We are in the midst of yet another “nuisance storm”, as I like to call these relatively small storms that cause undue amounts of inconvenience. It’s been snowing for nearly six hours, resulting in about three inches so far. Soon it’s forecast to change to and icy mix until early tomorrow morning, and then it will end in rain, with temperatures rising into the low 40s. This is the third such storm we’ve had in eight days.

However, it is February, and the sun, when it does shine, is a bit brighter, and stays around a bit longer. The houseplants are receptive to the changes, however slight, with some starting to bloom and others putting out some new growth. Here are some that are blooming today:

This is the first time I’ve seen this plant flower. My reading tells me that it’s rare for an indoor aloe to bloom, but conditions that favor it are bright sunshine (this has eastern exposure and full sun from sunrise until about 10:00 am), warmth (it’s not really THAT warm in this room, with daytime temps around 66, and in the upper 50s overnight), and dryness (I water the succulents in this room about once every three weeks, soaking them pretty well each time.) Also, while blooms on some succulents are a sign of imminent death to the mother plant, this is not the case for aloes — phew!

My parlor palm (Chamaedorea elegans) is blooming, with tiny little balls on tall, airy stems. This is another plant that is said to rarely bloom, but mine sends out a few flower stalks every year in the late winter/early spring. It sits under a grow light for six hours a day, and I water it only when the top inch of soil is quite dry. I haven’t given it any fertilizer since October (I fertilize most of my houseplants from March to October, letting them become dormant for the winter.)

The parlor palm shares a 12 inch basket with two other plants, two different dracaenas. They are what is left from a very crowded funeral arrangement eight years ago. It really is time they get separated and upsized, or at least have a soil refresh; it’s on the list for this spring. There’s a certain part of me, though, that’s hesitant to mess with what looks like success!

It’s not unusual to see blossoms on the begonias that winter over in the house. This eyelash begonia (Jealous Zebra) lives in a north facing window, on a table with a small humidifier. I water it every 7 to 10 days, when the top of the soil feels dry.

This is one of my remaining healthy African violets. I lost a few lately after they succumbed to some mildew. Another met its demise after the new, young cat in the house knocked it to the floor. (It’s a good thing the cat is cute!) Anyway, with the African violets, I do feed them through the winter, with a fertilize formulated specifically for gesneriads. I water them about once a week, from the bottom, and they live in an east facing window or in the basement winter garden under lights.

The primroses in my kitchen window are still going strong, though the lavender obconica is fading. I had hoped it would send up some more bloom stalks, but I see no signs of that right now. I will say it has lasted a decent amount of time–a friend brought it to me on January 11, already fully in bloom, so it’s been over a month! This is a west-facing window, so they get some decent light in the mid-afternoon. They’re all tremendously root bound in their pots and require frequent drinks, so being right above the kitchen sink is a good thing. I do fertilize them regularly, and deadhead religiously, to keep the flowers coming. My primroses usually keep on keeping on right through May, when the sun in this window gets too strong for them.

This is my newest purchase, a vibrant blue-violet cineraria. In a recent conversation with Frank from Sorta like suburbia, I was bemoaning not finding any cinerarias in our usual nursery haunts. Two days later, I visited a favorite place, and there they were! Of course I HAD to get one! These can be difficult to keep as houseplants, preferring cool temperatures and high humidity. The room it’s in does stay fairly cool for most of the day; we turn the heat up in there mostly in the evenings, and let it drop back down overnight. It’s on a shelf very near a grow light and in close proximity to a small humidifier. I’ve been keeping the soil fairly moist, but not soggy, making sure it drains well after each watering. It’s not been necessary yet, but I will deadhead it as necessary. Wish me luck with this one!

Well, that’s six, and I didn’t even need to include the crown of thorns, the geraniums in the winter garden, or the amaryllises that are set to open any. day. now. (Their progress has been S-L-O-W, slow!) Thanks to Jim at garden ruminations for hosting Six on Saturday, and Carol for hosting Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day on the 15th of every month! And thank YOU for visiting today!