15_the_circle | kitchen winter blooms

[OT from cottage renovations]

one feature the kitchen will need to retain whenever it gets redone is its South-facing window. some plants winter over in it; others live there all the time.

whenever it isn't impeded by overcast there always seems to be so much winter light, partly because it isn't dappled by the trees' leaves and also because it comes in at a lower angle. with today's clear light playing on and through blossom and leaf like this, as soon as it caught my eye it became obvious that whatever else needed to get done was just going to have to wait.

(click through these thumbnails for higher resolution images)

Phalenopsis

this orchid was in the shade but that was just as well: this was all the backlight it needed.

Fuchsia 'Gartenmeister Bonstedt'

this trumpet fuchsia couldn't wait for warmer weather and its seasonal migration back out onto the porch. I have no idea what pollinators it's trying to attract at this time of year around here.

snapdragon

just as I had decided it was time to trim back these snapdragons, one of them decided to put forth this single blossom, shown here with an amaryllis leaf for a backdrop. so I laid down the scissors, at least for a while.

succulents

I've always had a thing for cacti and succulents, and this window's conditions seem to be good for them. the symbiosis of this one with its sunbeam was so fetching I climbed up onto a stool to catch it at the right angle. you'll probably need to click through to the larger image to see how good it got.

mint

a large pot of mint has been sitting in its own window for years now. it gets all over the place, perhaps in part because I never seem to remember to use any of it for cooking. one of the best things about it is how when walking past it, possibly brushing against it with sleeve or elbow or maybe just setting a volume of air into motion, a heady draught of its scent is released.