, nothing, and have luck with them. :)

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  39. Catherine, I just broght my Christmas cactus in the house this afternoon. Mine has tiny little buds on it....hoping for a super bloom set this season.
    Great fall photo of the maple.

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