Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Fall Planting Spring Flowers

At the beginning of October my daughter's school had a frundraiser.  They sold flower bulbs from a company called Dutch Mill Bulbs.  I got 10 bags of bulbs and have been slowly, but surely, getting them in the ground before winter sets in.

In the ground......




Waiting for the huge pot I have......

I read that these can pull up other flowers if you need to dig them up and divide them, hence the putting them together and putting them in a pot.

Waiting to go in the ground........



And in the fridge....
I got super excited about these, because they are an indoor perennial.  However, once I got them I found out that they only bloom once and then most people throw them away.  Plants that don't come back year after year always make me kind of sad, and in my opinion are a waste of money.  That being said, these are in the fridge, because I am trying to delay blooming until Christmas.  About 4-6 weeks ahead of time you plant these in a pot, and set them in a dark cool place and slowly bring into the sunlight to "force bloom" them.  I think you confuse the plant into thinking spring has come, since most bulbs need a cold, dormant season to thrive.  Come Christmas I will have sweet smelling, lovely blooms that will eventually end up in my yard where nature will take it's course. 

All photos taken from the Dutch Mills Bulbs website:

http://dutchmillbulbs.com/