Community Gardens

Bethlehem’s community gardens

The Garden of Serenity maintained by the Bethlehem Garden Club was a 2006 recipient of the Suburban Greening Award by the Philadelphia Horticultural Society. (see April 21, 2007 post) It is a peaceful oasis in the city with a place to sit and enjoy the garden.

Miller House Garden is also maintained by the Bethlehem Garden Club. (see April 21, 2007 post) Full of 18th century plants, this garden offers a view of what might have grown in a colonial garden. The plants, from roses to lavender to tomatoes and thyme, fill a walk through this little plot with delightful nostalgia.

Musikfest’s Blumenplatz, is planned, planted and cared for by members of the Blumenplatz committee. Starting in May until the middle of August, the garden illustrates the dazzling fun of Musikfest. This colorful garden was also a 2006 recipient of the Suburban Greening Award by the Philadelphia Horticultural Society.

As you stroll around Musikfest (August 3-12, 2007) stop to look at the community gardens in Bethlehem. Blumenplatz and The Garden of Serenity are located near Americaplatz in Bethlehem’s City Center near the Public Library. The Miller House Garden is located behind Volksplatz in the Colonial Industrial Quarter.

Varmints in the Garden

Bunnies and birds and ground hogs and deer and skunks – we’ve had them all.

Right now either the bunnies or the birds are munching on the dusty miller. I’ve tried putting pinwheels near them. That worked for a while. Now I’m sprinkling cayenne pepper on the leaves. That seems to be working for now. Soon the plants will be large and less tasty to the critters.

The ground hogs stand on their hind legs and feast on the cone flowers. I use cayenne pepper there too. It seems to work – unless the ground hogs are waiting for the tomatoes to ripen so they can make salsa.

Compost Tea

I’ve started making compost tea. It’s a simple process, really. I purchased an Aquatic Gardens Single Outlet Aquarium Air Pump Hi-tech 800 and 8 ft Clear Air Line Tubing for $11.64. I loosely tied a hex-nut to the end of the tubing to keep the hose at the bottom of the bucket. Then, I followed the recipe and instructions from Doug Green’s http://www.beginner-gardening.com/compost-tea.html

After filling the 5 gallon bucket, I ran the pump for 24 hours to remove the chlorine from the tap water. Then I put 3 or 4 handfuls of compost in a knee-hi ladies stocking and hung it over the side of the bucket. I added a little molasses and lemon juice and let the pump run for another 24 hours. I used a sprinkling can to water vegetables and flowering plants. It’s too early to tell if this process is worth the effort. I’ll be making compost tea all summer to see if I can notice a difference in areas where I’ve applied the compost tea. There are a lot of variables so I don't know if I'll be able to tell if the compost tea makes difference.

Anyway, it can’t hurt, right? Well, not according to some writers. See “The Great Compost Tea Debate” in Garden Rant blog by the Jeffs and comments – 6/21/07 http://www.gardenrant.com/ Jeff Gillman: Benefits? Maybe. Problems? Likely - and - Jeff Lowenfels: AACT (and only AACT) is the real deal

Watering and Trimming

With the weeds under control (which means there are now more plants that I want than weeds that I don’t want), my gardening attention has turned to watering and trimming. After a few weeks of hot, dry weather I’ve turned soakers on in each garden about once a week for about 20 minutes. Some of the potted plants need to be watered twice a day. We had a storm last night so I will have a watering-day off today, I hope.

I’ve also managed to trim the overgrowth from the garden paths this week - to reduce the chance of getting poked in the eye on my walks through the garden.

Another Ground Cover

Probably the most work-intensive ground cover in my garden is ivy. Again, I don’t know the name. The neighbor who gave it to me called it American Ivy. There are bunch of varieties at http://www.ivy.org/list.html .

We originally put it on our small bank in the front of the house to hold the hill and to eliminate the need to mow the lumpy little bank. It needs to be cut back about three times a year and gets an unattractive green-brown color in the winter. I think mice live in there, too. The colossal job of ripping it up and replacing it makes me put up with the work it takes to keep it somewhat neat.

