Author Archives: Jessica Snell

Growing Paperwhites

Enjoy Paperwhites Indoors
Paperwhites will remain beautiful throughout the holidays and beyond, making them great gifts for friends and family (and, of course, schoolteachers). Paperwhites are easy to force into bloom indoors. The bulbs do NOT need to be placed in cold storage to bloom. Paperwhite bulbs begin to grow as soon as they are planted, with fragrant flowers appearing in 4-6 weeks.

Each tall flower stem produces several small, snowy-white flowers. Make your flowers last longer by keeping the plant in a cool location. Blooms will look fresh for 3-4 weeks if kept at a maximum of 65°F/18°C.

When purchasing paperwhites choose bulbs that are firm, not soft or mushy. There are a couple popular varieties I recommend: ‘Ziva’ is a prolific bloomer… and ‘Erlicheer’ is a multi flowering double daffodil with white petals and creamy yellow centers. Brighten your home in the winter months by pairing Paperwhites with Amaryllis bulbs.

Steps to Forcing Paperwhites in Soil

  1. Plant paperwhite bulbs in a shallow pot filled with potting mix. Set as many bulbs as will fit in the pot, as close together as possible without touching. Top with potting mix, leaving the tips of the bulbs exposed.
  2. Water thoroughly to moisten the soil.
  3. Place in a cool (50-60°F/10-24°C) low-light location until shoots appear, usually in 2-3 weeks. Then move pot into warmer temperatures and a brighter location, but out of direct sun. Turn the pot once in a while so that all the stems get equal light. They’re fast growers, with blossoms appearing in 4-6 weeks from time of planting.

How to Grow Paperwhites in Pebbles

  1. Cover the bottom of a shallow container with pebbles (or glass marbles) about 2-3 inches deep. Set the paperwhite bulbs on the pebbles with their tips pointed up. Cover the bulbs with more pebbles, leaving their tips exposed.
  2. Add just enough water to reach the bottoms of the bulbs.
  3. Set them in a cool location and give them the same care as described in #3 above.

Paperwhite Tips                                                                                           Indoors, you may need to stake your paperwhites at some point. These flowers can get leggy with insufficient light. Stake with bamboo or cut branches from your garden. American sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua) creates a rustic look, and redtwig dogwood (Cornus sericea) offers bold, Christmas-red stems. Use willow (Salix sp.) after New Year’s, as the yellow-green stems help warm up the winter months.

Keeping Paperwhites Short with Alcohol

When paperwhite bulbs are grown in a dilute solution of alcohol, the plants reach a height of 1/3 to ½ their normally expected growth – but the flowers remain normal size and last just as long. Why they thought of giving their paperwhites a nip remains a mystery, but it appears that the resulting water stress on the plants is just enough to stunt their growth, but not interfere otherwise.

  • The alcohol content needs to be less than 10%, or your plants will overdose and severe growth problems will occur. Check the bottle for the percentage alcohol. Many liquors are only labeled as “proof”, not percentage of alcohol. Don’t confuse the two. To determine what percentage alcohol you have, divide the proof in half, So and 86 proof bourbon is 43% alcohol.
  • You can use any hard liquor (vodka, tequila, whiskey…) or rubbing alcohol. Don’t use wine or beer because they are too high in sugar.
  • You will have to do some math to get the different concentrations of alcohol down to 4-6%.
  • To convert your booze to 5% alcohol, just divide the percentage alcohol by 5 and then subtract 1. That will tell you how many parts water to mix with your 1 part alcohol. Ex: 40 divided by 5 = 8: 8 minus 1 = 7… 7 parts water to 1 part alcohol.

10% Alcohol = 1 Part Water to 1 Part Alcohol
15% Alcohol = 2 Parts Water to 1 Part Alcohol
20% Alcohol = 3 Parts Water to 1 Part Alcohol
25% Alcohol = 4 Parts Water to 1 Part Alcohol
30% Alcohol = 5 Parts Water to 1 Part Alcohol
35% Alcohol = 6 Parts Water to 1 Part Alcohol
40% Alcohol = 7 Parts Water to 1 Part Alcohol

Paperwhite Bloom Calendar

Planted Week of                                Blooms week of

November 5 ………………………… December 17

November 12…………………………December 24

November 19…………………………December 31

November 26…………………………January 7

December 3………………………….January 14

December 10…………………………January 21

December 17………………………..January 28

Fall is for Planting!

