Southern Gardening

One aspect of being a horticulturist means being able to make plants do want I want when I want them to do it. Observe my power! (maniacal laugh) Grow flower…..GROW! Tulips, hyacinth and paper whites are plants that can be manipulated into producing flowers outside of their normal blooming season. This is a technique called forcing a bulb. Forced bulbs are an easy way to bring spring-time blooms inside to be enjoyed in the winter. What makes it even better is that indoor light is fine as the flowers are already formed and ready to grow inside the bulb.

All gardeners know there will come a time that we will need to protect some of our landscape plants from freezing temperatures. Let me show you some tips on bundling up your plants from the coming cold temperatures. Make sure your plants are well watered going into a cold weather event. This is especially true for plants grown in containers. The moisture in the root zone acts as a buffer to falling temperatures, providing insulation and releasing heat as it cools. Plants grown in containers have the advantage of being portable.