Heather's Garden

Once Upon A Time

I had a really nice planter on the kitchen table filled with golden oregano, basil, rosemary, and edible ornamental peppers:

 

But it didn't do so well under my really inattentive care.  I don't know if I watered it too much, not enough, it got too much sun, or not enough, but it didn't thrive.  The golden oregano survived though and some hot & spicy oregano I stuck in there sometime in the past month seems to have rooted.  I forgot to do anything with the bulbs I so carefully saved last summer, but bare dirt, container indoors...I stuck a bunch of bulbs in here last week and so far so good:

 

At least there's something growing in the house!  I've been cutting up an old mini-blind making plant labels, sorting seeds, and making plans.  One of these days I might actually plant some seeds.  Where are you in your gardening process?

And It Has Begun

One advantage of not going to FL for Thanksgiving this year is that we are way ahead of schedule on holiday prep.  We already have the tree up and completely trimmed.  I love the way we did it this year.  We put the tree up Saturday morning (new and slightly too large for the space and room, but SS2 and I made it work).  Our guests arrived in the early afternoon for our belated Thanksgiving dinner (pork loin instead of turkey -- soooooo much easier and in my opinion tastier).  We chatted for a while, had some appetizers, and then I took out all the ornaments and put my guests to work:

Of course the gigantic tree in the living room (the back half of the tree is folded up and shoved against the wall) means shifting furniture all over the place.  The amaryllis is growing nicely even in this tight little corner:

 

And in the bathroom the paperwhite bulb is doing fantastically:

 

Look at the roots coming out of it:

 

I just keep staring at them endlessly:

 

Thanksgiving was wonderful and we've been watching a Christmas movie (or TV episode) a day since then.  Tonight a friend and I went to another friend's caroling group's concert which was a lovely way to start off the Christmas season -- friends and family, that's what it's all about!

How I Will Get Through The Winter Without My Garden

Yesterday I took advantage of what is predicted to be the last day of unusually warm weather to run some errands and finally get outside and transplant this winter's indoor plants.  See what nice sunny days we were having?  Note the black and white tins on the table, I bought them ages ago at Ikea specifically to line up on the windowsill above the sink:

 

You probably also noticed the brown ceramic planter in the middle of the table.  You may recall I potted it up a while ago, but I finally brought it inside.  The oregano in particular has reacted well, growing an inch at least in the week or so it's been there.  The basil and ornamental edible peppers are doing well too:

  

So I grabbed the tins, the basil that has been rooting for 2 months, another basil that's been in water even longer, and a coleus cutting that's just as old, and headed outside at 4pm.  Also on the agenda in the 45 minutes or so remaining before I knew it would be too dark to work was potting up some tulips.  I covered them with a few inches of soil after taking this photo, but later read that I was supposed to leave the tips exposed.  Oh well, let's see what happens.  I plan to leave them outside for a while too.  If you're not tough, you're not making it in my house.  I have other tulips and daffodils that I will chill and then pot up as the mood strikes:

 

All too soon I looked over and the sun was almost gone.  We've had incredible winds the past few days, so most of the remaining leaves are now down and you can hardly tell Lee cleared at least half the grass: 

 

Back inside I lined up my newly planted tins.  Oh yes, you might be interested to know that I did not punch holes in the bottoms of the tins (water plus windowsill equals rotted wood).  Instead I put about an inch of river rocks in the bottom of each one.  Hopefully that will keep the roots from drowning and the tins from falling over if they get top heavy:

 

You could see the big basils pretty well in the photo above, but here's a closer shot of the coleus cutting and basil perpetuo cutting (both long on roots, short on leaves): 

 

And one of the medium sized tins that each have 2 everbearing strawberry runners.  I don't know how this is going to work, but I'm loving this photo:

   

When I was out running errands I couldn't resist buying an amaryllis and some paperwhites.  The amaryllis is in its usual spot, wonder if it will bloom by Christmas this year (forgive the slightly blurry photo, I just didn't have the patience to keep trying for a good one today, a much cloudier day than yesterday): 

 

And I did fill two tall vases with river rocks and a paperwhite bulb in each.  One for the bathroom at home and one for my desk at the office:

 

The rosemary still has to be moved into the kitchen, but I wasn't kidding about the size of it, so I'm delaying moving it until I finish another project in the kitchen that requires some space.  Lee is taking Friday off to finish cleaning up the leaves and some other garden-related tasks, like moving plants to the basement for me.  While he's down there, I've asked him to find all the bulbs I gave him in the spring to store and dry out.  If all went according to plan I should have a bunch of hyacinths to force too -- that will make the winter fly by!

RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY, DON'T COME BACK FOR A WHILE, PLEASE

I really shouldn't complain, we didn't get nearly as much as other portions of the Northeast.  My garden's a little bit wet, but not flooded thanks to the slight hill we're on.  We drove by a house today less than a mile from ours with a swamp for a front lawn and could only wonder what their basement looked like.  Before the massive rain I took a page out of Layanee's book and burned my grass.  I may also cut it back since it didn't burn all that evenly:

 

But the rains brought some good things...peas!  There are still a few that haven't come up, but the ground is cracked above where I planted them, so I can tell they're pushing their way out.  I have a row of little pea sprouts:

I thought about cutting the Endless Summer hydrangea back hard (people around here do that for some reason), but opted not to (yes, I clearly need to fix that circle of stones, but am resisting running out in the dark with a flashlight to do it right now):

The crocuses are pretty much done flowering and the daffodils are not blooming as much as I would like, but maybe I'll get more soon.  I have high hopes for the tulips:

I'm still not quite at the point of dealing with the containers of herbs yet, but only one container seems to have cracked over the winter.  It will be sealed with liquid nails because it's one of my favorites:

But I still went to Ocean State Job Lots and bought more containers because really, people, I have a problem. But at these prices I couldn't resist and in fact, may have to go back for more:

 

Remember the fun slope that now will have at least partial sun because that huge tree was removed:

 

While I worked away on the most boring work-related stuff you could possibly imagine, VPH spent the morning raking it and cutting down last year's brush:

Then I filled a bowl with enough wildflower seed to cover 600 sq. ft. -- this area was 440 sq. ft., but I'm a fan of over seeding (that's VPH's hand):

Then since he did all the hard work, I let him have the fun of scattering the seed:

I had a few random old moonflower seeds from last year, so I planted them around the stump where I could see them out the living room window (that's my hand):

 

We have big developments inside too, almost 100% germination in the seed tray:

Even the tomatoes:

I think one of these might be calendar-worthy, but I'm not sure which is better: 

Leave me a comment and let me know which you think is stronger:

 

And I'll leave you with my other current obsession...hydrangeas:

 

This is the second of four pots of hydrangea bulbs that I've purchased over the last four weeks.  One will go with us to Easter dinner on Sunday as a hostess gift (not this one, another that's not quite blooming yet, but hopefully will just be on Sunday).  This one is behind me as I type and I'm loving the scent.  Please ignore our ugly blue carpet, remember it's a rental.  Those are all my seeds by the remotes on the couch.  Much time has been spent dreaming about what will go where.

Don't forget to tell me which of those seedling photos is calendar-worthy.

SPRING CAN'T COME SOON ENOUGH

I'm going to tell you a secret...our Christmas tree is still up.  My new goal is to take it down before Valentine's Day.  Sitting next to it is the amaryllis with one fading bloom and a bunch of dried up shriveled flowers.  It's so sad I can't even bring myself to photograph it.  If it wasn't below 20 degrees outside I'd go cut some forsythia branches to bring inside and force in the vase that currently holds the amaryllis, but I'm not crazy enough to do that! 

What I will share with you is a few photos of the amaryllis from bud to bloom.  Early promise:

So exciting:

The flash gave a little bit truer color and the amaryllis itself was a little more orange than I had hoped it would be:

It bloomed awkwardly and frankly wasn't that attractive:

 

See, all smooshed together:

 

Probably the best photo I got, and I still wasn't that happy with it:

9 days later and this was the last flower left.  I'll write soon about the various photography contests I'm entering this weekend, but this shot was one that I toyed with submitting, though I ultimately rejected it as being too generic:

 

Now that the amaryllis is done I will be left with 2 green plants in the house to last me until spring.  I still haven't made it to a garden center to see if there are any leftover bulbs to force and since we're leaving for Florida again in 3 weeks, I doubt I'll get around to it.  I have a feeling quite a few plants will make the drive back north with us in early March!

JUST OVER 24 HOURS LEFT TO WIN A CALENDAR

I'm starting to feel a little unloved here, folks.  Only 7 people have entered to win a calendar and there's just over 24 hours until the entry deadline at midnight EST on Wednesday.  Click here to view the full calendar and leave a comment on that post to be entered.  Here's the cover of this year's calendar to give you a little taste in case you missed the other post:

In the meanwhile, I really need to find some hyacinth bulbs to force.  I completely forgot to buy some in the fall and now I covet the ones my garden blogging friends keep writing about and photographing!  The amaryllis in the living room is going to burst into full bloom any day now:

I can't wait to see if they're really as red as I hope they will be.  Now click over and enter to win a calendar!!!
 

MERRY CHRISTMAS (Hey, it's still December!)

We loved being in FL for three weeks, but coming home on December 14th really threw us off schedule for the holiday.  Luckily most gift shopping could be (and was) accomplished on-line -- and most things even arrived in time!  I have a post about my mom's garden percolating, but the cold that started with VPH, went to SS2, and finally landed on me is sapping my strength and creativity, so this won't be that post.

Though we barely got any of our decorations up, we did enjoy the lights around the pool before we left FL:

Now how inviting is that?  But it closes at nightfall -- why?!

