Sanhedrin Nursery – Garden Blog

• Bulbs, bulbs, bulbs! It’s time to plant tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, crocus and many other flower bulbs for beautiful blooms next spring.

• Choose shade trees for fall color now and plant them while the soil is still warm.

• Divide artichoke plants which have been in the ground for three or four years. Mulch established plants with steer manure.

• Plant cover crops in the garden where summer plants have finished. Fava beans and crimson clover will grow through the winter and improve your soil for spring planting.

• Seed slopes with annual ryegrass to prevent erosion and improve the soil for later plantings.

Enchanting Amaryllis

Amaryllis belladonna, known as Naked Ladies, are a wonderful fall flower that is truly easy to grow. A native of South Africa, it is well adapted to our dry summer, Mediterranean climate.

Each September the large flower bulbs send up one or two tall bare flower stems about two feet tall. Then each flower stem bursts into bloom with a cluster of large, bright pink, fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers. Up to twelve flowers are produced from the flowering stem and they tend to face southward toward the sun. The bare stems with no leaves give rise to the common name, Naked Lady.

After flowering, the large strap-shaped leaves appear. The leaves remain green throughout the winter and die down in the summer when the bulb becomes dormant. After they are finished blooming is the time to plant them. Plant the large bulbs about twelve inches apart with just their necks showing and divide them in the fall when they get too crowded.

The bulbs are almost indestructible and multiply readily. In fact, about the only way to kill them is with kindness, by watering during the summer, applying fertilizer or burying them in mulch.

They grow in full sun or partial shade. They like well-drained soil and can take dry soil all summer. The deer generally leave them alone so you can plant them along driveways and in exposed areas. They can be used for naturalizing on a bank, along a fence line, or in a vacant corner.

There are other, similar bulbs that go by the common name of amaryllis. The so-called Christmas amaryllis actually belongs to the genus Hippeastrum. They bear giant red trumpet-shaped flowers at Christmas time, rather than in the summer.

Beautiful amaryllis hybrids come from Holland, and are available as named varieties in many separate colors. These hybrid strains have impressively large flowers, 8 to 9 inches across and 4 to 6 flowers to a stem, often with two stems growing from each bulb. The color range includes bright reds, salmon, soft pink, coral pink, white and red-and-white.

They are easily grown in 6-inch pots. Plant them so at least 2/3 of the bulb is above soil level. Keep the potted bulbs in a cool light place at about 50° until the roots are well developed. When leaves start to appear, move them into a warmer room. Bulbs bloom in about six weeks from planting.

The bulbs are tender and must be keep indoors or on a frost-free porch until summer. Then they should be brought back inside in late September when they go dormant.

Enjoy beautiful amaryllis in both fall and winter by planting them now, indoors and out.

• Liquidambar and Japanese maple trees can’t be beat for fall color. Choose them now while you can see their bright colors.

• Spray citrus and other tender plants with Cloud Cover to give them some protection from frosts.

• Enjoy birds in your garden by hanging bird feeders around the yard. You’ll see many different kinds as they migrate through this fall.

• Bright purple, ornamental kale makes a dramatic planting in flower beds over the winter.

• Plant ground covers to cover slopes and large open areas. Water until the rains come, and they will fill in and cover the area next year.

Potted Bulbs for the Holidays

You can enjoy a bit of springtime in the middle of winter by forcing bulbs to bloom indoors. Blooming flowers in the middle of winter are always a welcome sight. They make lovely gifts for friends and relatives alike. If you would like to grow some flowering bulbs for the holidays, it’s time to get started with that project now.

Starting in October or November, there are only two types of bulbs that you can have blooming by Christmas: Amaryllis and Paperwhite narcissus. Other bulbs, like crocus and hyacinths can be started now but will not bloom until February.

Beautiful amaryllis hybrids come from Holland, and are available as named varieties in many separate colors. These hybrid strains have impressively large flowers, 8 to 9 inches across and 4 to 6 flowers to a stem, often with two stems growing from each bulb. The color range includes bright reds, salmon, soft pink, coral pink, white and red-and-white.

These large-flowered amaryllis are easily grown in 6-inch pots. Keep the potted bulbs in a cool light place at about 50° until the roots are well developed. When leaves start to appear, move them into a warmer room. Bulbs bloom in about six weeks from planting.

