Archive for November, 2008

‘Pickling’ paperwhites to keep them short

Sunday, November 30th, 2008

As bulb-forcing season gets into full swing, it’s time to highlight one of our science activities: ‘Forcing’ paperwhites. In addition to providing blooms in winter, this one has a twist: Watering with an alcohol solution to keep the plants short (and keep them from flopping over) without reducing the number of size of [...]

Web roundup: A Lunatic on Bulbs

Sunday, November 16th, 2008

Bulb-forcing video - From the good folks at Fine Gardening magazine. (Don’t miss the accompanying article.) If you are going to do the Grow bulbs in winter activity, now is the time to start chilling bulbs.
A Lunatic on Bulbs - Garden writer and designer Marta McDowell waxes eloquent on fall bulb planting season.  [...]

New activity: Make Your Community More Beautiful with Bulbs (share ideas)

Sunday, November 16th, 2008

Follow these steps for a successful community beautification project that features bulb planting.
Use the comments to share ideas about how you have used or adapted this activity.

New activity: The Human Camera (share ideas)

Sunday, November 16th, 2008

This fun activity offers a chance to observe bulb flowers closely in pairs, and then write about the experience creatively and descriptively.
Use the comments to share ideas about how you have used or adapted this activity.

Bulb labyrinth planting in Conn.

Sunday, November 9th, 2008

An old friend, Lisa Krall, a soil scientist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service sent me this picture and the report below last week:
Larger image
We have a partnership here in Connecticut called the Ecological Landscaping Network (ELN) and one project is coordinating practices where homeowners can come see them at the [...]

Good advice for cold climates

Sunday, November 9th, 2008

In a comment on the blog, Edith, a Master Gardener and bulb expert in Minnesota has this advice:
“Extreme cold climates, where the frost can reach several feet into the ground such as Minnesota, require very early planting as well as regular watering to stimulate root growth. Many summers here are droughts and there can be [...]

Persuading Bulbs to Bloom

Sunday, November 2nd, 2008

Persuading Bulbs to Bloom, Anne Raver’s gardening column in last week’s New York Times, explores the ins and outs of forcing flower bulbs — coaxing them to grow and flower inside over winter when their blooms are particularly appreciated.
We have two activities on our site that involve forcing. See:

‘Force’ paperwhites
Grow bulbs in winter