Indoor Flowering Bulbs for Winter Interest

Are you missing your beautiful flower garden and highly anticipating spring so you can get your fill of flowers? Here are some great ideas for indoor flowering plants that offer winter interest.

You can purchase a variety of bulbs (Tulips, Narcissus, Amaryllis) and follow these steps for care to have them bloom in the winter. If you already have bulbs planted in your garden that previously bloomed, you can dig them up and take them inside to force them into a dormant state. Most bulbs need at least four to six weeks before they can re-produce flowers. Just place them in a dark closest or storage room to let all foliage die back. But don’t forget where you put them!

When the bulbs are ready to bloom again you can place them in a glass container with rocks or other decorative materials and add water. Within the next seven to ten weeks, your bulbs will begin to shoot out new green leaves and eventually beautiful flower stalks. Deborah Hamilton, an avid gardener, said this about Amaryllis bulbs: “Watching something grow and bloom with flowers more than five inches wide during the dreariest part of the year can lift anyone's spirit. It’s also fun to see the water in the stem fluctuate when the light is bright enough.”

Deborah Hamilton's Amaryllis Bulbs

 Once the bulbs have finished flowering you can start again! Please feel free to post pictures of your blooming bulbs.

Wrtten by: Amanda Hamilton

One Person’s Trash is Another Person’s Treasure!

One item we have in abundance here at Kane Landscapes is pallets. A lot of our materials are delivered on pallets (sod, pavers, ect.) and we often cannot return or recycle them to our vendors. Inevitably, we end up trying to find community groups or clients who want to re-use the pallets for their own needs.  

A fun way we have found that people re-use pallets is by turning them into a decorative planter box. You only need a few simple materials to do this; a pallet, landscape fabric, staple gun and staples, potting soil, and flowers/herbs. Here is a link to a great tutorial for completing this project! http://lifeonthebalcony.com/how-to-turn-a-pallet-into-a-garden/#

Please let us know if you are interested in picking up a pallet to make a container garden of your own!

Nellie R Stevens Holly - Plant of the Week

The Nellie R Stevens Holly is a cross between the English Holly and Chinese Holly. This Holly variety has a naturally dense pyramidal shape. The leaves on a Nellie R Stevens Holly are a glossy with a dark green color that remains intact year round and grows thickly from the ground to the top of the plant. The Nellie R Stevens Holly produces inconspicuous white flowers in the spring that will give way to an abundant amount of vivid red berries in the fall. The Nellie Stevens Holly typically grows to 20 feet tall and 10 feet wide, but in ideal conditions it can grow much larger.  Nothing will help outlast the winter like the dark green leaves of the Nellie Stevens, reminding you that spring is just around the corner.

Virginia Sweetspire - Plant of the Week

The Virginia Sweetspire typically blooms in late spring or early summer, producing small, white flowers.  The mildly fragrant flowers make a woodsy smell. However, these plants are valued more for their fall foliage than for either their blossoms’ appearance or aroma.  Undoubtedly, the outstanding feature of Virginia Sweetspires is the burgundy color of their autumn leaves.  Full exposure to sun light will ensure this shrub’s full, deep-red color in autumn, but the Sweetspire can tolerate partial shade. Virginia Sweetspire shrubs reach about 4 feet tall by 4 feet wide at maturity.

 

Fothergilla - Plant of the Week

 

Fothergilla is a deciduous shrub that needs full to partial sunlight.  It has interest throughout the year and is slow to grow, reaching its peak around 5-6 feet. The Fothergilla features fragrant spring flowers, summer foliage, and brilliant color in the fall showing shades of orange, red, and yellow. It is easily grown, and does not present any challenges to maintain. 

Nandina - Plant of the Week

Nandina, also commonly known as Heavenly Bamboo or Sacred Bamboo, is a suckering shrub, meaning that the plant pushes out new growth from the base of the plant.  Despite the common names, Nandina is not actually a type of bamboo.  Nandina is a hardy plant that will grow well in many different environments.  These compact plants can help liven up your landscape in the cold winter months, when most other colorful plants have died back. These easy to grow and easy to maintain plants give an almost oriental feel to any landscape. The Nandina will grow well in both sun and shade, so finding the perfect spot for planting will pose no problem. 

Pyracantha - Plant of the Week

Pyracantha is an evergreen shrub that is cherished for its spectacular fall and winter display of fruits. It has the ability to withstand dry conditions. In the spring, clusters of small flowers will bloom. The berries will begin to change in the fall, their color going from green to shades of red, orange, or yellow. These berries persist through winter and into early spring depending on climate and the appetite of the local bird population. If kept in shady areas the berries will be understated, but in full sun light the berries will be plentiful.  There are varieties available that differ in size, berry color, and uprightness in form, these plants can get up to eighteen feet tall, but more typically stay in the four to twelve foot range with equal spread. Beware, however, this is a thorny plant.