Forcing paperwhites for winter flowers.

Narcissus Paperwhite

Narcissus----------A little sunshine in the winter.

My favorite flowers to brighten a dark winter day are the Paperwhite Narcissus or the Soliel D'or which is yellow with an orange cup. Below are instructions for this winter sunshine.

                                                  

Paperwhites will grow happily and bloom with nothing more than water and stones or beach glass. To "plant" your bulbs in a soilless container begin by carefully placing a layer of stones or glass to a depth of about 2 inches in a small vase or about 4 inches in a larger vase. Next place a layer of bulbs close to each other, roots facing down, tips facing toward the middle. Put a few stones or pieces of beach glass around and between the bulbs to anchor them in the vase. Leave the tops of the bulbs exposed. Finally, add water until the level reaches just below the base of the bulbs, but no higher (if the bases of the bulbs sit in water, they will rot). Follow the instructions for "Rooting and care" below.

Soliel Narcissus

Bulbs in different containers

To pot the bulbs with potting mix, begin by placing the potting mix in a plastic tub. Slowly add water and stir until the mix is moist but not soggy. Add moistened mix to the accompanying container until it is about 3/4 full. Set the bulbs, pointed end up, on top of the mix. Space the bulbs very closely; they should almost touch. Then add more mix, covering the bulbs up to their necks and leaving the tips exposed. Water throughly. Follow the instructions for "Rooting and care" below.

Rooting and care: Set your container or vase in a cool (50-60°F is ideal) place away from direct sunlight. Check the bulbs frequently and water thoroughly when they potting mix is dry 1 inch below the surface (but not more than once a week until the bulbs begin active growth), or when the water level is more than an inch below the stones or glass in your vase. If your bulbs are in a bowl (a pot without a drainage hole), water with extra care: Bulbs sitting in soggy potting mix soon rot. Once a week, tug gently on the bulbs to see if they have begun to product roots. When your tug meets with firm resistance (usually about 3 weeks after potting), move the container to a sunny window. Keep a close eye on watering. Bulbs in active growth can dry out in just a day or two. When Paperwhites are forced to bloom indoors, they have a tendency to topple when in flower. Hold them upright with bulb supports or with bamboo stakes and twine (available at garden centers). 

Face the growth toward the center, my preference

Good root growth around the peebles and the water
is not covering the bulb.

The bulbs took about 2 weeks to get to the 4" height in darkness and cool climate. Moved into a bright area they grew and began to bloom within the next week. If they are kept away from heat sources and in the light they will do well.

If you don't want to start your Paperwhites right away or you want to hold some in reserve for a staggered display, store them at cool but not cold room temperature in a dark place.

After Paperwhites finish blooming, we recommend that you throw the bulbs out or toss them on the compost pile. They won't bloom again indoors. Happy forcing.

A visit to Winterthur Gardens

 Winterthur in the winter is lovely. You can still find the late bloomers:

  

 

The landscapes offer picturesque panoramic views:

It is a great place to take nature photography:

Magnolia fingers

               

While birds take over the tree branches

Apartment Complex!

And to watch squirrells frantically forage :

Luckily the freezing cold weather hasn't hit us yet, there's still time to enjoy the outdoors! Hope you all had a great holiday!

Cultural History of the Poinsettia

Submitted by Linda Grimwade Philadelphia Master Gardener 

Euphorbia pulcherrima    

In Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, the plant is called Cuitlaxochitl (from cuitlatl, residue, and xochitl, flower) meaning "flower that grows in residues or soil." The Aztecs used the plant to produce red dye and as an antipyretic medication. Today it is known in Mexico and Guatemala as "Noche Buena", meaning Christmas Eve. In Spain it is known as "Flor de Pascua", meaning "Easter flower". In both Chile and Peru, the plant became known as "Crown of the Andes".

The plant's association with Christmas began in 16th century Mexico, where legend tells of a young girl who was too poor to provide a gift for the celebration of Jesus' birthday. The tale goes that the child was inspired by an angel to gather weeds from the roadside and place them in front of the church altar. Crimson "blossoms" sprouted from the weeds and became beautiful poinsettias.  From the 17th century, Franciscan friars in Mexico included the plants in their Christmas celebrations.  The star-shaped leaf pattern is said to symbolize the Star of Bethlehem, and the red color represents the blood sacrifice through the crucifixion of Jesus.

