Waiting for spring

In a lull between blooming plants. The last couple Christmas cactus blooms need to be pinched off, although there are a few late bloomers down in the second floor bathroom. No hippeastrum are showing any buds yet, although I suspect the thing poking up from the 'Exotica' may be a bud. There are some swellings on some of the leaves of the Nopalxochia phyllanthoides but I don't have my hopes up too far yet.

It was very cold (for Philadelphia) today. The thermometer never made it over 20F in our backyard.

The photo above is of something that made me do a double-take last week: fake wisteria scapes in a planter at the back door of the Union League. Very declassé, what *were* they thinking??? Also, the shrub is a fake. I shall have to write to the house committee and complain.