Fall Planting is all about lessening stress. Less stress for gardeners, plants, and pollinators!
Many people only think about planting in the spring, yet there are so many reasons to plant in the fall, here are our top 5.
1. Get a Jump Start on Spring Growth
Planting perennials in the fall gives them a head start on growth the following spring. Root systems will start to grow once the ground thaws, long before the soil can be worked by human hands and any new plants can be put in. This early start means first-season perennials that can actually show their flowers!
2. The Cool Weather
If the hot, sweaty weather isn’t for you, try gardening in the fall! The crisp, cool air makes for an enjoyable, leisurely experience working in the garden.
3. Crucial Support for Pollinators
With earlier blooms comes earlier nectar sources for pollinators, who struggle to find food at the end of the gardening season. Anytime that you can provide early-spring (and autumn) food supplies for birds, bees, and butterflies, you’ll be doing your part to protect the human food supply as well, as we rely on pollinators to put food on our own dinner tables!
4. Less Water
The colder weather helps to eliminate evaporation and shorter days mean that photosynthesis actually slows down, resulting in your new plants requiring less water than if planted in the spring.
5. Camouflage Early Spring Blooming Bulb Foliage
By partnering fall planting, spring blooming bulbs with perennials, the dying bulb foliage will be engulfed by the perennial and allow them to naturally die back to provide strength for next year’s bloom. When most fall bulbs are blooming, perennials are in their dormant stage. As the bulb nears the end of its bloom time, the perennial will start to grow, and subsequently cover the bulb tops when the bloom is gone. It also saves time by digging a hole once and getting 2 seasons of color.

It’s Pansy Season!

Growing Tips

Easy to grow, Pansies are one of the first flowers to welcome spring and if you follow these tips you can grow perfect Pansies. Choose plants with an overall deep green color with plenty of buds for the best results and fastest blooming. Plant in fertile soil where the plant will receive 6 hours of daily sunlight. Use a liquid fertilizer (Jacks Blossom Booster)  when planting and fertilize every  week to maintain vigor and color. Replace with  petunias in the summer when it becomes too warm for pansies.

5 quick tips for Perfect Pansies

  1. Pansies will have prolific blooms when planted in full Sun. (Yes they can grow in part shade)
  2. It is important to fertilize Pansies for maximum wow color. We like putting a granular down like osmocote at time of planting and then 1x a week water with a liquid fertilizer like Jacks classic.
  3. Plant in rich soil that retains moisture but also drains well. For containers we love Gardner’s Gold potting soil. When planting in the ground we mix in Bumper Crop compost.
  4. Keep Pansies pretty by pinching them back. Remove dead/spent flowers by pinching the stalk back to the next set of leaves.
  5. Water when they dry out. Pansies respond well to cool moist weather, so check them frequently for moisture.

Pansies grow well in rain or cold. In fact, it easily overwinters in many areas. This three-season performer may be planted for fall color, overwinter, and then perk up again in early spring providing an early punch of pizzazz. If it becomes too leggy, just cut back the foliage back to 3 inches tall and fertilize. In a couple of weeks, it will be smiling up at you.

When planting in containers, consider the flower and container colors to maximize the visual effect. Interplant with other textures and colors for an eclectic rainbow of vibrance. When planting in fall, add spring blooming bulbs, as they’ll easily grow through the pansies to create a riot of spring color. Spiky grasses provide a tall and contrasting effect to the pansy’s trailing tendrils, especially in larger containers.

With so many stunning options and new colors to embrace, there’s sure to be a Pansy perfect for all your flower planting desires!

