DW reminded me that her Christmas Cactus was blooming in the basement window.

So pretty! Christmas/Thanksgiving Cactus and I don't get along very well - I keep trying though.

Anne, she does not provide any special care other than an occasional drink of water. If I were to move them out of the window like I did one year the flowers would go into shock.

Isn't it frustrating when a plant only wants to grow where you never see it? It was that way with the florist Cyclamen I mentioned earlier- it was only happy in that cool, unheated guest room, where it got a drink every couple of weeks (often longer). A couple of days at room temp were enough to make it show signs of stress. I've seen it suggested to use the blooms as cut flowers where you can enjoy them while keeping the plant happy and producing.

Anne, they are really easy for us. I just started growing them about 3 or 4 years ago. I did lose a couple, because I put them in too big pots and overwatered them. I just leave them outside in a semi-shaded area until it gets too cold, oh and wet. Then I bring them indoors and place them in my living room, which doesn't get used in the evening. So they have the long period of darkness that they need and get blooms every year. I neglected to feed them regularly during the summer, and they still bloomed their hearts out. I missed the height of blooms, because I was in and out of town during that time, but I did get to see them and enjoy them. Keep trying. On clearance at Wal-Mart on Rivers Ave., I got 4 in. pots for $1.40, 2 days ago to share with friends. Of course, they had already bloomed, but looking at the faded blooms, I saw lavendar, fushia and red ones. You have nothing to lose.

I wish I could put mine out during the summer but squirrels around here seem to love them. I have had very large ones gone in a couple of days.

Ooh, I do have squirrels. So far, they haven't munched on mine, or at least I don't think so. But thanks for letting us know about that. I'll have to make sure to keep an eye on them.

Speaking of squirrels, I have a story to relate. This past summer, I was sitting in my garden patio, which my dear DH built for me, feeling depressed one day. I saw a squirrel climb down from a tree that produces bocoodles of small pears like the bradford pear, climb up my bartlett pear tree , and I can just about swear that he took the largest pear he could find in his mouth, climb down that tree and ran away. I was , because for one thing, the pear was bigger than the sqirrell. I jumped up, got a basket and picked as many pears as I could (they were ripe enough to pick), because I knew that between them and the huge crows hanging around, we weren't going to have any to eat. I was no longer feeling depressed. I just didn't know whether to my head off or be

I love to watch their antics but it could be that I don't have them near the house. We have a hayfield between the woods and the house. Neighbor has a dog that chases them too.

I would not like them destroying my plants

Narcissus 'Ziva' outdoors in bloom

So pretty!

BTW this is the 2014 What's Blooming thread .. someone needs to start a 2015 thread.

A new thread has been started for 2015.