Spring Comes Early

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Well, maybe not outside.  But INSIDE the house, I'm doing my best to bring in some spring color.  Between our very short growing season and the critters who like to eat my bulbs, I haven't been able to grow spring flowers since Katherine was little (last picture; little Katherine and my last spring flowers).

Last year I tried layered bulb planting in large pots by the front door.  Not only did nothing bloom, when I dug in the dirt to plant summer flowers, there were no signs that I had planted a single bulb.  What a disappointment.

So, last fall I decided to try my hand at forcing bulbs.  I bought some bulbs, packaged them up, and stuck them in the bottom(coldest) drawer of my refrigerator (much to the chagrin of my family...my refrigerator is already a bit short on space) where they stayed (several are still there) until early February when I put them in two test pots by the patio doors (south-facing).

In a week's time I already saw little green bumps appearing.  Now there are more.  I am very hopeful for a lovely display of spring flowers in the next couple of weeks.  If this goes well, I'll plant up the rest of the bulbs for a birthday/Mother's Day display in early May.




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