Little gaudier around the entrance to the community center:

We did bring a little bit of FL home with us...and so far I've managed not to kill the rosemary plant:

 

Complete with awesome glass watering ball (running a close race for favorite Christmas present from VPH this year with Zelda: Spirit Tracks for the DS and the new Super Mario Bros for the Wii).

And my little gift to myself a week before Christmas.  How could I resist an amaryllis in this awesome glass vase with two buds on it:

I predict blooms by January 15th.  The yearly calendars are going out late this year (production snafu more than tardiness on my part), so hopefully I'll be able to share the photo selections by the 1st.  And this year I'll have a few to give away.  Any ideas for a fun contest?
 

THE IN BETWEEN TIME

I ventured outside last night and took a brief, depressing walk around the yard.  I see tons of weeds sprouting up all over the place, but no sign of my perennial shade garden.

I actually had to go back into my photos to verify there were plants there in September and it wasn't my imagination:

Elizabeth described what I'm feeling so much better than I could in her post today.  She wrote:

It may seem odd to admit to this, but every spring at around this time, I begin to wonder if my garden will completely fail to appear.

This is my first year waiting to see if the garden will reappear and I'm not handling it well at all.  Elizabeth further wrote:

At times like these, I begin to wonder what I could do if the garden really were gone beyond recovery. I guess there would need to be a major spending spree.

This actually brought me back to reality a little bit.  Most of my garden is annuals because vegetables and most herbs in this zone are annuals.  Shortly after I planted the garden last year I lost 2 of the plants in the shade perennial garden to some sort of pest:

 

So worst case scenario I'm only looking at replacing 2 hostas and a fern -- I can handle that.  I'll do a real post soon on the state of things outside -- there are some positives out there (like buds on the Endless Summer hydrangea).

Until then I will close the same way as Elizabeth did...with the last of the bulbs I'm forcing inside.  Would you believe that the paperwhite in the blue pot is finally growing?  I know I didn't:

In addition to the hyacinth above I've got one stinking up the bathroom in a good way:

I pulled another hyacinth bulb from under the counter, but it lost all of its roots in the transfer from container to forcing glass and it hasn't shown any growth since it moved into the light.  I even had to throw a stone in there to make sure it doesn't fall into the glass.  Note the long root floating in the water on the right:

Now there are five bulbs left under the counter, but I'm not sure if any of them will fare better than the one above:

I hate this time in between winter and spring.  It's almost warm enough that I feel like I should be out there gardening, but still cold enough that I don't want to be.  I guess I could be good like Layanee and start cleaning up, but I don't want to!

How do you handle the in between time? 

R.I.P. AMARYLLIS

Oh how I loved it, but it is definitely done.

It went into the vase on February 18th:

February 24th:

March 2nd:

March 9th:

March 14th:

March 18th:

 

At it's peak on March 22nd:

And March 29th (today it's just too sad to photograph):

My mom wants me to keep the bulb and nurse it into blooming again, but I've read that it might not bloom the first year.  I just can't see me doing all of that work when there will be a gazillion ready to purchase next winter all ready to flower.  Sorry, Mom, I'm falling prey to the nurseryman's scam.

Looks like it's going to be at least another week before we hit the 50s here.  So March is in and out like -- what's half way between a lion and and lamb -- VPH says a llama.  Pretty typical of spring in CT, we'll go from 40 one day to 80 the next.  Our average lows in this area hover around freezing until mid-April.  So I'm not planning to start any heavy clean-up or planting for another couple of weeks.

I'm feeling a little guilty about putting off any action outside when I see other garden bloggers working away like busy little beavers.  Some of the overachievers you can check out to avoid being too disappointed in me:

My Skinny Garden

Ledge and Gardens

May Dreams Garden

Are you in full gardening swing or longing for warmer weather like I am?

FORGOTTEN

I almost forgot about the hyacinth bulbs for a second time.  But last night I opened up the kitchen cabinet and checked for roots.  Some were doing quite well, others not so much.  I pulled the two best and stuck them on the kitchen windowsill:

I've discovered that photos on the windowsill work a lot better with natural sun from the back and my flash from the front.  Finally I've been able to get something to grow in the pilsner glass:

I just love this little vase with pebbles and a hyacinth bulb:

No change with the stupid paperwhite bulb (or the one to the left of it which wasn't even worth a photo):

There are 6 more hyacinth bulbs in the cabinet, but I suspect they may not all grow:

Another shot of my pretty, pretty amaryllis:

I hate when Easter is this early, it's not at all spring-like out there yet and Easter should be spring dresses and daffodils.  I walked outside again today and thought almost.  Almost time to get dirty and sweaty and start my garden.  Almost, but not yet and it's driving me crazy!

