Envy

We had lunch at my in-laws' house on Saturday. I snapped a few pictures of their plants:

This is an angel-wing begonia. The leaves are copper or green with white spots. The hot pink flowers with bright yellow stamens nod in bunches. This is one of the most amazing plants I've seen. Frank, my father-in-law, has it growing in a greenhouse. They cut it down yearly, but it grows back several feet (six or more) yearly. Martha, my husband's mother, raised it from a cutting that Frank's mom gave her years ago. They gave me one early this spring, but it was crushed in a hailstorm. It kills me that I could've had one of these. I'm trying again next year.

One of Frank's orchids. He's amazing with these things. We can kill an orchid, then give it to Frank, and he brings it back to life. I really need a greenhouse. A greenhouse with a misting system. I'll add that to the list.

A white althea. I've been thinking about getting one of these for a while. I'd also like one (or more) of the double-flowered versions. They're very easy to grow around here, and they're one of the only things that bloom during the heat of the summer.

Pictured below are some more begonias in a planter. I never realized how much I like begonias!