On the plus side - The ivy provides some winter protection for Heather Erica x darleyensis ‘silberschmeize’ which blooms white from December to May.

Ground Cover

One of my favorite ground covers is this little sedum. It was another gift from a gardening friend so I don’t have it’s name. It looks similar to Sedum rupestre 'angelina' but I can't be sure.

The fast-growing stonecrop pictured here survives in the hot, dry pathway between our deck and garage. If it grows over the stepping stones, it’s easy to pull out – I scoop it up with my finger tips. Stepping on it is usually enough to keep it back. It spreads quickly and has a pretty little yellow flower in late spring. It helps keep the weeds to a minimum and moisture in the soil. It’s about as care free as it gets.

More Weeds

As I continued weeding this week, I realized some weeding tasks are more tedious than others. I have several places that I allow to reseed. Above, nicotiana and alyssum reseeded with weeds (top). In order to save the plants and get rid of the weeds, I had to pick out the weeds one by one. This time-consuming task is worth it to me for free plants. I sit in the shade with a cool drink and pull them out one by one.

Weeds

"Nothing satisfies like a neatly weeded bed; improvement in the garden is immediate, sometimes even dramatic. Gardeners who like it often describe weeding as 'therapeutic.'" HGTV website article “Weeds Aren’t All Bad” by Lindsay Bond Totten, Scripps Howard News.



After a steady rain, compliments of tropical storm Barry, the weeds are growing with a vengeance, the ground is soft and I’m off on a weeding frenzy.

Weeds are a fact of life in my garden. Even landscape fabric will not stop them. I know a home owner who used the fabric in the entire garden and thought he would never need to weed again. His weeds grew higher than the shrubs.

A layer of mulch keeps down the weeds or makes them easier to pull out. Years of compost and mulching keep most of my garden’s soil soft and loamy so the weeds come out easier. The pre-emergent Preen helps me keep some of the weeds out of the paths. (Although, now Preen comes with fertilizer. What’s up with that?)

Getting to the root of the matter -




My favorite tool for weeding is my good old dandelion digger. I feel great satisfaction getting the weed out roots and all. I am almost euphoric when I get a complete dandelion, wild garlic or a small thistle.

My new paving weeder is great for getting weeds that grow in the brick edging, between bricks and in tight places. The nicotiana coming up between the bricks is a weed in that spot. The thin blade will fit between the bricks and lift out the plant, roots and all. It’s also great for edging along sidewalks.

My least favorite weed at present is oxalis - the one with red stems & roots. The shallow horizontal roots are difficult to completely dig out. I use the dandelion digger or a small trowel to slide as many roots out as possible. I’ve been hot on the trail for years. I’ve resorted to Roundup where the weed is not too close other garden plants. I don’t seem to be winning the battle. But, the challenge keeps me going.

I attended a class at Lehigh County Extension “The Wicked World of Weeds” with Dick Pudliner, Master Gardener that was extremely informative. Call the Lehigh County Extension office if you want some expert help with your weeds.

Sweet Shrub

The Sweet Shrub is almost finished blooming. I believe it is Calycanthus floridus, although when it was given to me, the owner called it a strawberry bush. I guess the small blooms do resemble a strawberry.

This bush fills the air with a sweet, pungent odor for the month of May. The shrub is about 10’ tall and 6’ wide. I hack it back a couple of times during the summer to keep it within bounds. In the early spring, I dig up the runners so I won’t end up with 100 sweet shrubs. It doesn’t seem to be bothered by any diseases or bugs.

While the blooms aren’t much to look at, the fragrance is irresistibly alluring.

Shade Garden – Sun Garden

We arrived home after the Memorial Day weekend to be greeted by our thirty foot pussy willow on laying its side. A storm Sunday night knocked down the old friend. After three hours with a chain saw and lopping shears, we finished cleaning up the last branch by 8 pm. Now our shade garden is a full sun garden.

