Flowering plants that we see this time of year are only house plants that have been protected from the harsh and freezing cold weather of winter.
A few Christmas cacti bloomed when kept out in the mudroom, but dropped their blooms when brought into the house. The mudroom is like a closed-in porch that gets no direct heat. It doesn’t freeze out there because the room is attached to the house, yet there are no heating ducts to keep it warm. This area is on the south side of the house, so when it’s sunny the room gets much warmer than on cloudy days due to the full-length window or slider door that faces south. Nights are definitely cool, though! The cacti seem to love it.
I’m not sure if it was the warmth of the house in itself that caused the other Christmas cacti to drop their blooms, or if it was the change from a cool location to a warmer one. Probably the latter, but at any rate I’m glad the ones left in the mudroom liked it there.