Narcissus are easy to grow in soil or in a bowl of rocks and water. Nestle the bulbs into the rocks and fill with water just up to the base of the bulbs. Treat like amaryllis, and they will bloom in 5 to 6 weeks, with lovely, fragrant flowers.

There are attractive pots for forcing crocus and hyacinths indoors. Crocus pots hold ten bulbs and hyacinth vases only one. Both of these need 12 to 14 weeks of cooling, during which time the roots are developing. You can place them in a refrigerator, or a place where temperatures stay below 45° and above freezing.

Tulips can be forced for mid-winter flowers starting this month. Use as many bulbs as can fit in the pot without touching. The more in the pot, the more dramatic the flower show. Plant the bulbs with the flat side near the edge of the pot, with just the bulb noses showing above the soil, and water them well.

Tulips need 12 to 14 weeks of cooling, during which time the roots are developing. You can place them in a refrigerator, or an unheated attic, or any place where temperatures stay below 45° and above freezing.

When the roots are well-developed, bring them into a bright room and they will bloom in 2 to 3 weeks. Although they won’t be blooming by December, you can start these bulbs now and they will be well on their way for holiday gifts. Or hold on to them and bring them into bloom by Valentine’s Day!

Enjoy the magic of spring bulbs in your home this winter.

• Primroses and pansies will add instant color to pots and flower beds. Combine them with bulbs for an extended season of bloom

• Sasanqua camellias have lovely, delicate flowers that bloom through the winter months. Find a place for one of these hardy shrubs in the landscape.

• There’s still time to plant bulbs. Consider putting some in containers so you can enjoy the flowers on your patio or by the front door.

• Rake and destroy leaves from fruit trees that were diseased this year.

• Dress up your interior landscape with some new houseplants for the holidays ahead.

Holiday Stars: Giant Amaryllis

One of the most spectacular bulb flowers that can be grown indoors is the majestic Dutch amaryllis. Standing as high as two feet, with bright green foliage at its base, the trumpet-shaped, brilliantly colored, six-inch blooms come in clusters and are truly magnificent. Usually a second flower stalk appears after the first is through blooming, extending the blooming season.

The amaryllis is not forced indoors as other bulbs are, but flowers naturally in the winter as they do in their own tropical environment. It has become associated with the holiday season because many varieties are bright red and its blooming cycle begins in December.

Amaryllis also come in pink, white, salmon and striped red on white. ‘Red Lion’ is a deep, rich, velvet red that is a holiday classic, and ‘Vera’ is a lovely warm salmon-pink with a white throat. ‘Appleblossom’ has a white flower brushed with soft pink, ‘Minerva’ is red with a white star center and ‘White Christmas’ is pure white.

Dutch amaryllis can bloom anytime from December to April and they are planted between November and February. Each bulb will produce 2-3 stems and 4-6 flowers per stem and grows to an average of 20 inches in height. They will flower in 6-8 weeks after planting.

Amaryllis grow best in soil. The gift boxes come with a pot and “growing medium”, which is a coir disk made from coconut fibers. The coir disk is first placed in four cups of warm water until it completely absorbs the water. Then it can be loosened and the bulb nestled into the soil.

Set the bulb so that its widest part is at the soil line. Firm the soil around the bulb and water with lukewarm water. Water just enough to keep the soil barely moist until growth begins, then water more frequently as the leaves and flower stalk grow. The bulb will rot if kept too wet. Place the pot in a warm, sunny spot with good air circulation. Turn the pot a little each day to keep the stalk growing straight. When buds begin to open, move the plant out of direct sun to a cooler but bright location. They will bloom longer away from direct sunlight.

As the flowers begin to open, the plant will become top heavy. If it is in a light, plastic pot, you can place the plastic pot inside a ceramic pot to keep it steady.

After blooms fade, cut off the flower stalk and give the amaryllis plant the same care you do your other house plants, but avoid heavy watering. You can move the pots outdoors for the summer but bring them in before frost. Unlike many forced bulbs, amaryllis can be brought back to bloom for years and years.

To do this, feed it with houseplant fertilizer monthly through the summer. In the fall, usually around the middle of October, cut back all the foliage. For about a month to six weeks, put it in the dark and withhold water. On Thanksgiving, put it back in a sunny window and resume watering to initiate another wonderful season of bloom.