Gardening is often about experimenting.  You try stuff you read about and maybe it works or maybe it is a colossal flop.  I tried a couple things this year that worked.  One is orchids.  I have been given some lovely ones  and I have tried all kids of things to get them to spike again.  Last summer, I put them out on the side porch (western exposure) and pretty much ignored them.  In October, I brought them inside, put them in an east facing window and voila!  They are throwing out flower spikes and one has bloomed.

The second experiment has to do with amaryllis.   I have a lot from two years ago that just didn’t bloom again.  I left them in their pots and put them outside under a tree and kind of ignored them too.  They got watered when I watered the other pots.  In August, I put them all in one big pot so it was easier to manage them.   Then I brought the whole thing into the garage in October and ignored them until December.  I started watering again and they are going crazy.  Here’s some buds and one popped this morning.  I love it when stuff works out.

And then there’s the Clerodendrum I got from my Mom.  I finally cut it back after 3 years of letting the vine keep growing.  It bloomed.