With the outdoor garden officially tucked in for winter, it's time to bring a little gardening indoors!
Every year, just as the holiday season begins, I give myself a little gift: an afternoon with just me, some flower bulbs, a few of my favourite terracotta pots, and the promise of blooms in the months ahead.
My husband and eight-year-old aren't exactly counting down the days until the paperwhites bloom. LOL! But I certainly am.
Amaryllis and paperwhites are my hopeful Christmas flowers. They're just as much a part of my holiday traditions and decor as the greenery, twinkling lights, and little treasures I bring out year after year. While tulips, crocuses, muscari, and hyacinths are a little something to look forward to as the seemingly never-ending winter gives way to spring.
A gift from me, to me. With a little help from my fav elf, Mother Nature, obviously!
A LITTLE INDOOR GARDENING
It's the most wonderfully simple little ritual.
For amaryllis, I plant the bulb in potting mix with its upper third exposed. Paperwhites go close together in a shallow pot, with their tips peeking out. A little moss for prettiness, a bright spot, and then I wait!
I water the soil lightly, keeping it gently moist rather than soggy. Neither amaryllis nor paperwhites need a cold period to bloom indoors.
The spring bulbs need a little more patience. Tulips, crocuses, muscari, and most hyacinths need a period of chilling before being brought indoors to bloom, generally around 12–16 weeks, depending on the variety. I keep their pots somewhere consistently cold but protected from freezing solid, checking occasionally that the soil hasn't completely dried out.
And then comes my favourite part: watching those first little green shoots appear. Amaryllis can put on quite a show! And if planted in early November, with a little luck, they might just join your holiday festivities!
Because sometimes the loveliest gifts aren't wrapped under the tree. They're the ones you plant yourself.
P.S. Although, if someone could figure out how to wrap a greenhouse and put it under the Christmas tree with my name on it, that would be the bestest Christmas gift EVAAAAH. Just saying!
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