It's a week of snow and freezing rain here in the Northeast, but inside my greenhouse, I'm forcing bulbs - a technique used by gardeners to bring the beauty of spring blooms indoors during the depths of winter.
I force amaryllis bulbs every year, but this year I decided I wanted to force others, such as checkered Fritillaria meleagris and the beautiful blue star-shaped Camassia. I love both these flowers and grow them outdoors in abundance. Last week, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, filled three pots of these bulbs from Colorblends Flowerbulbs - a third generation wholesale flower merchant in nearby Bridgeport, Connecticut. Soon I will have them blooming wonderfully in my home. I can't wait.
Enjoy these photos.
Every spring, my pergola garden is filled with light blue and purple Camassia. Camassia forms clusters of linear, strappy foliage around upright racemes. Camassia is a genus of plants in the asparagus family native to Canada and the United States.
The flower stalks stand 24 to 30 inches tall and display dozens of florets that open from the bottom up. Camassia is also known as camas, wild hyacinth, Indian hyacinth, and quamash.
I also grow lots of Fritillaria around my farm. Commonly known as Guinea Hen Flower, Checkered Lily or Snake’s Head Fritillary, Fritillaria meleagris is an heirloom species dating back to 1575.
Each Fritillaria bloom has pendant, bell-shaped, checkered and veined flowers that are either maroon or ivory-white with grass-like foliage on slender stems.
To force both these bulb types, Ryan fills wide mouthed planter pans that can accommodate all the bulbs. He’s using Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix, which protects against any over- or under-watering.
Ryan also mixes in Osmocote fertilizer. The slow-release prills filled with nutrients feed the plants for up to six months.
Ryan plants the Camassia bulbs first. Ryan gently pushes each bulb down into the soil, so it is well-anchored. And, just as it is done outside, always plant bulb roots pointed down.
Any bulbs used for forcing should be dense and heavy and free from mold, mildew, discoloration, or a peeling outer shell.
The bulbs can be placed close together. They will hold one another upright and show beautifully in maximum bloom.
Ryan covers all the bulbs with another layer of potting mix.
These planter pans are made by master potter, Ben Wolff. I have the largest known collection of planters made by Ben and his father, Guy.
Ryan covers the soil with a layer of pea stone. It looks decorative and will also help to bolster the stems as they grow.
Next, Ryan fills another pot with ‘Snake’s Head’ Fritillaria bulbs.
These bulbs are smaller and each one produces grassy foliage and one or more stems topped with a single dangling bloom.
One by one, Ryan places the bulbs on top of the soil, point up, next to one another. Don’t worry about crowding – the more the merrier.
Forcing bulbs essentially means to create the conditions needed to trigger blooming. And forcing needs patience – it can take six to eight weeks or sometimes as long as 13 weeks for the bulbs to come into flower.
Once again, Ryan covers the bulbs with potting soil.
He pats it down slightly to compact the soil mix. Because Fritilllaria meleagris is more delicate, Ryan leaves this vessel as is. The flowers will emerge through the soil.
The potted bulbs are brought into the greenhouse for a thorough drink.
…And then placed on top of the head house windowsill where they will get ample light.
And the wait is on… What bulbs are you forcing this season? Forcing bulbs is an uplifting project during an otherwise cold and dreary winter.
Starting onions from seed isn’t difficult. They can be planted closely together in seed starting trays, and because they are shallow-rooted, they can be pulled apart easily when ready for transplanting outdoors. And by mid-summer, I'll have bounties of beautiful, flavorful, fat onions to enjoy and share.
Enjoy these photos.
Remember all the onions I harvested last year? It’s one of my favorite crops to pick. The onion, Allium cepa, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium.
Onions require 90 to 100 days to mature from seed, which is around four months. I start seeding them after the New Year and then in spring they are transplanted outdoors in the garden.
Seed starting trays come in all different sizes and depths. I use trays with shallow compartments for planting onion seeds. These are 20-row seed flats from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. They keep varieties separate and make the removal of seedlings easy for transplanting to larger celled trays or pots later.
Because I use a lot of onions for cooking and for sharing with my family, I plant many trays of onion seeds. My head gardener, Ryan McCallister, fills the seed starting tray with an appropriate mix.
It’s best to use a pre-made seed starting mix that contains the proper amounts of vermiculite, perlite and peat moss. Seed starting mixes are available at garden supply stores. I use Miracle-Gro Seed Starting Potting Mix.
The soil should be level with the top of the tray. Ryan fills several trays first and works in a production line process.
Ryan uses the edge of a wooden ruler to make quarter-inch deep furrows.
