TOW N.H.Do in Jan. - Garden

J.E. Shields jshields104@insightbb.com
Wed, 07 Jan 2004 06:32:49 PST
Hi everyone,

Here in the frigid Heartland of the USA, most of us are trying to stay 
indoors.  Between heavy snows in some areas, floods in others, and some 
quite cold weather generally, there is not likely to be much showing outdoors.

Indoors, "amaryllis" (Hippeastrum hybrids) should be ready to bloom.  If 
you don't have any, rush out to your nearest garden center or even the 
florists department of your supermarket, and bring a couple home.  Remember 
that they need sunlight to survive, and you should keep the foliage green 
and healthy as long into summer as you possibly can.  When warm weather 
arrives and the ground is warm again, plant the bulbs up to the neck in a 
partly sunny spot in the garden for the summer.  Water in dry spells and 
feed occasionally.  Dig in autumn before frost, repot, and hold warm but 
dry for 6 to 12 weeks before bringing them into growth again.  You can keep 
the Dutch hybrid Hippeastrum bulbs growing and blooming for many years this 
way.

In the cool greenhouse, my Lachenalia continue to bloom.  Nothoscordum 
dialystemon is blooming, as is Androcymbium europaeum and several Oxalis.

In my Clivia greenhouse, I have raised the minimum temperatures to the 60 - 
65°F range.  They were in the 45-55°F range for most of November and 
December, to prime the clivias for spring bloom.  That chilling is a 
requirement for most clivia varieties, to release the latent inflorescences 
in the heart of the plants from their inhibited state.

This is also the time to make plans, dream dreams of future flowers, and 
participate in your Internet plant groups!

Regards,
Jim Shields
in central Indiana (USA)

*************************************************
Jim Shields             USDA Zone 5             Shields Gardens, Ltd.
P.O. Box 92              WWW:    http://www.shieldsgardens.com/
Westfield, Indiana 46074, USA
Tel. ++1-317-867-3344     or      toll-free 1-866-449-3344 in USA
Member of INTERNATIONAL CLIVIA CO-OP


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