Plant Your Easter Bulbs

As I write this the temperature has climbed up into the 50’s. LOVE it. Last week we were into the minus degrees. Change comes and it goes, but the calendar marks the real changes that are coming: Spring and sunshine. Ahhhhhhh!

There is a tangible change that you can experience right now. An ugly bag with a hairy bulb looks like it will be anything but beautiful. And change is so hard to see. Because the Easter amaryllis will take about 6 weeks to bloom get it ready to pot now. Placethat bulb in a fresh pot, with soft potting soil, drab as it seems, and as far away from life as it is, life is close at hand! Just as Easter seems like it is anything but close, the two can come together. Ash Wednesday (March 9) is 6 weeks away from Easter (April 24) so your bulb, when planted, will be 6 weeks away from bright red blooms.
AAFES, NEX, CGX, and the MCX have lawn and garden departments if they are large enough where shelves of spring gardening items are tempting shoppers like me to fill a cart! Or visit one of the stores outside the gate like a grocery store or Wal Mart are show casing the hope of spring now with bulbs and pots, fertilizers and gloves.

Fill a large enough pot with potting soil, set the pot in a warm sunny place, and water it. Buy one for yourself and another for a friend.

If you want something smaller, plant some paper white narcissus bulbs; slender and graceful they appear best when packed tightly with lots of bulbs to create a full pot. Set bulbs in a shallow dish on top of pea gravel, colored sea glass or stones. Fill the dish to the bottoms of your bulbs with water. Keep in a cool, dark place until roots start, then move them into a bright place. Clusters of tiny while blooms will appear in the 6 weeks: perfect timing for an Easter basket for an “older kid”!Fun to think about changes and wonderful to see them unfolding in front of you! Best of luck and remember it is a great ‘homemade’ gift to give to a friend.

byDeborahonFriday, February 18, 2011Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to PinterestMilitary Life:bulbs,Deborah,Easter