Annuals

Many years ago I started digging up the yard for gardens. Each year I bought spring blooming bulbs to plant in fall – tulips, hyacinths, daffodils. Since I couldn’t afford a ton of perennials, I bought annuals to mask the bulbs fading foliage. I continue to use annuals even though I have added many perennials.
If I had to pick my three favorite annuals -

The top of the list of would be coleus. Bright, cheerful and a Joseph’s coat of colors, they brighten shady spots. Some can take sun. They are all almost care free. They are also easy to propagate so I save a lot of money raising cuttings.






Second on the list is impatiens. The colors pop in the shade garden. The New Guinea impatiens is great for the sunnier areas.




There are some annuals that have a special meaning for me. Cosmos is planted for a special young lady whose birthday is in October. Cleome reminds me of my Grandmother’s garden. The tall, spectacular, ever-blooming habit looks great in large groups at the back of the garden.





Whoops, that’s four. I wouldn’t want to be without any of them as well as dusty miller, sweet alyssum, marigold, zinnia, petunia, wax begonia, snapdragon, sweet pea . . .

Dicentra - Bleeding Heart

There is a huge difference between ever-blooming ('luxuriant') and the May blooming (spectabilis) dicentra in my garden - in size, shape and bloom.



Dicentra 'luxuriant' blooms reliably all summer with the greatest blush in May. Planted in 1995 the plant is now 1 ½ feet tall by 2 ½ feet wide. This small plant with cut-leafed blue-green foliage blooms in the shade reliably all summer. The flowers are smaller and not quite as well defined as spectabilis.







The one I call the “old fashion bleeding heart”, Dicentra spectabilis 'pink', was planted in 2002 and has a lovely form and flower. The plant is about 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide and blooms in May. It grows in the shade of a dogwood and dies back in August. I cut it back as each stem or leaves begin to yellow, but it has come back reliably each year.




Both plants are easy to grow. The Dicentra ‘luxuriant’ needs no care at all and, if space is at a premium, will stay within bounds. The “old fashioned” bleeding heart is a large plant, but the attractive spring show of arching stems and definite, heart-shaped flowers is spectacular.

Perennials Divided and Seedlings

This spring I managed to divide, pot and give away some perennials - 2 Liriope, 3 mums (Chrysanthemum koreamun 'single Apricot' Garden Mum), 2 Coreopsis moonbeam, 4 brunnera, 3 creeping jenny, 2 pots of snow drops, and 11 pots of sweet woodruff. There is a sense of satisfaction in putting extra plants to good use. I have more that need division as time allows – or - there’s always next year.

Seedlings are popping up everywhere in the re-seeding garden. It’s like the great spring treasure hunt. There are varieties of cleome, sweet alyssum, nicotiana, lady slipper, rose campion, snow-on-the-mountain and snapdragon.

This little garden has good and bad points. On the bad side: not all the plants come up where I want them so some plants have to be moved, sometimes there is an overabundance of plants which necessitates culling of seedlings, some plants need to be given away or added to the compost pile. On the good side: it’s exciting to see what pops up where, the garden fills in like a spring meadow and - the price is right.

It may seem like bad outweighs good but I think the summer show is worth it.

Columbine, Lilacs and Cardinals

As the last of the tulips fade, the columbine, lilac, dogwood, azalea, lily of the valley, rhododendron, sweet shrub, dead nettle, iris, bridal wreath, sweet woodruff and silver dollar plant all come into boom filling the air with sweet aroma and bright colors. There are buds on the roses and dianthus.

Re-seeding cleome, snow-on-the-mountain, forget-me-not, cosmos, sweet alyssum, and snapdragon are beginning to pop out of the soil.

Weeding and planting continue. The top of the soil is dry which makes weeding difficult. I need more mulch. I would be happy for a soaking rain right now. The cucumber and pole beans have germinated in their pots. I’ve started to plant cuttings – only 70 more to go. I need to get the canna and tuberose in the ground. I need to shop for a few annuals. I finished fertilizing the bulbs with bone meal, tidied and fed the roses. All the soaker hoses are in place.

