Challenging myself to learn more about plants by trying new techniques and by researching and growing unfamiliar plants helps me grow as a gardener--and as a person. It's all about being a hardy soul and not letting winter get the best of me. Read what I've been up to the last month and let me know in the comments: What cabin-fever-fighting tricks do you have in your arsenal?
hyacinths
One Way Or Another, I Will Have Flowers
January 16, 2019 – Posted in: Experiments, How-to, What's up/bloomingBulb forcing has had its ups and downs this winter, but I continue to experiment. One day I'll figure out what works best, but in the meantime, come learn along with me!
How Hardy Souls Wait for Spring
March 17, 2018 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingThe tagline of my blog is "Hardy plants for hardy souls," because you have to be a hardy soul to endure the fits and starts of winter ending and spring arriving. Cold climate gardeners are resilient in the face of adversity and prepared for setbacks before winter is gone for good. Here's how I'm coping. How about you?
Sometimes Plants Surprise Me: Garden Bloggers Bloom Day February 2017
February 16, 2017 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingSometimes plants surprise me. It surprises me that this 'Sweet Nymph' amaryllis is blooming. Why? Because I didn't follow any of the "rules" for getting an amaryllis to re-bloom. I did not put it (or my other amaryllises) in a closet in mid-August or early September. Why would I, when the plants were growing lushly? [...]
Christmas Cactus Saved From Near Death: Garden Bloggers Bloom Day February 2016
February 15, 2016 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingI have whined before, here and on Facebook, that some of my Christmas cacti (Schlumbergera hybrids, also called zygocacti) were failing. I got plenty of advice as a result, most of which I was already following, when I happened to stumble upon an old blog post of Matt Mattus'. In it he advised to avoid [...]
When Bulb Forcing Goes Wrong: Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day January 2016
January 15, 2016 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingI was really looking forward to bulb forcing this winter. I had read Bulb Forcing by Art Wolk, my new bulb-forcing bible (review here), and was inspired to broaden my selection of bulbs to force, plus I had a gift certificate from Brent and Becky's Bulbs that made broadening my selection painless. So far, however, [...]
Unseasonably Warm: Garden Bloggers Bloom Day December 2015
December 15, 2015 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingAccording to the National Weather Service, it's the least snowy beginning to winter that we've had since 1998. We've set also some record highs in the last few weeks. Snow can be hit or miss in December but usually the ground is frozen. It was frozen earlier in the month, but right now it's not, [...]
Mental Health Medicine: Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day January 2015
January 15, 2015 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingIt's January, and cold climate gardeners everywhere are finding their hardy souls tested. Winter is tough on the body and on the spirit, and indoor plants are one of the many ways we keep cabin fever at bay. Plants, especially flowering plants, are not an indulgence. They are mental health medicine. The contents of my [...]
Houseplants For the Winter-Weary: Garden Bloggers Bloom Day January 2014
January 15, 2014 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingI've bought yet another plant after saying I was tired of my houseplants. I pounced on this forced hyacinth in bud while grocery shopping. I didn't force any hyacinths myself this year because I was short of funds and many of the bulbs I tried to force last year went moldy on me. But right [...]
Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day January 2013
January 15, 2013 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingI practice what I preach. I make sure I have plants to help get me through the winter.In fact, that pot of narcissus was in my last post about cabin fever. Flowers Now, and More Flowers Later Yes, that is the same red dragonwing begonia from last winter. Last winter I brought a fairly big [...]
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