Cooperative Living January 2017 - 14
GardenMuse | Story and Photos by Paula Steers Brown, Contributing Columnist
Forcing Bloom
Paper Whites'
heavy perfume pervades
an entire room, and it is
highly entertaining to
watch them grow.
I
first began to appreciate the techniques
of fooling Mother Nature when I lived
up north in Massachusetts. In the dead
of winter, I would trudge through the
dreary cold to the subway and ride the T
to Long Wharf where bleak warehouses
stood near the harbor.
I can still remember the most pleasant
shock: Boom - bloom! Walking inside,
spring had sprung! The fragrant
aromas of sweet flowers permeated
the air already ripe with rich, earthy
scents. The New England Flower
Show gave me a flower fix that got
me through the end of winter. Crafty
landscapers had forced entire
dogwood trees, deciduous shrubs and
bulbs into bloom. I had to give my eyes
time to adjust to the brilliant colors of a
vast array of flowers. Ever since, I have
made sure to bring my own little burst of
springtime inside early to chase away the
winter blahs.
Forcing bulbs is common practice
for florists, so it is relatively easy to
find amaryllis, tulips and narcissus bulbs
prepared in pots, ready to burst into
bloom. Home gardeners, though, can buy
bulbs in quantity to get a big impact
inexpensively. When I lived at another end
of the country, Houston, Texas, I found it
funny to see friends bump their lettuce
and celery aside in the fridge drawer to
make room for a big bag of tulips. They
had to coax Nature in a different way.
The warm climate did not get cold enough
to give bulbs the dormant storage time
they need to build up energy to bring
forth blossoms.
In our area, a favorite January room
brightener is the narcissus, or Paper
White. Besides being very affordable, these
reliable bulbs are unsurpassed for scent.
Their heavy perfume pervades an entire
room, and it is highly entertaining to
watch them grow. Use blue delft pottery to
lend the look of old Holland, but the
tableau created is much better than a still
life - it is life-quickening. Place small
rocks in a shallow dish with the bulbs
nestled among the gravel, provide a
little water, and feel revived by their
daily stirrings.
To combat cabin fever, take a walk and
scope out deciduous shrubs and trees
whose branches can be cut to bring inside
12 | Cooperative Living | January 2017
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Cooperative Living January 2017
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living January 2017
Cooperative Living January 2017 - 1
Cooperative Living January 2017 - 2
Cooperative Living January 2017 - 3
Cooperative Living January 2017 - 4
Cooperative Living January 2017 - 5
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