Blumenplatz planting has begun. (see April 21 post) The “Garden of Serenity” is in good shape with Saturday morning mulching completed by a happy and energetic group of volunteers. The Miller House Garden cleanup is almost complete. Planting is set for May 24.

There is an endless parade of stimulation and work in the May garden.

But, the most exciting occurrence this spring - three cardinal baby birds live in a holly bush outside our living room window. It’s a magnificent opportunity to watch them hatch, feed and grow.

Crape Myrtle

In last week's post on the Penn State Master Gardener blog http://blogs.mcall.com/master_gardeners/ogs.mcall.com/master_gardeners/ogs.mcall.com/master_gardeners/ Karen Bernhard writes, "Crapemyrtle is a really special shrub. That spectacular bloom after many other flowering plants are all through for the season is great! Unfortunately, crapemyrtles are not reliably hardy in Pennsylvania." Take a look at the blog (link above) for more detailed information.

I am very fortunate to have a hardy plant. Unfortunately, I don't know the variety since it was a gift from a neighbor's bush. (There are a few around the neighborhood from the same old bush.) The picture here, from August of last year, shows the great display of blooms.

This crepemyrtle is very slow to wake up in spring. It is just now beginning to leaf out. Hopefully, this year will be another year of spectacular, non-stop bloom from summer to fall.

Cow Pots

The cuttings were fine overnight and look bright and happy this morning.

Some of them are planted in “cow pots”. (See February 1, 2007 post). They are the square pots pictured in the last post.

I purchased them from Gardener’s Supply because I couldn’t find a local seller. The set of 15 three-and-one-half-inch pots was quite pricey. The results will have to be spectacular for me to buy them again – and only if I can find them locally. The shipping is a killer. I’ll try to post observations from time to time.

Coleus Cuttings

Out for good! After carrying cuttings in and out for several days to harden off – out in the morning, in at night - I’ve decided to put them out for good. There are 50 plants pictured above that will stay out. I’ll put them under a table in a sheltered place on the deck. Evening temperatures are supposed to stay in the 50’s so I think I’m safe.

I completely forgot the other 11 on the windowsill. They will go out today and into the garage overnight (maybe).

I also have 18 fuchsia and wax begonia cuttings that may have to go in and out for a few days. Enough of walking plants around! But it was a good crop this winter. I can’t wait to see the vibrant colors in the garden and in pots.

Dogwood and Red Bud

The Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) and Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) are in bloom right now. I find the flowers on these spring blooming trees one of the beautiful treats from mother nature - especially on a clear, sunny, spring day.

Cornus florida may have some longevity problems but it's graceful shape makes it well worth it's sometimes shorter life. I've found that if planted in a suitable place it will last for many years. The kousa dogwood is less suseptible to insects and diseases but lacks the gracefulness of the native form.

The Eastern Redbud is another graceful tree. This tree may have problems with brittle branches breaking in a windy location but the short spring bloom time is awesome with tiny pink flowers crowded along the branches. It's worth the effort to find a suitable location for this one.

Species Tulip

The species tulips, Clusiana Lady Jane, picture above were purchased from John Scheepers, Inc. in October 2004.

Why species tulip? Here's a quote from "Iowa State Horticulture and Home Pest News".

"Are you tired of replacing your hybrid tulips every few years? Would you like a tulip that naturalizes well? The answer lies in the selection of species tulips."

Nuff said?

The same year I also purchased Tulip Majorletti, Clusiana Chry Tubergens Gem (left) red and Tangerine Beauty yellow/orange. I chose the tallest I could find and they come back beautifully every year.

Spring

Spring really started in earnest this weekend. Mild temperatures allowed me to continue garden clean up. There are still leaves and other winter debris in all corners. I'm trying to work one section at a time - and not go into a total frenzy. I finished about 1/4 of the garden cleanup and about 1/2 of the mulching so far. I haven't even begun to divide or move plants.

Volunteers are ready to rock & roll in the community gardens. Blumenplatz is Bethlehem's Musikfest garden located behind the public library. (The Star of Bethlehem represented in dusty miller is pictured here after initial planting in 2005.) Work on the garden began this week with fence scraping and primer paint. The new color will be hunter green.

