Chapter 2.  Amaryllis and daffodils

The season is about to change, and as a gardener, that means it is time to revise my to-do list.

1. Dig up the Amaryllis bulbs that I planted in the garden in May. Get them ready to force into blooming indoors.
2. Plant some new Daffodils
3. Re-seed a few dead patches in my lawn
4. Get my compost bins empty and ready for a new batch of leaves and grass clippings.
5. Decide if I want to invest in some raised beds for next year
6. All of this while still keeping up with mowing and my vegetable garden. 

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This week, let’s talk about amaryllis and daffodils!

I can’t remember a year when I didn’t buy amaryllis bulbs for Christmas gifts. Usually, in November, they start showing up at the big box stores. These will be on a pallet in one of the aisles of the home improvement stores and, for $5-10, you can stock up on gifts for your friends.

A month or two later,  instead of them telling me that I have a piece of lettuce stuck in my teeth, everyone of them will tell me “that plant you gave me is growing or blooming, and it is sooo pretty”.  Everyone loves them!

I have four bulbs that I grew indoors last winter. I kept them alive in a well-lit room and watered until mid-May and then planted them in an empty spot in one of my flower beds. They grew new foliage all summer and look very healthy. 

Then, at the first of September, I will go out, dig them up and bring them inside. I let them dry out for several weeks in a box in the garage. Then in mid-September, I’ll put them in my fridge (or if you have one – your basement). If you choose to try refrigerating them, just be aware that ANY freezing temperatures will kill the bulb. If you have a basement, that is the safest method.

In late November or early December:

• I cut off the old dried-out leaves
• Brush off any loose dirt
• Peel off any loose papery skin
• Cut off some of the roots – leaving about 4 – 5”
• Give them a quick soak – just the butt end of the bulb and any roots touching the water. (Best sitting on a full glass of water – bulb butt and roots wet, bulb dry)
• Replant them in a pot, leaving about an inch of dirt surrounding the bulb. Leave about 1/3 of the bulb’s top exposed.

They should bloom again, giving a great show in the house. You can stagger planting them to get blooms through the rest of winter, too!

Planting them in the garden in mid to late May keeps them healthy and usually increases their bulb size, and they bloom much better than before. Some will even propagate – giving you babies that will have their own blooms in a year or two! 

The part about soaking the bulbs came from a K-State and Cornell University research project. One of the biggest findings was that soaking the butt end of the bulb and its roots for about 12 hours (no longer!) gave it a head start on growth – beating bulbs that were not soaked by several weeks! So, if you want blooms by Christmas, you should soak, then plant your bulb around the first of December. It is worth Googling and reading!

As far as planting spring bulbs, I’m a lover of daffodils. I have them planted around my yard, and I have cut flowers for my wife from the first of March till the middle of April. That is six weeks of bouquets!

If you plant three different seasonal varieties, you can get a long bloom season – trumpet types, doubles, and fragrant narcissus will do the trick.

There are many sources online. Locally, you can buy large bags of them at Sam’s Club right now. 

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For this week’s recipe, I am highlighting green chilis. Fresh chilis from Hatch, N.M., are usually available now and have a wonderfully mild and unique flavor!

This is a fairly fast soup to make, and it is rich. It makes a great main dish or an appetizer.