Poinsettias are popular Christmas decorations[1] in homes, churches, offices, and elsewhere across North America. They are available in large numbers from grocery, drug, and hardware stores. In the United States, December 12 is National Poinsettia Day.

Big Spring, Texas is well known for its poinsettias as the "lighted poinsettia capital". When the Comanche Trail Festival of Lights first began the dam at the big spring held four huge poinsettias made of rebar welded together in the shape of a poinsettia flower. Each flower was made up of 5 leaves. The leaves were decorated with red Christmas lights. The four poinsettia flowers were an awesome sight to see entering Big Spring from the south. Each year more flowers were added to the dam and inside the park until Comanche Trail Park has by 2006 added seven poinsettias, making a total of eleven lighted flowers on the dam and countless flowers inside the park, making Comanche Trail Park the Christmas Poinsettia capital. (wikipedia)

A visit to Grumblethorpe in Germantown.

It's a beautiful autumn day and time to do something spur of the moment. I need to walk in a garden somewhere close and just enjoy the day. I have several choices in Germantown and Chestnut Hill. Penn State Extension has a high tunnel at Grumblethorpe.(click for map) let's go to Germantown. 

Upon arrival, my husbund and I are greeted by volunteer Richard Vogel and Heather Zimmerman who is the manager and has worked with the Penn State Extension Philadelphia Master Gardeners.  We photograph the chickens and hear the story of why they are here. It seems that the school tours gave the volunteers the idea to allow children to see where eggs come from and the types of eggs different chickens lay. No roosters, as they would wake everyone in the neighborhood. Not a good thing.

The garden is ready for winter and the leaves are falling from the many trees especially from the 250 year old ginkgo and over 100 year old crabapple. Moving along the paths we

hear the history of the gardens and what is being planned in the near future. There are beds of flowers, vegetables and a newly started orchard. There is a documented list of plants from the early gardens and it will be used as a reference to restore the flowers beds. The garden's vegetable beds provide for the farmer's market and other venues. Varities of Kale are still actively growing.

Kale and the huge Ginkgo with Richard

In the rear of the property is the high tunnel ((More information). It is providing the perfect setting for growing vegetables for the farmer's market year round as well as protecting plants in the spring before they are planted. Next to the high tunnel there are bee hives to provide honey and pollination.

Hair Agrometer

Weather Station

A view of the house through the massive ginkgo.

Cornus Mas / Cornelian Cherry Dogwood.

So what did I see today that excited me. The most interesting aspects of the garden for me were the beautiful trees shedding their leaves and showcasing the wonderful bark and structure. The massive ginkgo, the crabapple, maples, virburnum and cherry dogwood all getting ready for a winters sleep. This is the beginning of the winter interest in the garden that I love. 

Before touring the house, we walk through the kitchen herb garden and find Heather cleaning up for the winter. We talked about the gardens and volunteer opportunities including the school tours and of course, the general gardening chores. 

Freeze Those Herbs

Rosemary

Freezing herbs is a great alternative to drying as it locks in the flavor over a longer period of time and can be done in a variety of ways.


Herbs like dill, rosemary, thyme and sage are best kept on the stalk, placed in a zip lock freezer bag with all the air pushed out. You then snip or break off the amount you need or toss the entire stalk in the pot.


An alternative is drying leaves overnight on the counter on a cookie sheet. Wash and dry the leaves then spread them out onto a cookie sheet, freezing them on the sheet the next day. This prevents the leaves from sticking together and you then can package them to be used straight from the freezer.

Parsley                                            

Dill

Using ice cube trays is another way to be ready to cook with your favorite herbs. Wash, chop, measure and freeze the herbs of   choice in an ice cube tray. Once frozen, the cubes can be put into a ziploc bag and you can scoop out the amount of basil or dill as you need.

Finally, making herb butters is a great way to have that special butter to cook your favorite meal. No going to the market and starting from scratch the day of the meal. Dill butter for your favorite fish, garlic and chives, tarragon or whatever is your favorite for meat, poultry, pasta, corn, or vegetables.

Recipe for herbed butter: 

 Stick of butter (softened unsalted)                                               1/4 C of herb of choice 

 1 tsp. Of lemon juice                                                                        fine sea salt to taste 

Cream the butter and herbs together with a fork. Add lemon juice and salt to taste. Using a piece of plastic wrap, roll into a log and freeze. When ready to use, slice off the desired amount. Let warm a little before using.