Bethlehm's sister city is Tondabayashi, Japan. Bethlehem Garden Club is responsible for maintenance of the "Garden of Serenity" (located next to the library). Mr. and Mrs. Fenninger and Yoshinaga Sakon, one of Japan's outstanding landscape architects, created a tea house and garden in 1971. Spring maintenance begins this week.

Bethlehem Garden Club is also responsible for The Miller's House Garden located in the Industrial Quarter of Historic Bethlehem. This Colonial to Victorian age garden includes old time roses and kitchen garden herbs and vegetables as well as other period flowering plants and shrubs.

Happy Spring! Get out the liniment.

Bougainvillea

A bright spot in the otherwise gloomy, cold, wet weather we've had this week - the Bougainvillea is blooming in my living room!

Semi-formal Garden

The wide, angled steps off our deck lead to an offset rectangular concrete pad with cement sidewalks heading off to the left and right. Each year I try to minimize the square of it and enhance the illusion of a circle. I’m not a big fan of formal gardens. I tried create the arc with different shades and textures – does this make it a semi-formal garden? (photos from 7/2/06)

When we built the deck 7 years ago, I measured a straight line about 15' from the center of the steps. Then, keeping one end at the center of the steps, I moved the other end in small increments to complete a half-circle. I laid a hose following the line and marked inside with a line of Round-up. Several days later, we removed the sod and dug and amended the soil with compost, peat moss and sand (because that’s what we had). I laid bricks flat along the edge for a border and mowing surface.

I planted the outside edge with fescue (Elijah's blue). I will need to divide & move some of the fescue to fill in spaces this year.

The second layer is dusty miller (which is semi winter hardy in this location). The price is right for these annuals and I love the gray foliage (see February 4, 2007 post). I usually add a row of pinwheels in spring to try to keep the birds from ripping out the dusty miller for their nests.

The next layer is euonymus shrubs (emerald surprise and fortuei moonshadow).

I try to keep the line of the curve in these layers. Last year I added a row of sweet alyssum to the inside mostly because I love the flower’s smell in the summer sun – again the price is right - they come up everywhere in my garden and are easy to transplant.

I’ve tried to create a focal point in the center using a large rock and a hanging solar light. This is also where I put the fallen pot in the summer.

We planted a juniper (Tolleson’s blue) off center. This tree was a poor choice for this location. It has a very hard time out in the open over the winter and will not stand up without being staked. We’ll replace it someday.

Each year I have another bright idea on how to make a circular-shaped compliment to the steps. So far, my ideas have not been entirely satisfactory – I guess that’s obvious since I ammend the plan every year.

This year I trimmed the euonymous on a thinner line. I lost some to scale so this line is not filling in as quickly as I'd like. (see December 29, 2006 post) I adjusted the rock and the solar light to be more directly on center and will move some rocks to follow the arc. I’ll still use alyssum in a row at the inside of the arc, try to keep them trimmed and have the fallen pot in the center.

And so it goes - another illustration of the best garden is always next year's.

Winter Damage

It seems as if I spoke too soon in my last post.

I checked the shrubs yesterday and there is some damage from the freezing temperatures we’ve had lately.

A lot of the buds on the old, large rhododendron on the west side of the house are brown and shriveled. The row of azaleas on the same side look a little burned too.

Many of the new leaf buds on the hydrangeas are also caput! And some of the flower buds on the dogwoods were hit.

Ah yes, it’s bound to get warmer soon – isn’t it?

Daffodils

I think you can never have too many daffodils. I have quite a few throughout my garden. I love the yellow drifts in spring. They are tall enough to be seen from the street and the deer don't like them.

I have some I want to move because I think they don't get enough sun to make them bloom. I also have some hyacinths with the same problem and I want to move them too.

I plan to try to disturb the roots, bulb and leaves as little as possible during the transplant. I will dig the transplant hole first & then try to get the biggest dirt clump with the bulb that I can. Hopefully, the less they are disturbed the more energy they will be able to store for a bloom next spring. It may take a few years to get a bloom but they aren't doing much where they are so, what the heck, I'll give it a try.

