Force Field

One thing that goes a long way in getting me through these long winter days is growing something in my house. I know spring is coming...we've had a relative heat wave this week in the greater Cincinnati area. I did notice last weekend that a few of my bulbs are just peeking out of the soil.

However, I do love to force bulbs indoors for a shot of green and blossom. One of my favorites is paperwhites. They are so easy to grow---place a bulb in a container full of rocks, add water to the level of the bulb, refill as needed...and in about four weeks, you will have some white and fragrant flowers to reward you for your effort. I usually pick up a dozen or so in the fall at the garden stores. This year, I made a fatal error.....

Usually, my bulbs put out a bit of growth as they are waiting for me to get them started. I figured I would thwart them this year and place them in our garage fridge, aka the beer fridge. I guess they don't care for the company of beer, but when I started them, they tried to grow, but just rotted. Yuck. I so needed my green fix that I ordered some online and they are showing to be duds so far. I have truly learned my lesson.

I did try this year to force hyacinth bulbs. This requires more effort, but it is turning out to be a fair attempt:

The forced bulb is proving to be a bit punier than those you would find outside, but then again, bulbs are not meant to grow in jars in houses. Duh. One benefit of hyacinth (besides the gorgeous scent) is that you can plant your spent bulbs in the garden once they are done and they will return. Not so with the paperwhites...they are one and done. I guess the paperwhites could go into my new compost bin.

I especially love this shot, with the bloom just coming on:

Bring it, spring! We are ready.