Forcing hyacinths is not that difficult. The hardest part is remembering to order them early and start chilling them soon enough. If you want them to bloom in mid-January, you should start chilling them by October 23rd. At that point in the gardening season, you are more likely to be frantically planting the last of [...]
February 2012
Firefly: Second earliest blooming crocus
February 24, 2012 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingI had another opportunity to visit my old garden, and was surprised and pleased to find a different crocus blooming in a new spot. I am pretty sure I received the original corms of Crocus sieberi atticus 'Firefly' as a bonus gift included with a bulb order. It is not an uncommon crocus. Once again, [...]
Warm Microclimates For Earlier Blooms: Garden Bloggers Bloom Day February 2012
February 15, 2012 – Posted in: Mud Season, What's up/bloomingCrocuses and snowdrops are blooming in my northern garden. In February! In any other year, it would be preposterous. Yes, it's been an unusually mild winter, but none of my other crocuses, including all of those on the Crocus Bank, have poked up even one pointy leaf. As you probably surmised from the title, these [...]
How to Have Fun with the New Hardiness Map
February 5, 2012 – Posted in: How-to, Recommended LinksSince I just got done telling you what the new USDA Hardiness Map is not good for, I thought I should at least show you how to have some fun with it. Okay, not rolling on the floor laughing fun. Probably more like, "what can I do instead of my taxes?" fun. But, hey, fun [...]
The New USDA Hardiness Map and Cold Climate Gardening
February 3, 2012 – Posted in: FAQ
The new hardiness map put out by the USDA is not going to help you at all if you've been gardening in the same spot for any length of time with your eyes open and your mind engaged. Let's face it: common sense and experience will trump aggregated data every time. It doesn't matter what [...]
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