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A rather unexpected visit came from this red Amaryllis - It had apparently finished flowering in early January, but, in "the greatest comeback since Lazarus" it has re-flowered, albeit less impressively than the first time, at the end of February.
It still is far too early for Amaryllis to flower outdoors though!
A new plant to flower this month was these Avalanche (paperwhite type) Narcissus. For a long time they looked like leeks, so we were naturally relieved when our lawn burst into colour on around february 15th, and started to look less like a vegetable patch.
They look similar to the Chinese Sacred Lilies we got in december, but thier stalks are shorter, and they are slightly prettier/brighter colours (in my opinion!)
This year I have conducted an experiment that might be costly - Since Houston lawns(st Augustine and Bermuda grass) are dormant in the winter, I thought there was a reasonable chance of being able to grow early-flowering daffodils in the lawn , and have them mature, before I have to cut the grass in the spring.
The ones which bloomed in December should be OK (although the Grand Soliel D'or are still blooming sporadically), but I think that these fellows will probably get mowed before they build up thier strength for next year... ah well, enjoy them now!!
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While other less-enthusiastic plants hide away during the colder months, these cyclamen have got happier and happier - I think they are at thier peak now, so I will give them both another entry on the page. Not bad considering they have come back from last years plantings (they are considered an annual in Houston because the hot summers kill them)
The final flowering bulb of the Month didnt show up until February 28th - Just in time to make it onto this page!
Freesias are one of my favourite bulbs - Thier smell is terrific, and they keep flowering for a fair amount of time. Another great advantage of them is that they are one of the few "crossover" bulbs that not only can be grown in Britain, but they can naturalize in Houston. These yellow freesias were some that I planted over a year ago, which have returned.
On the negative side, the foliage is so thin and floppy, that it is easy to mistake the plant for a weed before it finally flowers - It was actually quite a surprise that they ever made it to this months page...
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Here's the white one
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