It is cold and icy and snow-covered here, but that doesn't keep me from jonesing for springtime. The first of the seed catalogs arrived in the mail this week, with their colorful flower porn that will get longingly stared at over and over again in the next few weeks as I plan something new for the yard.
Oh warmth, where art thou?
The best thing we've done in a long time was to find some bulbs in a vase with a plastic frog in the bottom of it. We're forcing the blooms in the sun room, and they are gloriously, riotously pink. The Peanut and I are loving them, and even Mr. ReddHedd has glanced their way a time or two in this cold, barren place we've gotten to this winter.
A little blooming life amid the frozen wasteland is a blessing, indeed.
Here's to warmer days ahead, filled with sunshine and flowers and a chance to go outdoors without bundling yourself into oblivion. Come on springtime.
(Photo by Christy Hardin Smith.)
3 comments:
Can you elaborate a bit on the vase with the bulb and plastic frog? How does this work exactly?
It is a glass vase that has a plastic insert in the bottom - the insert has holes to allow liquid up through and roots to go down, and has some little spikes in it to hold the bulbs in place. You keep water in the bottom of the vase, just up to the base of the bulbs. Then they sprout and eventually bloom. For tulips, they have to have been kept somewhere cold before you try to sprout them, but you can start something like paper whites right away. If you don't have a "frog" handy, you can use pebbles in the bottom of the vase, so long as there is some air circulation so the bulbs do not rot.
Here's a great summary from Southern Living:
http://www.southernliving.com/home-garden/gardens/guide-to-paperwhites-forcing-bulbs-planting-and-tips-00417000076517/
Post a Comment