We were promised snow this week. Ten centimeters of it, possibly, according to the forecasts that had everyone side-eyeing their newly planted peas. It didn’t happen. Not here, anyway, but it was cold enough that the garden mostly held still while we held our breath. So instead of trudging around outside in the mud, let’s meet some of the indoor crew who’ve also been welcoming back the spring.

One: Pansy Parade

The terrace railing has been naked for years. I had these white planters sitting around doing nothing, and they fit the rail perfectly, so I did what any reasonable person would do: nailed them into place and filled them with pansies.

I know pansies make some people yawn. They’re common. They’re predictable. They’re the sensible shoes of the flower world. But I love them unironically. They’re cheerful and pretty and in this north-facing spot, they’ll stay lush from now until snowfall — easily outperforming nearly every other annual I’ve tried there. The bluish-purple and yellow alternation makes me happy every time I walk past. A few extra yellows went into terra cotta pots on the front steps because why not.

Two: The Kalanchoe Survivors’ Club

All the houseplants are pushing new growth, which means it’s time for the annual spring ritual of repotting, feeding, and rearranging everything before they go outside in June. These three kalanchoes tell the story of my long and questionable history with the species.

My son’s school sends one home every Christmas. I try valiantly to keep them alive. Results vary.

The one with the tiny leaves is from Christmas 2024. It has seen things. By things, I mostly mean mites and mealybugs. It was generally miserable and I genuinely thought it was done for — but it started sprouting new leaves a few weeks ago, so we’re giving it another chance. Fresh soil with perlite, new fertilizer stick, neem drench, clay pot. We’ll see.

(I started regular neem drenches after the 2024 debacle, by the way. Made a huge difference this past winter. Highly recommend.)

Christmas 2025 is the red one. Kept all its leaves and is still flowering. Same repotting treatment, and now both survivors are sitting on a nice warm windowsill comparing notes.

The big orange double-flowered one is new. I told my husband to bring home flowers for Easter. He said the tulip bouquet was dripping everywhere when he took it out of the container (sigh) so he chose a potted plant instead. He obviously doesn’t know (1) how to use the plastic bouquet bags next to the flower fridge or (2) my checkered history with kalanchoes. But I will try my best to keep this one happy. It’s on the kitchen table for now, looking gorgeous while it flowers.

Three: Accidental Amaryllis Discovery

Two amaryllis, cleaned up and given fresh soil. This is the first year their leaves have looked this good all winter, and it’s for the most unexpected reason: I had an LED holiday candelabra positioned next to them for months, kept on 24/7 as decoration.

Apparently, they loved it. Usually by now, amaryllis leaves are light green, far too long, and floppy. These have proper thick dark green leaves despite our four-hours-of-semi-daylight winters. The candelabra is going to become a permanent winter fixture. Sometimes the accidental experiments are the best ones.

Four: The Succulent Propagation Program

My son’s succulent collection. The gasteria started having pups and desperately needed a bigger house, so it got the full repotting treatment. The moonstones — previously introduced last month — have all gotten their own containers now. The propagation program continues.

Five: The Patchwork Hibiscus

The variegated hibiscus is leafing out beautifully, and every single leaf has a wildly different pattern. Some are mostly white with green speckles. Some are mostly green with white edges. Some look like someone spilled bleach on them in an artistically pleasing way.

It lost its main shoot last year, so I had to train a side branch upward to take over. It’s only now starting to look symmetrical again. Patience required. Worth it.

Six: The Promise of Dahlias

Dahlias are potted up! ‘Arabian Night’ (the deep red) and ‘Café au Lait’ (the blush pink everyone on Instagram is obsessed with). It’s still hitting frost point overnight, so they won’t go outside for another month, but giving them a head start indoors means I can get a nice batch of cuttings from the tubers before planting time.

You can never have enough dahlias. When the time comes, I’ll sink the entire tubs into the flower field and let them do their thing. Then in autumn, up come the pots and they go straight into the cold cellar for their winter nap. This is the system. The system works.

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Thanks for visiting — see what the rest of the SoS crew is up to over at Jim’s page!