WHEN THE FEVER BROKE

I am in day 4 of the flu, and I kind of lost yesterday to fever.  I got up this morning, took a shower and I've actually been sitting upright on the couch for a whole 2 hours now.  When I walked into the living room today I was greeted by this cheery sight:

It's blooming!  In its normal spot, but poorly lit:

On the little table with better light:

This is the red amaryllis that I had envisioned.  Not the orange flower like the cheapo bulb from Christmas Tree Shops. 

Coming soon -- a start to finish pictorial of the amaryllis bulb.  Maybe I'll even compare and contrast to the cheapo one.

PROMISE

It's so close!

It's a dreary almost spring day here, so it's a little dark for photography in the living room, but darkness aside the amaryllis is quite impressive:

Not a lot going on other than this inside and outside the weatherman is calling for snow/rain over the weekend, so outside activity will still have to wait.

PRETTY

The sun is shining here for the first time in what feels like a week.  Unfortunately it's also windy and cold, a sharp contrast to the overcast rainy, but warm weather we had for most of the week.  Needless to say, it's not very spring-like, so posts about anything outdoors are going to have to wait. 

The kitchen windowsill:

The paperwhite bulb last week:

And this week:

Do you see any difference?  Me either.  How long before I give up on this thing ever growing?

Growing like a weed however is the amaryllis:

The bud's ready to pop:

I moved it to the little table in front of the window to take the photo above (better light) and thought you might enjoy seeing the table and hearing about the objects on it:

VPH hates clutter and I love stuff, consequently I have to struggle constantly not to fill the house with junk.  So I made myself a little rule that anything I buy has to have dual purpose -- souvenirs have to have function as well as form.  When we moved VPH's parents in a full-time care facility (many years ago, they've both since passed) we went to help clean up their condo and make piles for Goodwill, grandchildren, etc. and this table was gone.  It was the only thing that was missing.  Turns out my sister-in-law also liked it and took it home with her before we got there.  I explained that my mother-in-law had already given it to me (I had admired it the very first time I entered her house) and my sister-in-law graciously brought it over to my house a week later.  So it always makes me think of my mother-in-law (and my sister-in-law).

The lamp was purchased on a shopping trip to Chinatown with snot-face sister in Boston when she was going to school there.  It was a nice day together, not many of those in the past few years.  The coaster was acquired in Santa Fe when we drove through on our way back from my cousin's wedding in Durango, CO to Albuquerque for our flight home.

And this beautiful piece that I found when we were cleaning out my grandmother's house after she passed:

Years ago it sat on a coffee table in front of the sofa (before we purchased our current couch and opted for the storage ottoman instead of a coffee table).  One day younger step-son decided to step over the coffee table instead taking two seconds to walk around it -- why do boys do such idiotic things?  Yup, he didn't make it, landed on the table and smashed the top of the beautiful hand-painted Nippon (marked even) piece from my dead grandmother's house.  I cried and cried and once I dried my tears, I realized that it had broken into pretty large pieces, pulled out the super glue and decided that a few missing chips really didn't matter all that much.  If you look closely you can see see the break on the upper left corner below:

The above photo is now the background on my desktop.  Do you try to keep your clutter to a minimum? Do you have one spot in your house that reminds you of many family members at once?  Did your kids ever break anything really meaningful of yours?

MARCH MADNESS

First, because this is my blog and I can write whatever I want here...my younger sister's a bitch.

Don't be afraid that she'll see this and be hurt because she purposely doesn't read this blog because "it's stupid."  Can I also tell you, loyal reader, that upon opening my Christmas present, the calendar, she said "you sent me pictures of flowers and bugs."  Um, photos that I took of my garden.  "Oh that's nice."  Then when we were visiting in January, I discovered that she put it on the wall, but covered it with a different calendar because "the numbers weren't big enough to see across the room."  Yeah, you can imagine how that made me feel.  And if you can, you know me better than my only sibling.  There's a whole lot more going on than the calendar crap, but too much to share with relative strangers.  Needless to say if I'm writing in public that she's a bitch, I'm done with her.  Sadly, it's time to put me in the column of women who don't get along with their sisters.  Phew, got that out of my system.  Moving on.

The amaryllis is growing much faster than the last one and it has leaves!  The stalk moves towards the sun, so it only leans drunkenly on a part-time basis:

The configuration on the kitchen windowsill early Sunday afternoon.  You'll notice that the paperwhite bulb on the right is doing nothing: 

The paperwhite in the bathroom.  The scent from it isn't nearly as strong as the hyacinth or the last paperwhite:

The pile of pots under the china cabinet in the kitchen.  Note the wooden tray.  It's a Zabar's tray from a gift basket that we received in my office at least 5 years ago.  It's been sitting on top of our fridge full of take-out menus since I brought it home.  We cleaned off the top of the fridge for the Christmas Cocktail Party and I liked the bare look so it's not going back.  I discussed it with VPH and we decided to keep the tray.  He actually said it would be a great planter.  Look for it to be re-purposed to a lettuce planter this spring with a few holes drilled in the bottom:

(Oh and we went to the bulk store today, hence the huge flat of Coke Zero and 2 liter bottles of seltzer all over the floor.)

