Bulb forcing

by Lauri Griffin | More from this Blogger

06 Jan 2007 05:42 PM

This time of year, I'm always anxious to see some green growing things. Minus all the Christmas decorations, the house looks drab. And the world out my window is snow covered. We've had a year's worth of snow this month here in Colorado. All that isn't white with snow is brown and barren.

Hurray for bulb forcing! It's a bit of green and spring beauty for me. It's a great science lesson for my kids. Many stores have bulb kits on clearance this time of year. So I pick out a few. I like delicate paper-whites, or daffodils (narcissus). Amaryllis are very impressive, they are huge flowers and grow rapidly. My absolute favorite though are hyacinths. I love them for their brilliant purple and soft pink colors and their marvelous smell.

I let the kids help unpack the bulbs. Some need a few more weeks in a cool, dark, place. Our garage or the refrigerator both work for storing the bulbs. Some are ready to place in their pot or bulb vase. (All the kits come with instructions.) I get the kids to try and guess what flowers the bulbs will grow into. The first year they were skeptical. These shriveled onion-looking things couldn't possibly be the start of flowers!

I place the bulb pots and vases in the middle of our dining table. So that every night we notice the small green tips, the shoots of stalks, the flower bud, and finally the flowers. The flowers make the house smell like spring, and it's truly fascinating to watch them grow everyday. You can let the kids take turns watering the plants.

In the real spring, we plant these forced flowers outside. Many people throw them away, because the forcing causes the bulb to lose strength. The bulb may die, or not flower for a few years. We've had good luck though with the bulbs not only surviving our cold winters, but returning every spring to fill our yard with color.

But for now, feet of snow cover my front yard, and the pot of hyacinths is a little promise and reminder that spring will come.

More fun things to grow: Using Herbs

Frugal Gardening

Learn more about Lauri Griffin

Lauri lives in Colorado with her husband and three sons. Amidst all the laundry and packing of lunches, she tries to keep parenting fun.

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