Here, one can see the indentations in each cell.
On one side of the marker he writes the vegetable variety so we can keep track of what grows well and what doesn’t.
On the other side, Ryan indicates what color this particular onion variety is – R for red, W for white, and Y for yellow.
Ryan places a marker into one of the cells, so it is clear what variety is growing in what tray.
Onion seeds are very small, so be sure to take time dropping them into the tray cells.
Slowly, Ryan drops the seeds evenly into each compartment.
Look closely and see the seeds in a row. It is good to start larger onions from seed, so they can be harvested the same year.
Once the seeds are dropped, Ryan adds an additional light layer of soil mix, so the seeds are completely covered.
Then he tamps down lightly to make sure there is good contact with the soil.
It doesn’t take long to seed several trays of onion seeds.
The trays are all given a good watering.
And then placed into my Urban Cultivator growing system – it has water, temperature and humidity all set-up in the refrigerator like unit. He covers the trays with plastic humidity domes until germination begins. Once established, the trays will be moved out into the greenhouse where they will remain until they are ready to be separated and transplanted into the ground.
The sprouts will be selectively thinned in a few weeks. This process eliminates the weaker sprouts and prevents overcrowding, so seedlings don’t have any competition for soil nutrients or room to mature. I hope these blogs help remind you what you can do to get ready for the next gardening season.
One doesn't have to wait until spring to enjoy the fragrance and beauty of springtime blooms - just force some bulbs indoors.
Forcing is the process of speeding up a bulb’s development by simulating the conditions of winter and spring - it's a way of fooling Mother Nature and tricking the bulb to bloom before its natural time. This week, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, planted two separate containers of amaryllis bulbs, which will erupt with magnificent trumpet-shaped blooms and a mild, sweet and delicate scent later this season.
Enjoy these photos.
These ‘Sovereign’ amaryllis bulbs from Colorblends Wholesale Flower Bulbs in Bridgeport, Connecticut are in excellent condition. They are plump, well-rounded, and free from any soft spots, or discoloration. When in bloom, the flowers will be large, orange-red, and borne on sturdy stems.
Some of you may remember the gorgeous trumpet amaryllis blooms I have forced in previous years. I love to bring them into my Winter House as soon as they open. Of all flowering bulbs, amaryllis are the easiest to bring to bloom. This flower originated in South Africa and comes in many beautiful varieties.
The genus Amaryllis comes from the Greek word amarysso, which means “to sparkle.” Amaryllis flowers range from four to 10 inches in size and can be either single or double in form.
While the most popular colors are red and white, flowers may also be pink, salmon, apricot, rose or deep burgundy, and some unique striped varieties.
When forcing, any waterproof container can be used – just be sure there is about four-inches of space below the bulbs to accommodate root growth. I selected two pan sized planters made by master potter, Ben Wolff. Ben and his father, Guy, create gorgeous pots by hand on traditional potter’s wheels. I have the largest personal collection of Wolff pottery ever known.
Each pot has a drainage hole at the bottom. This is critical, so water can easily drain and adequate air can reach the roots.
As with all our pots, the drainage holes are covered with shards on the inside to help drainage and to keep the soil from leaking out. We save all the shards from broken clay pots for this purpose.
Ryan uses a potting mix that includes perlite and vermiculite for good drainage.
He fills the pot to just under the rim with the potting mix.
He also adds a generous amount of Miracle-Gro Osmocote fertilizer – small, round, yellow coated prills covering a core of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
Then Ryan positions the first bulb keeping the top third of it sticking up above the soil level.
When planting more than one in a container, be sure there is at least an inch between the bulb sides and the rim of the vessel.
Amaryllis bulbs usually measure about three to six inches across.
The key to amaryllis forcing indoors is the temperature. The best, most rapid growth will occur if the container is in a room that is at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
These pots are big enough to accommodate three bulbs each, so Ryan positions the third in each pot.
A little more soil potting mix is added. Once positioned properly, Ryan gently packs the potting mix down to anchor the bulbs.
Here, Ryan adds some pea gravel as top dressing. This gravel will also help to anchor the heavy amaryllis stems as they grow.
Here is a view of three planted amaryllis bulbs from above – all equally spaced and ready to water.
Ryan gives each pot an initial drink. When forcing, be sure to keep the soil moist but not wet. Water only when the top inch or two of the potting mix is dry to the touch.
For now, these pots will stay on my head house windowsill where they can get bright, indirect light. And in six to eight weeks, I should have beautiful large colorful blooms atop 12- to 24-inch straight stems. I can’t wait.
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