TOW N.H.Do in Jan. - Garden
J.E. Shields (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