Monday, January 18, 2010

Potting up, kicking off, and over the top!

When last seen back in October, my old amaryllis bulbs were headed into the refrigerator for three months of dark and chilly hibernation. Yesterday, I pulled them out. Absolutely no signs of rot and decay! Applying that copper fungicide seems to have worked. You might question the logic of storing bags of chemically-treated bulbs next to organic celery and free range eggs--but in an "I hate to cook" way, it definitely makes sense to me! That's what cognitive dissonance is there for, anyways.



I planted the bulbs in their pots, watered well, and set them in a south-facing window over a warm radiator.



Hoping for some good ju-ju (and more success than last year), I tucked the baby "Minerva" bulb into a little pot given to me many Mother's Days ago (back when I had black eyes and wore blue lipstick) by one of my own off-spring.



Meanwhile, this new amaryllis "Temptation" is kicking off the amaryllis season just right--over the top!

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Jewel tones

After almost 12 weeks of cooling in the refrigerator, the hyacinth bulbs are ready for forcing.



The three different varieties have slightly different colored bulbs: "L'Innocence" is white, "Gipsy Queen" is tinged with pink, and "Lady Derby" is a deep purple. But right now, the best part is just enjoying the bulbs in their glass forcing vases. And, if they bloom, great!