pansy_3

Save

Save

Fall Bulbs 101

Fall Bulbs 101
bulbs_5 istock_000000728757_small     daffodils_250x201  istock_000007703457medium
What You Need to Know to Be Ready for This Fall Season
Fall-planting bulbs are some of the easiest flowers to grow with some planning and a little patience.
What are fall planting bulbs?
Simply put, fall planting bulbs are flower bulbs that are planted during the autumn to provide color and flowers the following spring. Crocus, hyacinths, narcissus, and tulips are all representative of fall planting bulbs. These bulbs need the cooling period of winter in order to bloom, but also need time to establish a healthy root system to survive the winter frost. Fall bulbs need to be planted after the temperature reaches 65 degrees, or lower, but at least 6 to 8
weeks prior to a hard frost. Bulbs do best planted in the ground, especially ones that naturalize, but can easily be grown in containers as well with extra maintenance. Planning a bulb garden is not essential; however, with a little research and thought, a showy spring garden can easily be attained.
Know Your Hardiness Zone
Proper knowledge of the zone where the garden is located will eliminate failure and frustration for gardeners when spring arrives. It is important that your customers familiarize themselves on what zone their garden occupies, especially first time gardeners, in order to get the best results. Our local zone ranges from 7 to 6, depending on how far north you are.  Bulbs planted when it is still too warm often sprout prior to the hard frost, and freeze during winter. Within colder regions, such as zones 1 through 4, or a mountainous region, additional mulch to protect against severe freezing temperatures (20 degrees below zero) is recommended; alternatively, heavy mulching will need to be removed in spring to ensure the flower can bloom and grow to full potential. A first time gardener with a successful spring bouquet will most likely return to purchase bulbs in the future, and part of the success is knowing when and how to plant.
Bulb Storage
Bulbs need to be kept in a cool and dry location prior to planting. The warmer temperatures in spring along with healthy rain activate bulbs, so storage in areas that have higher moisture and heat will trigger the bulbs to grow. Bulbs with sprouts can still be planted, but the sprout should not be damaged or removed, or else, the plant will not grow. Bulbs are alive when they reach a garden center, and will carry a shelf life of 6 months before they can no longer survive. Customers can purchase bulbs early in the season and store them at home in the same conditions: a cool, dark, dry location. Storage can be done in an open paper bag, in a dark
place like a closet. Earlier in the fall season, the variety of bulbs will be much greater, so you may want to encourage your customers to shop early and store them at home until they are ready to plant to get the bestvariety for their garden.
Bulb Selection
Bulbs should be firm when selected, not mushy or soft as that signals a dead or bad bulb. Occasionally mold may form on the outer skin, but can easily be brushed off and causes no harm to the bulb. Many bulbs will naturalize, and if cared for properly, will return and bloom the following spring: daffodils, crocus, hyacinth, muscari, and alliums, are varieties that will naturalize in the garden. Tulips, unlike other fall planting bulbs, are not native to American gardens, and will not return the following year; they are best pulled and new bulbs
replanted the following fall. Gardeners who deal with deer and rabbits can use deer resistant varieties to help curb destruction in their garden: scilla, snowdrops, daffodils, hyacinth, allium, are not favored as meals by wildlife; however, a hungry animal will eat anything if hungry enough. Bulbs bloom at different times throughout the spring, so with some research, an amateur gardener can make a show-stopping display that continues after each flower is spent.
How to Plant Bulbs
Good soil preparation is the key to planting bulbs; some gardeners dig up a larger space to facilitate planting arge numbers of bulbs, while others use garden tools to create holes into which the bulbs will spend the winter. Bulbs are generally planted about 8” deep for larger bulbs, and 5” deep for the smaller varieties; the general rule of thumb is that the depth of the bulb should be 3X the diameter. Bulbs prefer good draining soil, and donot like wet feet, so areas that collect heavy water are not ideal. If using containers, bulbs may be planted in
layers based on size. Always place the bulb with the pointed side up, and the flatter side (often with tiny roots) down, cover with soil, water, and let the winter rains and snow take care of watering until spring. Plant bulbs in clumps, or staggered, to create larger washes of color. Paying attention to bloom times when planting can help fill in spent blooms in the garden and create a show of color that lasts all spring.
After-Care
Fall planted bulbs will flower at different times in regard to the varieties planted. For example crocus will appear first, followed by daffodils, and finally tulips. After the flower has bloomed and faded, do not cut down the leaves and stalk. Let the plant die back naturally and brown out over the course of late spring and early summer. During this period, the flower bulb will gain back all of the energy spent in flowering, and continue its life cycle. A popular belief is that bulbs should be tied back, however, it is better to let them be so that they can prepare for
the next season. Once brown, remove the spent leaves. Many bulbs, like crocus, narcissus, and hyacinths, will naturalize and need this period to prepare for the next spring. Some, like tulips, are not native and will not return the following year and should be pulled to prevent problems in the garden, and new bulbs should be planted the following fall. While tulips will not naturalize crocus, muscari, hyacinths, and daffodils, will bloom each spring if left to fade. Some bulbs, after time, will need to be dug up and divided, to ensure flowers. Fertilizer does not
need to be applied in the first year, but down the road, bulbs benefit from a feeding using a specific mild fertilizer designed for bulbs. Most general fertilizers are too harsh for bulbs.

 

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save