Posts Tagged ‘horticulture’

Eruption

Wednesday, 17 February 2010

Over the last few days, my hyacinths have begun their annual reëmergence. [image of three sets of leaves poking above the soil line of a large pot]

When I dug them up on 23 November, I found five ordinary bulbs, one conjoined pair, and a pitiful little thing that might not even be a bulb. [image of three sets of leaves poking above the soil line of a large pot] I replanted them (including the pitiful thing) that same day, with better placement in the pot.

Originally, I had just one plant, which had been forced when I bought it. In theory, it should not have had the resources to reëmerge the next year, but it did. It divided and its offspring have divided. And the largest of the bulbs has each year been larger and each year produced larger leaves. Not every bulb produced has survived; I lost at least one little one, and I have almost no hope for the pitiful thing even if it is a bulb. But the little family has grown to the point that, after the bulbs again retreat, I am going to begin colonizing more pots with them.

Bad News and Good for the Garden

Friday, 22 February 2008

I was asked by the complex manager to pull my plants from the walk-way onto the bridge from the door to the walk-way, and to remove the potting supplies from that bridge; so I have done so. But there just isn't enough light on that bridge for more than one of my trees, so I'm going to have to give them away or surreptitiously plant them somewhere.

The hyacinths, BTW, have mostly done very well this season. Perhaps it was the removal of the 'mums from the pot; perhaps it was the redistribution of the bulbs within the pot; or perhaps it was something else. But the four largest bulbs have flowered very nicely. The little bulb in the center of the pot is developing at a much slower pace, but it seems otherwise to be doing fine.