I finally got around to pulling the rest of the hyacinth bulbs out of the closet late Sunday afternoon:

There were more:

Out of the 12 bulbs in the closet, 4 were moldy.  Half way through the potting:

Finished at last:

With the exception of the paperwhite bulb in the blue pot in the forefront in the photo above, the rest are hyacinth bulbs.  They're all now safely in a cool dark cabinet until they develop roots to match their growth.

I decided that the paperwhite wasn't developing roots because it was too exposed in the pilsner glass, so I buried it in an opaque pot covered in pebbles and rearranged the windowsill plants:

It looks pretty, but I have my doubts about it ever developing blooms:

So aside from ending the relationship with my sister, it was a productive day.

PROGRESS REPORT

I started this post on February 18th and completely forgot about it.

You may dimly recall the list of goals in my last post:

1. Take down the Christmas decorations -- I know, it's February, it's just embarrassing.

The tree's down (and lost most of its needles so I'm pretty sure we killed it), but the Christmas decorations have migrated to the kitchen table until I muster the energy to tear apart the entire closet to put them away.

2. Put the amaryllis and paperwhite bulbs that VPH gave me for Christmas into something to grow rather than their current spot in their original packaging under the tree.

Totally did this on February 18th and I have photographic evidence:

I've promised a full shot of the Mao poster (note our beautifully alphabetized DVDs -- sadly this is not all of our DVDs, I've had to put TV shows, music, children's films, and movie sets like all the Bond films into the entertainment center):

And finally a photo of the amaryllis today (the leaves seem to have grown a lot in the last week, which did not happen with my first one -- is that normal?):

3. You guessed it, take down the tree -- it's not dying too much, ignore those needles that are dropping like crazy.  It will definitely bounce back when we throw it outside in below freezing weather -- right?

See #1.  I feel badly about killing it, but as I rationalized before purchasing a live tree, at least it lasted longer than a cut tree and cost about the same.

4. Put away the 8 zillion DVDs we gave ourselves for Christmas -- they're everywhere.

Done.  Have  I mentioned that VPH thinks I'm crazy for alphabetizing our DVDs?  But we never have trouble finding the one we're looking for!

5. Get a support under the stupid IKEA bedframe that's allowing the mattress to sink in the middle and making my back hurt constantly.

VPH encountered scorn when he went to a local lumber yard and asked them to cut down a scrap 2x4 to the length I requested.  I guess they don't consider you manly unless you have the ability to cut a 2x4 to length in your tool shed (we don't).  So he stopped into a different local lumber yard later that day and found a very nice man who cut a scrap 2x4 to length for him.  Guess which lumber yard we'll be giving all our business to in the future?  Oh, and the piece was about a half inch too long (my poor measuring), so we have to trim it down and since we're not manly, we'll have to go back to the lumber yard to get it done.  A job for tomorrow.

6. Call the place where we bought the almost $1,000 mattress and see when they're delivering the new mattress to replace the one whose side has broken down in under 4 years.  (I swear the service tech told me it wasn't due to the cheap IKEA bedframe sagging mattress issue.)

Nope, haven't called yet, nor have I hear from them.  Guess I should really do that.

7. Read A Thousand Splendid Suns before book club tomorrow night at 7:30pm -- haven't even removed the dust cover yet -- oops.

I woke up that day not feeling well enough to go to that book club meeting that evening, so waited until the meeting of my other book club yesterday and read it (convenient that we were reading the same book in both clubs, huh).  Not my favorite book ever, but still a good read.

All in all, not too bad on the list. 

I took the 2 hyacinths out of the closet.  Last week they sat on the kitchen windowsill to get sun:

The one on the left came to work with me, but I told my boss she could have custody of it when I am working from home, which I have been since Tuesday, so I have no idea how it's doing.  The one on the right moved to the bathroom a few days ago, but it's near the end of its life cycle:

I have a bunch more in a bag in the closet and I'm planning on spending the rest of the afternoon getting them into pots. 

Now on the kitchen windowsill are 2 paperwhites.  The Christmas present from VPH, just placed in vase on the 18th:

 

And the same old one in the pilsner glass.  What is wrong with it?  Seriously, the bulb has split, no roots, little growth...what's the deal?

But isn't the edge of the sunset starting out the window pretty?

I have one more original paperwhite bulb in the hallway in the blue vase.  Last week:

And this week it is almost ready to replace the fading hyacinth in the bathroom:

The CT Flower Show was this weekend and I really wish I had known about it ahead of time, but I only found out on Thursday and I already had plans that kept me busy down here.  Next year I will definitely try to attend.

Hope you all are safe and warm this evening.

IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE, BUT...

