I wiped away the weeds & foam. / I fetched my sea-born treasures home... Ralph Waldo Emerson







Tuesday, January 24, 2017

A Storm and a Project



Hi, guys! It's a stormy night here at the beach.



I think I should get my beginning of the week post up in case the power goes. The weather dithered all day but come nightfall, things have gotten more intense. Just wind and rain though. This is the kind of day when the local folks go around saying, At least it's not snow..."  Nope, warm-ish, high 40's.





Yesterday I planted my narcissus bulbs. Yes, I know, I do this every year, bear with me! It's such a  fun tradition for January.


My mom usually did hyacinths. She had some interesting dark jewel colored glass hyacinth jars, and with my dad's green thumb colding off  the  bulbs she had good result. I stick to Paperwhites usually.


Gather the containers. They just need to be water tight and not something you plan to later use for food . I had set out an old mixing bowl, an aluminum Jello mold, a large Mason jar, and one of my recycled grocery store delft bowls.


Last Fall I had trouble finding the paperwhite narcissus bulbs. (As I'm sure you know, paperwhite narcuissus are bred for indoor forcing, with no colding-off period needed.) I was so home-bound I missed them in the local shops and finally ordered them online via Amazon.


These are what I found. They're classic ''Ziva'' variety, and are highly scented, so everyone will whine about the awful smell, too bad.




They look really pretty and healthy, don't they? Paperwhites are sold for Christmas display, but I prefer them now, so I store the bulbs in a paper bag in a closet in a chilly entry hall. They sprouted but not too much.


These went into the blue stripe bowl.


Then when we went to the pumpkin patch in late October I found a different type of paperwhites at the garden center. Much more expensive so I only bought five. They are supposedly unscented. I put them into the the smaller containers. Nothing for the aluminum pan this year, too bad.


Fill the bowls with faux sea glass [or beach pebbles or marbles or gravel]. Nestle in the bulbs. Add a few pieces of glass to secure. Fill with water to bottoms of the bulbs...and...wait...a week or two.





 By Groundhog Day I should have lots of lovely blooms.








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The storm has kept the house very dark all day, so no finished project photos. Mo was a big help in the sewing room, trying out my quilt backing for Summertime.





Wind and big waves...



No ships at all.




The forecast was scary enough to keep them further out at sea, I guess.


Tomorrow perhaps more of the same.




love

lizzy

gone to the beach...










This blog shows paperwhites in beautiful faux birds nest baskets.  Take a look: Here
I must look for something like this, wonderfully woodland and magical.  Other gardeners show the bulbs planted, with brilliant green moss. and here

White hyacinth bulbs in a white bowl with frosty sprayed moss and twigs for a winter indoor display.:
pinterest

Funny, I remember to buy bulbs but never remember moss.




7 comments:

  1. I've never forced bulbs. Seems easy enough. My mom and brother are in Hattiesburg where a tornado hit over the weekend but both are okay. It hit the outskirts of town. More tornados hit the area in Georgia where I used to live. Scary stuff for sure. Best to stay indoors until it clears out there. Take care! Hugs for Mo! :)

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  2. I extra enjoyed seeing this post tonight! I'm curious to find out if the non scented paper whites really are unscented. I chuckled at your response to people whining about the scent :) Looked at the links, and the bulbs in the white bowls with moss do look really nice.

    Hope the storm doesn't cause any damage. Look forward to seeing what you get into to keep yourself occupied.

    Did Mo give the thumbs up regarding the quilt backing? The last picture of him is very cute.

    Take care,
    Kel

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    1. Hi! Storm is still here but just rain and wind, so it s okay.I m going out w friends for Mexican food tonight, I m looking forward to that!

      Mo didn t pee on the quilt backing so I guess he liked it, but maybe didn t love it [no''seal of approval'',lol].

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  3. I love 'watching' you set up your bulbs but you know I'd be one of the ones complaining about the scent, LOL! I only forced paperwhites once and to me they smelled like wet diapers! I think I'd stick to hyacinths! Although I do admit the flowers are pretty and so cheerful indoors when it's still cold outside. Yours will be so pretty! I like the photo of the hyacinth bulbs in a white bowl, but the nests on the other blog don't appeal to me as much for some reason. Interesting idea - I suppose she has some kind of waterproof container inside, right?

    The picture of Mo 'approving' the quilt backing made me laugh - such a lot of help he is! About as much as my helpful cats, haha!

    Love that last photo of Mo's face. He looks like he's thinking 'Still raining...when will it stop?'

    Stay safe and warm inside, and I hope you don't have to deal with any flooding!! Take care!

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  4. I sent loving thoughts your way as I took pics of our sky this evening.

    Wishing you a safe and warm evening and night.

    Hugs.

    Hunter

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  5. I love forced bulbs, looking forward to seeing your blooms. Lovely containers!

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  6. The smell of those flowers will be lovely! I hope the storm is more gentle than expected. Have a safe and happy weekend.

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