Evening Frost Paperwhites

Christmas is in the air! Cold winter air has replaced the warm sunshine. To bring back the bright and cheery sunshine inside your homes, you may do some decorating. Paperwhite Narcissus is a great Christmas plant that you can add in your interiors to make it lively, chasing away the gloomy weather. Paperwhites are one of those plants that easily bloom, without any chilling period as a requirement. It normally blooms with just adding water into it. Once it blooms, fragrance from its flowers will definitely take your breath away. Forcing paperwhite bulbs to bloom is very easy. Here are the steps that you should follow to have that dazzling lustrous flower in your home.

First, you need to gather all the materials that you need— a container that has no drainage holes that is about 8-10 cm tall, can be a clay pot, glass bowl or even a tall vase; pebbles, marbles, stones or even gravel measuring 1-2 inch; the paperwhite narcissus bulbs; and of course, water. Aside from these, you can add a decorative plant ring or a circle of twines to keep your stems mighty tall.

Now for the procedure proper for forcing paperwhites to bloom, you must first prepare the container. Make sure it does not have any holes that will let the water escape. Next, spread the pebbles or any stone of choice at the bottom of the container. Fill it until about 1-2 inches. After that, fill water into the container just until below the topmost part of the pebbles. Afterwards, assemble the bulbs on top of the pebbles, letting it sit on water. This shall stimulate the growth of the bulbs. However, you must maintain this level because if the water exceeded that amount and surpassed the base of the bulb, the plant will become rancid. Moreover, the bulbs must be placed, crowding each other to gain a marvelous appearance once the flowers bloom, mimicking a bouquet arrangement. Now that your bulbs are all set, you must guard it in place. To do that, you simply add more pebbles, occupying the gaps in between.  During this phase, the plant needs no sun or light. It must be placed in a cool area and checked regularly to see if it needs more water or it has grown its roots. As soon as you see roots developing on the plant, that’s the time that it will require sun. Place it on a sunny or bright place, allowing the flowers to bloom splendidly. Once the flowers bloom, place the plant on an area that receives indirect light to make it last longer.

Now, you can start new sets of bulbs every two weeks to have a continuous flow of paperwhites in your home. This plant does not bloom again once it withered so if you want to have it all winter long, produce as many bulbs as possible and force it to bloom at intervals. Forcing paperwhites is indeed very simple and can be done by anyone. Just think about the gorgeousness of its petals in your home and you’ll surely yearn for it. It will turn the murky mood of the winter into a jovial one and Christmas will surely be merry with this flower in your home.

Resource: Gardening.About.com

"Amaryllis, Charisma 1 Bulb, potted

Winter has arrived and snow is covering the lawns. For the gardeners who would not last a day without seeing the luscious green of the leaves or the glorious blossom of flowers, winter is nothing but a torture. That is why they bring around a bulb to bloom. Amaryllis is one of the most favorite plants to grow during the winter season. Growing amaryllis indoors is simple and trouble-free because it does not require complicated processes to make it bloom.
Moreover, it comes in very striking colors that will certainly add color and brilliance to your home. Gardeners will definitely rejoice once its flowers blooms. The trumpet shaped flower comes in different colors, primarily red, pink or yellow. It may even be a combination of these colors. Growing amaryllis indoors is something that people get accustomed to during the long, cold winter. Some even use this as a holiday present or simply as a holiday display. This article shall help you learn steps to grow your amaryllis indoors for the long winter season.

So first begin with assembling of all the needed materials. That would be an amaryllis bulb; a pot that is heavy enough to carry a long stem, big enough to fit in the bulb and must have drainage for excess water; a bamboo stalk; and lastly, water and soil. The bulb may be bought earlier the year even before the first drop of snow arrives. Always think of it as the heart of the plant, therefore extra care should be expected from you. Now that you have all of the needed materials, you may begin enjoying growing amaryllis indoors.

The process to be discussed is very basic and therefore can be done by anyone. Just like a gardener will normally do with sowing a plant, you must partly fill the pot with soil and place the bulb into it in such a manner that its upper third would be exposed outside the pot. Afterwards, secure it with adding more soil into the spaces. Remember that only one bulb should be planted in a single pot. The pot should not be too big or too small because it should give the bulb a crowded feeling. Bear in mind that this plant tends to grow tall and heavy therefore you must keep it from falling or from breaking by setting a bamboo stalk alongside the bulb.

Now that you have your plant, you must begin the nurturing process. What do you need in this phase? Of course you will need water, fertilizer and sunlight— the common things that a plant typically needs. Watering the plants is a necessity for almost all the plants, as well as for the amaryllis plants. Sunlight is another thing but for this plant, you must place it in a bright area that receives indirect sunlight. The soil should be kept moist but not wet. After this, you should expect to see a growing stalk and eventually the flower itself in a few weeks time. In this stage, you must turn the pot periodically to equalize the exposure it gets from the sunlight or other source of light. The fertilizer, on the other hand shall help your plant store needed amount for next year’s blooming season. Unlike some of the Christmas plants, Amaryllis re-blooms after a year. All you have to do is to let its flowers fade into yellow before cutting them. This will assure you several years of service from the exact same bulb.

Chilly atmosphere, bright shimmering lights, and colorful decorations everywhere, yes that definitely spells Christmas! Everybody loves the Christmas season especially the kids, generally their most favorite part is receiving of gifts but they also enjoy the Christmas decorations that cheer up their spirits and totally make them happy. Christmas decorations are not only limited to artificial ornaments like plastic wreaths or glass Christmas balls, lights, Christmas tree, etc; you should also use Christmas plants and flowers to add the true Christmas spirit  and refreshing scent in your home and also in your office. Fill the corners of your room with fresh plants and flowers; this will delight your loved ones and friends as the true beauty of nature will definitely amaze them.

Holiday Traditions Christmas Cactus

Warm Welcome Poinsettia

• Poinsettia. The most popular decorative plant during Christmas time. The poinsettia flowers are actually modified leaves, color ranges from white to pink but most prefer red. The true flowers are those small yellow bits at the bracts center.  With its star-shaped leaves, it represents the star of Bethlehem and Christ’s blood during the crucifixion is symbolized by the bright red color.

• Mistletoe. An evergreen partial parasite with tiny flowers, it grows on willow, trees, apples or conifers. It gets its nutrients from host plants but can also produce some by photosynthesis; its seeds are distributed by birds. Legend regarded mistletoe as the Tree of life with its healing powers and connected this with Christ’s birth as a sign of the healing of nations.

• Christmas Cactus. Unlike the desert cactus, it grows in a tropical climate like in South America, Brazil and Rio de Janeiro. A solo plant can have many flowers with its vibrant colors of red, peach, white and pink, not advisable to be planted in cold temperatures. It got its name since it blooms in winter synchronize with the Christmas season.

• Holly. A traditional bushy plant, its glossy green leaves is believed to be the crown of thorns and the small red berries signifies Christ’s blood. What’s amazing is that even during the winter, its leaves remains green and the red berries may look tempting but it’s not edible — it’s poisonous.