It's snowing.  This is the first measurable snow we've had since mid-December here in southern CT.  We're a mile from the water, so when my friends who live 30 minutes north of here get 6 inches we generally get rain.  We have about 2 inches of snow on the ground but it's already changed to sleet and should switch over to rain by morning, but for the moment it actually looks like winter out there.

Also, I've just realized that I didn't take a single photo in January.  That's so strange.

The kitchen windowsill has changed quite a bit.  The herbs all bit the dust and I finally took the hyacinths out of the pantry closet:

It's interesting to see how different the subject of a photo looks with and without the flash (don't worry that you're hallucinating, I did trim that crazy sideways growth off the plant between photos).  Also, if you look carefully you can see my reflection in the window:

Are the hyacinths going to get taller or will they bloom right out of the bulb like this one is threatening to do?

This one's taller than the other one so I'm not as concerned about it:

The paperwhite in the bathroom is doing nothing:

But the one in the hallway is developing roots and showing decent, though slow, growth:

VPH got me this outdoor thermometer for Christmas, but we won't put it up until spring.  Yes, we keep our house at 70 degrees when we're home and not in bed.  When we're gone it goes down to 60 and while we're sleeping we leave it at 62.

My goals for the rest of the week:

1. Take down the Christmas decorations -- I know, it's February, it's just embarrassing.

2. Put the amaryllis and paperwhite bulbs that VPH gave me for Christmas into something to grow rather than their current spot in their original packaging under the tree.

3. You guessed it, take down the tree -- it's not dying too much, ignore those needles that are dropping like crazy.  It will definitely bounce back when we throw it outside in below freezing weather -- right?

4. Put away the 8 zillion DVDs we gave ourselves for Christmas -- they're everywhere.

5. Get a support under the stupid IKEA bedframe that's allowing the mattress to sink in the middle and making my back hurt constantly.

6. Call the place where we bought the almost $1,000 mattress and see when they're delivering the new mattress to replace the one whose side has broken down in under 4 years.  (I swear the service tech told me it wasn't due to the cheap IKEA bedframe sagging mattress issue.)

7. Read A Thousand Splendid Suns before book club tomorrow night at 7:30pm -- haven't even removed the dust cover yet -- oops.

Forget the rest of the list I have to go start reading now.

OKAY, SO I TOOK A LITTLE BREAK

Santa was very good to us all this year and I ended up taking a little more of a vacation that I had planned on.  I did save vacation time so I didn't have to work between Christmas and New Year's, but I also took a break from showering, getting dressed, and leaving the house for most of that time too.  Blogging didn't even rate on the list of things I should have been doing!

VPH gave me Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii (among many really nice gifts), so we all kind of knew I'd be unavailable for a while, but I sort of underestimated the degree to which I would become obsessed.  I beat it and then I started over again from the beginning.  Thank goodness I have to go back to work in a few days or I might be lost forever! 

There were many wonderful presents (and I am very difficult to shop for, I don't give lists and I'm really picky), but I thought you might like to see the ones that are garden-related.

Here's a better view of the gifts:

From the top clockwise: amaryllis kit, gardener's hand sanitizer, faucet splitter (for our extremely complicated hose configuration), a laminated field guide to local bugs, 2 gardening books (I'll let you know if they were helpful), a deep root weeder, and a paperwhite bulb.  (My mom also gave me gardening gifts, more on those in the spring.) 

VPH told me just before Christmas how much he's enjoying having live plants all over the house.  Truthfully, I think he's enjoying this gardening thing as much as I am!  The tree is holding up great with just one watering a week.  I'd planned to put it outside on Wednesday, but we're getting a really cold spell right around then, so I think it will live in the living room for a week or so more. 

The poinsettia's still looking good, but it's losing a lot of leaves (it's not under- or over-watered and I left the lost leaf in the photo on purpose).  I still can't get a decent photo of it without the flash:

Everyone warned me that rosemary trees are tough to keep alive inside, but no, I'm little miss gardener, yeah right:

Have you ever seen anything sadder?  I have:

I swear to God I watered it properly.  I am definitely bringing back this $30 tree and insisting upon a refund (or I might try one of the rosemary topiaries instead -- yes, I am an idiot).

On the bulb front - the amaryllis was in full bloom on Christmas Day, and it's still beautiful.  I'd be surprised if it lasts for another week though.  Luckily I have that new bulb that VPH gave me for Christmas.  It also ended up being rather orange.  I think next year I'll shell out for an identified bulb rather than a cheapo from Christmas Tree Shops:

The paperwhites in the hallway aren't doing much, but I think we'll just move one into the bathroom as the previous blooming one fades.  The first is still doing great:

I pulled out the hyacinth I could reach to check the water level and was pleased with the level of growth so far:

Maybe 2 more weeks and I'll take one out of the dark:

So it was a lovely holiday all around and with the exception of the rosemary tree, things are growing right along.  Hope you all had as nice a time as we did!