A little warmer weather would be helpful. We've had temperatures with wind chills in the 20's and 30's the last few days. The rest of the garden seems OK. So far, I haven't seen any damage to the plants and shrubs that are beginning to leaf out. Oh well, mother nature is one of the variables to deal with when gardening. She doesn't always co-operate.

I bought 4 large pots at Ollie's ("Good Stuff Cheap") for my container garden. The price and size were right. I try to stop a Ollie's periodically. Sometimes I find things I need and sometimes I come away empty handed.

Container Gardening

Pole Beans and Cucumbers. I've decided to try container vegetables on our deck this year(about the only full sun place left in my garden).

I ordered Bush Champion cucumber and Kentucky Wonder pole beans from Burpee. Master Gardener Karen Bernhard sent me a link for container gardening help. http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/container/container.html

I have a few ideas for containers, but I'll have to do some shopping to find something suitable. I plan to use bamboo stakes to support the pole beans. I need to do some more research before shopping for supplies.

I'd appreciate any comments or suggestions from gardeners who have tried container vegetables.

Crocus and Snow Drops

The crocuses are blooming and the snow drops are fading. Spring is coming alive in the plump pussy willow catkins and fattening leaves and flower buds on the shrubs. Daffodils, tulips, mini iris and hyacinths have pushed through the ground. And so it begins again.

My first job will be to clean up the mess winter left behind or that I didn't get to in the fall. Autumn Joy sedum, Autumn Sun rudbeckia and hybiscus spent flower stalks will be cut back as I rake leaves out of all the nooks and crannies in the garden.

I don't think I'll trim/prune the crepe myrtle this year. The shape & size seem fine. The crepe myrtle is the Rip Van Winkle in my garden and never really comes to life until later in the spring. So, I'll have time to change my mind and make a few adjustments if necessary.

The ornamental grasses will need to be cut back as I begin to see green shoots and before they blow leaves and seed heads all over the neighborhood. I don't believe they will need to be divided this year since we divided them (with a shovel and ax)the last two years.

I'll be spreading mulch as the clean-up progresses. I'll also need to divide daylilly Stella 'd Oro & Liriope. I need to dig up some snow drops for a neighbor.

And the list goes on and on. To me, it's better than Christmas.

Helleborus - Lenten Rose

Royal Heritage. Spring has had a bit of a set back with a late winter storm last Friday. So what is a gardener to do after direct-sow seeds are ordered, the plan for this year's garden is finalized, and the cuttings are growing?



It would be nice to be outside staring at the purple flowers of the hellebore but they are covered with snow. So, I'm doing the next best thing - staring at a picture of last year's bloom.



I bought this plant in 2002. It is one of the most carefree plants in my garden. I don't cut it back in fall. The leaves are green all winter - any green is a treat amid the brown of winter. In late February/early March as flowers start to appear, I do a snip here and a snip there of the old leaves. And reveal a lovely bunch of purple flowers and new leaves.



It is planted along a path in the garden that is shaded from the afternoon sun. It is in a well-drained area that was once mostly clay. The soil, over the years, has been ammended with mulch and not much else.


If the weather forcast holds true, I'll be staring at the real thing by the end of the week.

Philadelphia Flower Show

Legends of Ireland. Talk about chicken soup for the gardener's soul - What started out as a lovely (almost) spring day got even better when we entered the convention center.

It's hard to describe the glitz and glamour and over-the-top displays. I believe there's something there for everyone - from the well-done, well-documented display of herbs by WB Saul School of Agriculture to the EP Henry presentation of pavers and walls in backyard garden design.





Many of the displays captured the spirit of Ireland in the hardscape as well as the plants. Irish plants and poetry were interspersed with garden faeries and leprechans. The Celtic Garden Imports of Dexter, MI epitomized the simple beauty of Ireland and won Best In Show and the PNC People's Choice award. The pictures (here ) with roses and simple plants, embody the unplanned look of an old Irish garden.

