Sunday, December 12, 2010

THE SECRET SIDE OF A CYCLAMEN ~ HAPPY MACRO MONDAY

Here in Houston the local garden shops bring us winter flowers that can bloom in the colder months. I wish I could afford a hundred cyclamens, but today I bought one. The cyclamen is a strange plant because as soon as it gets warm, it starts to die. If you keep it cool and bone dry all summer, you might get one to come back for a second year. It is from the Mediterranean area, so it is excited to grow in the winter when the rains come. It then goes dormant in the summer in its native habitat of Turkey and southward to Israel. Does anyone else grow cyclamens outdoors? I know they like good drainage.
Visit Lisa at http://lisaschaos.com/ to see the other Macros. She's our terrific host. Happy MM!


                                   on the surface
                                                  below the surface
                                               deep inside the cyclamen
                                           edge patterns look almost like they're made of liquid
All of this makes me wonder if Georgia O'keeffe ever painted a cyclamen. While she lived in New York, she would go to the local flower shops and buy a flower, then turn it into one of her gorgeous paintings. I have had the honor of seeing 3 of her original paintings here in Houston art museums. Her paintings are stunning.
Here's a Cyclamen growing wild in Israel. You can see why they like fast draining soil. (source: Wikipedia)

9 comments:

  1. the cyclamens is beautiful, I too enjoy Georgia O'Keeffe's work

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  2. great photos and the bulbs look so innocent. We cannot have cyclamens outside but we do have them as houseplants. I've seen wild ones in Croatia.

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  3. Beautiful macros of this lovely bloom! Your first shot is stunning.

    Carletta's Captures

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  4. Beautiful!!! Are these succulents? Well done! Cathy

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  5. Beautiful details in these macros.

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  6. Absolute perfection...each and every photo shared.

    Santa Centerpiece Do stop by sometime this week, I have a special hand made giveaway going on right now!!!

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  7. Oh so very pretty! They only last the summers up here but I love their blooms! I felt like I was peeking in it's hidden world. :)

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I always appreciate your comments & questions! Happy Gardening from David/ Tropical Texana

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