SO CLOSE

We're having a Christmas cocktail party on Friday and I think the amaryllis is keeping to the schedule.  We're seeing definite signs of blooming:

And the paperwhites should make the bathroom smell really great:

No more blogging for me tonight.  I'm fighting a cold (and losing) and between a major work issue climaxing on Thursday and the cocktail party on Friday, I can't be sick right now.

SEEING SOME PROGRESS

I'm seeing some real growth in the bulbs that I first introduced you to here.  More in some plants than others.  Of the three paperwhites: 

Only the one in the bathroom (above) is putting out roots and showing any real growth.  I think the answer to why the one is doing so much better than the others is illustrated by the photos.  The bulb in the bathroom is getting a lot more sunlight than the two in the hallway.  Easily solved by slanting the wood blinds open a little more.  Hopefully I'll see some growth from them shortly.

The bud on the amaryllis shows no sign of opening, but it's getting quite tall:

In a recent post, Carol said "One of my pet peeves is when amaryllis or other indoor plants are photographed sitting in a room with no visible sources of good light around them."    The inclusion of the window in the photo above is just for you, Carol!

The hyacinths are trucking away in their respective corners of the kitchen closet:

Shall we start a pool on when I see my first flowers?  When and what do you think I'll see first?

IT'S CHRISTMAS ALL OVER AGAIN

This is definitely our favorite time of year.   We have a strangely large collection of Christmas CDs -- disproportionately large in fact.  VPH has enough Christmas ties that he wears them from the day after Thanksgiving through Christmas day.  Needless to say at least one of us was excited to decorate the house for Christmas.  I'll give you two guesses which one.

Remember the mission style bookcase that I posted about here?  We're loving it, but it did make inserting a Christmas tree into our living room a little problematic.  Here's what that corner normally looks like (in case you didn't click through to the old post -- and if you didn't you won't understand why I'm so excited that on a return trip we found that they had restocked the over-the-sink cutting boards):

Of course that photo was taken on November 5th so other things have changed.  The blanket on the couch has been relegated to the guest room and a lovely chenille throw is now on the other side of the couch (closer to my feet).  The basket between the sub-woofer and the entertainment center is going to my in-laws as part of their Christmas present and it's been replaced by a cool lamp from IKEA.  And a set of hexagon-shaped nesting baskets -- also from IKEA, but no photo available -- is between the bookcase and the oval side table.  Anyway, there's a lot of stuff over there and no space for the ginormous tree VPH and younger step-son brought home last year when I made the mistake of sending them to pick up a tree unaccompanied.

I have been reading conflicting opinions on whether cut trees, artificial trees, or live potted trees are greenest.  I have no idea which is the best, but given our space constraints I fell in love with the idea of a 4.5 foot Fraser fir in a pot and somehow nothing else would do this year.  It only cost about $25 more than a cut tree from a local tree farmer, so with my convoluted gardener logic I just got a great deal on a Fraser fir!  It's the perfect width for the space, but it was a little short, so we threw a milk crate under it: 

Let me draw your attention to several items in the photo above.  A great plastic tray under the tree that will prevent dirty water from staining the carpet.  The left side of the pot is bulging because it's split -- easily repaired with some duct tape.  And see how completely not level my living room is that the door on the bookcase gaps on the bottom right.  Luckily that is only visible when looking directly at the bookcase which we almost never do.  See the amaryllis tipping to the left?  And the Bose docking station is now on top of the bookcase for the IPOD playing our many Christmas tunes. 

Lights, ornaments, and two tree skirts later:

Isn't it pretty?  The amaryllis is now surrounded by black stones to help hold the stalk up straight.  Everyone in our family has a special ornament that is supposed to indicate the side of the tree where your presents will be stacked.  In reality, presents end up all over the place and it's a struggle to get the kids to put any ornament on the tree, let alone their "special" one.  Ironically one Christmas I decided that we were too busy to do the whole tree thing and they nearly revolted.  Why, oh why do all the men want a tree and then balk when it comes to decorating it? 

The ornaments on top of the bookcase are a Coca-Cola Santa for younger step-son and a Homer Simpson Santa stepping on a cat for older step-son.  They also have ornaments of their favorite football teams, the elder favors the Raiders, and the younger the Jaguars.  VPH is a Steeler fan and I guess I follow them more than any other team.  That ornament is already on the tree and the boys will hang theirs when they come over next.  Wondering what my special ornament is?  The ballerina on the upper right of the tree.  I've had it since I was a little girl.  VPH's is the ceramic Santa riding a candy cane on the upper left, which he's also had since he was very young.

This is the earliest we've ever trimmed the tree and I think I like it.  VPH insists upon taking the tree down on New Year's Day, so the earlier we set it up, the more bang I get for my buck.

What kind of tree do you have?  Do you have any special tree-trimming traditions?  Are you in the immediately after Thanksgiving Christmas decorating camp or do you wait until Christmas Eve?

