Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Forcing Amaryllis to bloom for Christmas

I have a very large amaryllis bulb from last year so I was determined to make it bloom for Christmas in 2013. I chopped the leaves back in August, lifted the bulb and stored it in a closet until new leaves started to poke through. This happened around November 1st so I potted the bulb around that time. Just in time for Christmas blooms!
Amaryllis Red Pearl
I have a few more bulbs which I didn't force into dormancy by cutting the leaves. They are still sitting in pots with no blooms in sight.

Thursday, December 12, 2013

2014 Garden Plans

This fall was too long and too warm so the bitter cold of December caught me by surprise. The temperature today didn't get above freezing all day long; we had  -6°C shortly after sunset.
It's a good time to curl up inside with a cat on my laps, dreaming about next year garden.



I have a rule of no seed purchases until January. Why? Because plans can change a lot between now and spring. I already allocated one place three times over. I dreamed about sunflowers there in October, artichokes in November and now I crave dahlias. Oh, and irises too.