The Penn State booth, manned by Master Gardeners, was informative and humorous with slide shows and posters and quite a few experts who are eager, friendly and willing to help with any gardening question.



Miniatures, garden rooms, flower arrangements, pictures made from dried flowers, water color paintings, amazing plants and shrubs entered for judging, and vendors all add to the experience that is the Philadelphia Flower Show.

Spring Garden Show

Lehigh Valley Flower and Garden Show opened March 2 to March 4. This small show had some nice displays by local nurseries and educational institutions.

The displays illustrated the theme "Nature Comes Alive". Spring flowering shrubs, daffodils, hyacinths and tulips lined newly built garden paths, ponds and fountains. Lehigh Valley Technical Institute had an wonderful display for their first effort at this show complete with a water feature. Native plants were the interesting focus at Edge of the Woods Nursery.

The Penn State Master Gardener display featured growing tomatoes. As usual, the sections were informative and creative. The area pictured here answered some common tomato problem questions. There also was a artistic display of home canned tomatoes. It made me hungry for a bite of a ripe, jucy, home-grown tomato and anxious to get out in the garden.

The only disappointment at this show each year is the lack of plants for sale. But, I managed to come away with two Golden Lemon Thyme plants for my garden path.

Amaryllis. The amaryllis rebirth is always amazing to me. The potted plants spent last summer in a shady but bright place in the garden. I watered & fed them with fish emulsion about once a month.

I brought them in late August and let them dry in a cool dark place under the plant tables. I started giving them a little water before Christmas and added a little potting soil to the top. I kept them in the same place and gave them a little water about once a week.

About 6 weeks later, I saw a tiny bit of green poking up from the bulb. Then I moved them to a sunny location and watered well. And, like magic, a beautiful bloom. As with every year, not all of them will bloom. I'm happy with one out of five - in time to combat the "February Funk" and get me in the mood for the Philadelphia Flower Show. My space and time allow only 5 plants.

I have 2 varieties - both were gifts so I don't have names. The plant pictured here is called "the one Pam gave me." I also have a deep red I call "Rosey's Daughter" because my uncle called the original "Rosey". How's that for a scientific explanation?

Some of the bulbs will need to be divided this spring. If I can find someone to give them to, I'll repot the "babies" and give them away. If I can't find someone to give them to, I'll plant them in the garden & enjoy the foliage for the summer. Please leave an comment and email address if you're looking for a free amaryllis - no guarantees :-).

Hibiscus. What can be better than blooming hibiscus in February? Or a sunny day on the beach in the winter? Or a visit to Mayan ruins so hot that it made you spend the entire afternoon in the pool? We returned from the Riviera Maya, Mexico back to reality.

Cuttings. The cuttings are growing nicely and present a pretty winter windowsill in February. I have about 20 to 30 plants in various windows in the house. I'll start taking cuttings from the cuttings soon and should have a good crop to set out in May. I put them in a sheltered spot on the deck around the beginning of May to harden off. Then they should be ready for garden or pot by the time the danger of frost is over - about May 15 in zone 6.

The impatiens cuttings have not fared so well. I have one left - and it doesn't look happy. Ah, well, that will mean a trip to Hickory Grove for new plants (definitely not a hardship!) Hickory Grove, in Catasaqua, PA, has great plants and I usually come away with more than I planned.

I will also need some Dusty Miller. As annuals, these pretty gray plants usually survive the winter in my garden. But, I know I will need to replace a few that don't. And, a I'll need a few petunias and marigolds and maybe a new rose. See - that's how it goes.

Cow Pots. I just followed this link from the National Gardening Association Regional Newsletter. http://www.freundsfarmmarket.com/cowpots/index.html.htm

Looks like a great idea. The peat pots I've used in the past never seem to let the roots grow through. Even though I put a bunch of holes in the pot with my thumb nail at plant time, the pots end the summer intact. I noticed that the pots don't degrade when I re-potted annuals from the garden to bring inside to take cuttings for the next summer.

I may give them a try this year.