Saturday, November 24, 2007

Just bustleing around here...

...getting ready for Christmas.

Actually, I am feeling dismayed that Winter is upon us, and I will have neither bloom nor bud, so I am working feverishly to fix that.

I have potted up 8 amaryllis bulbs, to have them look nice enough to give as Christmas gifts, even if they are not blooming then. Also, I have 12 pots of paper whites to force. Each pot has at least 3 bulbs (blue enameled mugs), and some have as many as 7 bulbs (pretty crystal vases). They (the bulbs) are just set on pretty gravel, and when they get tall enough, I will gather the foliage and bloom stems into a bouquet, and tie them up with a gingham ribbon. It keeps them from flopping over.

Also, to keep them from getting extremely tall, you can stunt their growth with a shot of vodka. Keeps them about half their original height.

And...when the blooms are gone, I always plant these narcissus in the ground. They will come back next year.

Tough plants, the daffodil.

3 comments:

Jean Campbell said...

Well, you know how tipsy little Miss Narcissus gets after one vodka martini. Outrageous!

ancient one said...

So do you just use water or do you put plant food, too, in those vases with the paper whites?

janie said...

I just use water, and a little vodka. Believe me, they will grow without plant food! I think they suck it out of the rocks!

The problem is what they grow too much sometimes. Then they flop over, and that isn't very attractive. So, a LITTLE vodka- a couple of teaspoons, maybe, to keep them from getting too tall- it won't keep them from blooming- and a ribbon to keep them standing up pretty.

(I think you could use any kind of alcohol, doesn't have to be vodka. Vodka is cheap and wouldn't show up. Can't see it, can't smell it....)