One of our favorite holiday traditions is to force bulbs to bloom indoors. I guess this was so appealing in Wisconsin because by December NOTHING is in bloom, compared to here in Houston where something is always blooming. I took this picture of a hibiscus flower in our backyard today.
So over the past weekend we bought some paperwhites to force. In the December issue of
Martha Stewart Living it says that using a 10:1 solution of water and rubbing alcohol will prevent them from getting so tall and leggy that they fall over. I figured it was worth a try...I'll let you know how it works.
We also bought a amaryllis bulb to force. It is planted in dirt, and will get transplanted to our yard after it blooms.
Hopefully it will be as beautiful as this Wisconsin bloom from 2000.
And even in Houston, this is a sure harbinger of spring, even though we're only 2 1/2 weeks into winter.
And remember when I planted these a month ago? I guess the 10% alcohol solution really did work. I didn't use it on these and they are certainly more tall and leggy. Guess Martha was right after all.
So over the past weekend we bought some paperwhites to force. In the December issue of Martha Stewart Living it says that using a 10:1 solution of water and rubbing alcohol will prevent them from getting so tall and leggy that they fall over. I figured it was worth a try...I'll let you know how it works.
We also bought a amaryllis bulb to force. It is planted in dirt, and will get transplanted to our yard after it blooms.
Hopefully it will be as beautiful as this Wisconsin bloom from 2000.
