Seasonal Chores
& Observations

I recently read that groundhogs, also known as woodchucks, are the largest members of the squirrel family. Punxsutawney Phil, the most famous member, saw his shadow yesterday... Read More...

Gardener's Valentine's Day Poem

De-icing Chemicals vs. Sand

Favorite Gardening Quotations

Did You Know?

History of Gardening Books

Amaryllis Care

Using Wood Ashes in the Garden

Read More Snippets...

Sign Our Guest Book and win!
Visitors who sign our Guest Book during February are eligible to win two free tickets, courtesy of the Paragon Group, to The Boston Flower & Garden Show, "A Feast for the Senses!," March 24-28, at the Seaport World Trade Center, Boston.
~ Congratulations to Barbara Steele of Lexington, recent winner of two tickets to the show!

Winter winds carry more than ice and snow, they bring a blizzard of colorful spring flowers. For winter is the season when shops and supermarket floral departments are laden with the widest selection of fun, affordable bulb flowers in pots.

These winter wonders are largely spring bulbs such as tulips, daffodils and hyacinths that have been brought into flower early by nursery growers using an age-old process called forcing. Forced bulbs might more accurately be called fooled bulbs, as the growers use a combination of cooling and light treatments to trick the bulbs into flowering early.

The happy results of this deceptive behavior are stocks of colorful flowers ready to be scooped up and taken home to brighten winter days. Normally sold in modest plastic pots, forced bulbs lend themselves to a variety of creative decorating ideas. At home, they can be featured "as is" or repotted into new containers. Another option is double-potting in which the plastic pot is slipped inside a second, slightly larger and prettier pot called a cachepot (from the French word for hidden pot)... Read More...