Reasons to be cheerful - part 1 (inside)

Hard to believe, I know, but there are reasons to be cheerful. I was mourning the lack of colour around me today, and wishing the Spring would get a move on, when I thought I would see what IS actually in full  technicolour at the moment. I took these photos in the conservatory aka plant repository, which has solar heating occasionally and an oil-filled radiator to take the chill off the coldest nights. The temperature never falls below 5 degrees.

This is  the first flower this year on a Lemon Scented Pelargonium . It is a very special plant to me, as I grew it from a cutting taken (lawfully!!) from the glasshouses at Normanby Park Victorian walled garden. I went on a 'Propagation Day' there, run in conjunction with the RHS and we were invited to take cuttings. It is lovely but has a tendency to become very leggy if left unchecked.

This is what I laughingly call my 'Christmas Cactus' but thinking about it. surely it is an Easter Cactus ?

The plant must be 20 years old and was given to me by a very dear friend, who is no longer here, so, again a very special plant.

Here it is, showing lots of buds still to come.

Wow ! Sunglasses on ! That is bright !  This compact little Geranium has flowered right through the winter, in fact it hasn't stopped flowering since I bought it last May. You can't ask for more than that from a plant, can you ?

This one is maybe a little bit of a cheat because it is still in bud and not out yet ... but it won't be long, and it is bringing colour already. It is a Fuschia which is 2 years old. It flowered right up to late Autumn and has been resting over the coldest months, All powered up and ready to go ...

This dainty little flower is Streptocarpus Saxorum (Cape Primrose). It has been in flower for about 3 weeks and the plant is covered. All the flowers are held on long thin stems like wires, so they dance about in the slightest breeze, even when you walk past them. The plant itself, if I'm honest, is not the best shape as it is leggy and very lax in habit.

Oh dear ! This is where colour co-ordination goes out of the window ! We are all pinks and pastels then - wham ! This baby!  It is a bog standard bedding geranium bought to fill a few gaps last season but it has flowered its little heart out, and never stopped.

So, maybe there are a few reasons to be cheerful inside the house . Tomorrow I am going to prowl around outside and see how many reasons there are to be cheerful out there !