This is my Christmas cactus. It blooms yearly around Christmas. This year it bloomed in January.

Otherwise called Schlumbergera, it is a small genus of cacti with six species found in the coastal mountains of south-eastern Brazil. Plants grow on trees or rocks in habitats that are generally shady with high humidity, and can be quite different in appearance from their desert-dwelling cousins. Most species of Schlumbergera have stems which resemble leaf-like pads joined one to the other and flowers which appear from areoles at the joints and tips of the stems. Two species have cylindrical stems more similar to other cacti. In Brazil, the genus is referred to as Flor de Maio (May flower), reflecting the period in which they flower in the Southern Hemisphere.- Taken from Wikipedia

Since I saw they grow on trees or rocks in general shady areas, I thought hanging it in the kitchen would be a good place for it with filtered natural light.

On this cold Minnesota day of negative temperature and wind chills the Daffodils I picked up at Trader Joe's decided to bloom today. They have a beautiful scent and brighten my day. This plants normally bloom in the spring and are a perennial. However, you can alter their blooming time by putting the bulbs in a dry dark space for a period of time and have them bloom any time of year you want.

I have several of these bulbs in my yard and several varieties are available.

Narcissus /nɑrˈsɪsəs/ is a genus of predominantly spring perennial plants in the Amaryllidaceae (amaryllis) family. Various common names including daffodil,^{[notes 1]} daffadowndilly, narcissus, and jonquil are used to describe all or some members of the genus. Taken from Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissus_%28plant%29

Trailing Jade plant

Fans of jade plants, an attractive houseplant that's easy to care for, will be happy to discover the trailing jade plant.

Trailing jade is a succulent like other jade, but comes from a separate plant group. Trailing jade plant's scientific name was senecio jacobsenii but was recently changed to Kleinia petraea. Even though trailing jade is from a different plant group than the standard jade plant, or crassula ovata, its care needs are similar.

Features:
Trailing jade plant is vine-like, with lengthy stems of the thick, water-retaining leaves of a succulent. While its leaves are predominantly a deep, shiny green color, trailing jade's leaves also have a slight purple shade. Trailing jade plants are ideal as hanging plants because their leaves drape beautifully over hanging baskets or pots.

Trailing jade is native to Tanzania, Africa.

Water and light needs:
As a succulent, the trailing jade plant does not need as much water as many houseplants, and prefers plenty of sunlight. Its fleshy leaves, and its roots and stems, retain moisture, so water it only when the soil is dry to the touch. Over watering can lead to rotting, a common succulent problem.

Propagation
One of the best characteristics of jade plants - including trailing jade - is the ease in which they can be propagated. Simply remove one leaf from the parent plant and place its base in moist soil in a separate container.

Low water demand makes trailing jade especially suited to planting in a pot or container. As a succulent, it needs plenty of drainage, so mix some perlite with the soil to prevent it from becoming too wet.

Potting suggestions:
A small pot suits your trailing jade well. This also helps prevent it from retaining too much soil moisture. You will not have to re-pot your trailing jade very often.

When planting a trailing jade plant, set the pot or basket on top of a bucket to ensure that its lengthy stems aren't damaged during this process. These plants' leaves, like standard jade, are easy to break or knock off, so take precautions.

Flowers:
Paying attention to proper watering and light needs for your trailing jade can pay off in prompting the plant to develop flowers. During warmer seasons, when your jade is growing, fertilize it frequently. Trailing jade plant's flowers are distinctive--a vivid orange--unlike the crassula ovata flowers, which are white, star-shaped and tiny.

Taken from: http://www.ehow.com/about_6098329_trailing-jade-plant_.html

Jade plant

This is my jade plant. It was purchased at a garage sale in May 2010. It has grown a bit since then and has buds sprouting on the top and on the side.

Did you know the jade plant is also known as a friendship tree, lucky plant or Money plant? It's scientific name is Crassula ovata and it is a succulent plant with small pink or white flowers. It is native to South Africa, and is common as a houseplant worldwide.

Jades are evergreen plants with thick branches and smooth, rounded, fleshy leaves that grow in opposing pairs along the branches. Leaves are a rich jade green; some varieties may develop a red tinge on the edges of the leaves when exposed to high levels of sunlight. New stem growth is the same color and texture as the leaves, but becomes brown and woody with age. Under the right conditions, they may produce small white or pink star-like flowers in the early spring. The jade plant lends itself easily to the bonsai form and is popular as an indoor bonsai.

Care:
As succulents, they require normal watering when the soil is dry in the summer, and very little watering in the winter. Overwatering will cause them to lose their leaves (it is easy to identify overwatering by the characteristic crinkling look that the fallen leaves have) and eventually the stem will rot away. Though jades can survive overwatering, it is best to keep them on a 10-20 day cycle in the summer, and even less (up to a month dry) in the winter. Letting the soil dry between waterings is essential for a healthy jade.

They will grow in full sun to light shade. However, they do not tolerate extreme heat or overexposure to direct sun very well, showing damage ranging from scorched leaves to loss of foliage and rotting stems. Most of the common species will tolerate a limited degree of frost but overexposure to cold weather will kill them.

The jade plant benefits from pruning, which should be done in the spring, before the growing season. Pruning a jade can be done over a period of a few weeks, and involves cutting stems back to the lateral branch. The purpose of pruning is twofold: for a top-heavy succulent like the jade, it is important that its trunk be able to support the weight of its leaves and pruning encourages the trunk to grow in size; pruning also encourages root growth. Calluses should form on new cuts after a few days and new growth should emerge from the stump within a few weeks of the cut.

Pests:
Mealybugs are common pests to jades and can cause deformation to new growth. An iinfestation can be eliminated by killing each bug with a small cottonswab or paintbrush that has been dipped in rubbing alcohol. This process is repeated every day until all of the mealybugs have been killed, as new bugs may still be hatching even after the live bugs on the plant have been killed.

Aphids are also common pests, though they tend to infest only the flower stalks. Red spider mites can also cause problems. The use of pesticides is avoided with Jades, as they are very sensitive to them.

Soil:
Jades grow best in well drained soil that does not have peat moss or other particles that will retain large amounts of water. Jade trees enjoy rocky hillsides and arid soil, so in cultivation many different soil mixes are used to mimic these favorable natural conditions. Some growers recommend 50/50 soil mixes of organic topsoil to perlite, haydite, turface, or small gravel and grit. Others have used coir, pine bark and river stones. Teh general consensus among growers is that the shoil should drain quickly and be allowed to dry between waterings, so having a good amount of grit and gravel in the mix is essential.

Flowering:
To encourage bloom, allow the plant to go without water around the time of first frost. When the days get short, withhold the water completely and let the plant withstand the cool nights. Several weeks of this dry, cold treatment followed by regular watering will result in blossoms around the shortest day of the year. Regular watering, or nights too warm, and the plant will remain healthy, but bloomless.

Propagation:
Jade trees are notoriously easy to propagate. They can be propagated by stem or leaf cuttings. In the wild, stems and leaves will often break off and fall to the ground, and after a few weeks, they may grow roots and form a new plant.

In cultivation, new plants are made by cutting new growth (stems or leaves) and letting them dry. Roots will develop in or out of soil, though inserting the stem into moist stoil will increase rooting speed.

Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jade_plant