I always find that the house looks rather sad and forlorn after the Christmas decorations come down in January. Add the dull dreary days of winter to that and it seems to me that the house needs something to cheer it up, just as I do myself. It's just as well then that the shops begin to fill with colourful blooms, enough to lift my spirits and also to brighten up my home.
The first flowers to fill my jugs and vases in the new year are always daffodils. A bunch can be found for less than a pound in some places, and they're not much more in the most expensive shops. They're worth every penny as they put a smile on my face every time I walk into a room and see them, and they certainly cheer up a dull room with their beautiful, bright blooms.
Hyacinths are a must for me. I think they're a flower you either love or hate, mainly because their scent is so strong. Unfortunately, we have mixed opinions in our house, Mick doesn't like the smell but he has to put up with it because I absolutely love how these flowers fill a room with their perfume. They're such pretty flowers too, available in beautiful pastel colours as well as bright jewel tones. I've already had some gorgeous purple ones this year, these are my second pot.
After enjoying the sunny sight of daffodils for a while, it's time for tulips to take over. What a choice of colour here, everything from the darkest purple, which are actually nearly black, to a stark white, and so many colours of the spectrum in between. There's a colour for everyone, so much choice, the only problem is that I can never choose a favourite so I have to keep buying different ones to help me decide.
Mick usually buys me an amaryllis every Christmas. How I love these huge, exotic looking flowers. They're so much fun to watch, transforming from bulb to a glorious bloom in such a short space of time, and they're so easy to grow too. This one hasn't grown quite as tall as they usually do but it's stopped it toppling over and, as you can see, there's another stem just beginning to grow, two for the price of one. I've had as many as three stems from one bulb in the past. I've tried regrowing the same bulb in subsequent years but have never got one to flower yet so I've given up. They're cheap and cheerful anyway, and it's always nice to have a different colour each year.
Do you have flowers in the house during the winter months? Which are your favourites?
I do love flowers, my tulips are out, as you know they are fake, but look so good, my hyacinths have gone over, I will cut some daffs from our garden the wind is damaging the taller ones.
ReplyDeleteI don't usually bring flowers in from the garden but it's a good idea if the wind is going to damage them, at least you'll be able to still enjoy your daffodils indoors. That's the only problem with tall flowers, especially in the winter months, the wind can cause such havoc.
DeleteI've just bought a bunch of daffodils to bring a bit of sunshine inside. Such cheerful plants. I am looking forward to seeing the tulips and alliums later in Spring but I don't often pick them to bring in as I like to see them in the garden.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes
Ellie
I'm the same, what's grown in the garden usually stays in the garden, but I can't resist buying bunches of my favourites to have in the house.
DeleteFantastic, flowers really lift the spirits at this time of year when it's so gloomy outside. You have some fantastic bulbs, lots of lovely colour. We have a mauvy blue hyacinth and a pot of daffodils from Lidl, all growing taller looking for the light.
ReplyDeleteIt's lovely to have splashes of colour around the house during these dreary days, they really do lift the spirits. It's so easy to pick up a pot of something when you're at the supermarket.
DeleteFlowers in the house at this time of year are a delight. I love hyacinths and narcissi, but haven't any of them.
ReplyDeleteI always look forward to a jug of daffodils as soon as I put the Christmas decorations away, the house looks so bare again but that splash of yellow puts a smile on my face.
DeleteI love all your flowers. So cheerful.
ReplyDeleteI don't have any flowers right now. My last orchid died back in January. I think the heat and lack of humidity was just too much for it. I am growing a butterhead lettuce (stump?). It's the bit at the bottom of a purchased lettuce. They come with roots on and apparently you can get them to keep growing. We shall see.
Good luck with your lettuce, I suppose it's like cut and come again which is very successful. In the past I've grown lettuce in this way, just snipping off the leaves I want and allowing the plant to carry on growing producing more.
DeleteThe flowers are so pretty.
ReplyDeleteThey certainly put a smile on my face, it's nice to have colour in the house at this time of year.
DeleteFlowers just brighten up the day don't they ...
ReplyDeleteThe ones you've shared here are lovely.
All the best Jan
They're short lived but they do brighten up the day, and they're cheap enough to replace until spring arrives.
DeleteLike you I love spring flowers, we had daffodils flowering in the garden in January, never had that before. I'm picking some for the weekend.
ReplyDeleteNone of the daffodils in my garden are flowering yet but I've got more pots of spring bulbs than I usually have to look forward to this year. I made a point of planting extra in autumn and I even planted up some pots of spring bulbs as Christmas gifts which were very well received.
DeleteLovely post and pictures. I'm fond of traditional yellow daffodils, like those in your picture, but rarely have any indoors. xx
ReplyDeleteThe traditional daffodils are my favourites, I just don't think you can improve on that cheery bright colour.
DeleteI love hyacinths (fortunately my other half does too) and we fill the house through December then into the new year with bulbs then when they stop flowering, as soon as I can, they get planted out in the garden.
ReplyDeleteI have never had any success with repeat seasons with Amaryllis but a friend of mine does and she has several and they all burst in to bloom through out December - impressive
I plant out my spent hyacinths too, they don't always come back but some do. I've never had any luck at getting an amaryllis to flower again, I think they need specific conditions throughout the year and I'm not organised enough to ensure they get them, haha.
DeleteI love the scent of daffodils too
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I do too. It greets you as you enter a room.
DeleteYour flowers are gorgeous, Jo. I haven't actually bought any, so far, this year. I have plenty of houseplants though. Xx
ReplyDeleteI have a few houseplants and I love the ones I've got but they just don't give that colour punch I love at this time of year.
DeleteThank you for such a wonderful colourful Spring flower post, Jo. I love the scent of Hyacinths, they are quite strong but i enjoy how they fill the whole room with perfume. I also have an Amaryllis each year. This year was only a small bulb but it still produced several lovely flowers. I hope whatever flowers you have in the house this week, that they make you smile.
ReplyDeleteYou definitely don't need any air fresheners in the room if you're growing hyacinths, their perfume outshines everything else. The second stem on my amaryllis has shot up, it won't be long before it's flowering.
DeleteHyacinths were a must for my granny back in the day. She had them in her garden and loved to run her hands on them to smell. Same with her Rosemary bush.
ReplyDeleteI don't have winter flowers but I do grow winter sprouts that we eat. Those are fun to watch on the kitchen table, in glass jars. I have a big jar of radish sprouts growing as I type.
Today the birds are outside and the windows are open. It's still winter by me but one of those early spring in the middle of a winter week, kinda day.
I just love scented flowers. I want to add a Daphne to my garden for winter scent after encountering them on a recent garden visit. We're starting to get a spring feel to the days now, when the rain stops!
DeleteThat's really nice!
DeleteWhat beautiful, beautiful photos. I am so jealous and I can't wait for spring. I have some inside winter flowers but we are called The Frozen Tundra here so nothing grows outside in the winter. Have a wonderful weekend- xo Diana
ReplyDeleteI like to bring flowers indoors at this time of year, they really cheer me up until everything starts growing outdoors.
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