GREEN THUMB SUNDAY

I thought it would be fun to see how quickly the amaryllis has been growing. 

Planted 11/4/07:

11/17/07:

11/25/07:

Today:

Gardeners, plant and nature lovers can join in Green Thumb Sunday every week. Visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

BULB CRAZY

First, the best thing I have ever bought.  Most of the leaves have finally fallen off the trees and it's time for my least favorite chore ever -- cleaning them up.  I was ecstatic when I left home for college years ago because it meant I would never have to rake an acre's worth of leaves again.  I guess I never thought I would be living in a house with deciduous trees again -- ah, the ignorance of youth.  $70 later, I have the greatest power tool ever created.  You guessed it, a leaf blower/sucker/chipper.  I played with it for 5 minutes at dusk this evening and I am actually excited to go out and clean up the yard.  This is the wonder machine (sucker attachment and bag  are on the other side of the living room):

There's snow in the forecast for Sunday into Monday so we have to get everything cleaned up and put away this weekend.

I've obviously completely lost it.  VPH and younger step-son are looking at me out of the corner of their eye wondering what the crazy lady is going to do next.  Why does she keep sticking gravel and glass pebbles in vases and glasses, throwing a bulb on top, and adding water?  This is not normal behavior.  Then she starts putting balls and sparkly snowflakes on the rosemary tree?  Lunacy!

I need to find a star for the top of the tree.  It's so cheesy, but it's fun!  Did you see VPH's new coffee maker above?  The old one died a horrible death and I couldn't see making him wait 20 minutes for a pot of coffee to brew twice a day every day until Christmas, so it's an early present.

I picked up this cute (but loud) wreath at W-Mart today originally priced at $9.98, but I got $2.00 off.  Can you see why:

Did you find the snowman at the bottom with the missing blue metal hair swirl?  I doubt anyone who is in my kitchen will notice it without prompting either.

Okay, I am officially crazy about forcing bulbs.  Wait until I post the latest photo of the amaryllis on Sunday, you won't believe how it's grown this week.  I've started a bunch of other bulbs now.

Two hyacinths are hiding in the cool, dark pantry.  One in a forcing glass:

The other is sitting on river pebbles in a cute little vase:

The paperwhites have been planted in three distinctly different ways.  In an upside down blue glass candle holder that I've always used as a vase packed in river pebbles:

So you can see how tall the vase is (I'm hoping that the tall vase will help prevent the flowers from flopping over, which I've read can be a problem):

A fish glass in the fish-themed bathroom in blue and green glass pebbles:

[I just noticed that I forgot to put water in this one, lol.]

And wedged into a pilsner glass (the bulb is not perfectly round, so air still circulates and I can add water):

I have two more pilsner glasses and you just may see a few of the hyacinth bulbs that I picked up today at 1/2 price appear in them in weeks to come.  [Take that, Gina, you bargain shopper you!]

I like the element of surprise here too, will they be blue, pink, yellow?

Layanee, I love that you're so excited to read my new posts, you make me blush.  I wish I could be disciplined enough to commit to posting on a specific day, but it's never going to happen!

You other new garden bloggers out there -- how are you coping with not having much to post about now?

INDOOR GARDENING

Since it's turned bitter cold outside (4o feels positively frigid after 63 on Thanksgiving), I've turned to gardening indoors.  I've been a bit under the weather and lacking enough energy to dig out the Christmas decorations, but I did drag myself out to pick up a poinsettia on Friday.

Note the nifty silver container -- a freebie from the company that supplies the plants for my office as a thank you for signing up with them.  I killed the orchid that came in it just in time to use it for a poinsettia in my living room:

I am not enjoying trying to take photos indoors with the flash on my camera.  This is the only one that turned out even half true to life:

The amaryllis has really sprouted this last week.  I can't wait to see it bloom.  I'm enjoying forcing it so much that I picked up some paperwhite bulbs on Friday when I got the poinsettia and as soon as I feel up to braving getting off the couch, I'm going to get them started. 

My last purchase on Friday at the garden center was a rosemary tree:

Ignore the dirty dishes in the sink, VPH will kill me when he sees this photo.

So the entire herb garden in the kitchen is now basil, dill, cilantro, and rosemary:

Too bad we don't have scratch and sniff internet, the rosemary tree smells amazing. 

What are you growing inside this winter?

STILL HERE

My mood is oodles better.  It must have been the Fall Frumps.  But I did get lots of sympathy from VPH and have been able to talk him into doing things that he normally wouldn't, like go to Christmas Tree Shops with me on a Sunday! 

Their recent flyer featured more things than I am usually interested in, like an amaryllis kit, a mission style bookcase, and an over the sink cutting board (perfect for those of us with little counter space).  I also loved the kitchen island on the same page, but if we squeezed it into our already overstuffed kitchen we would have had an 11-inch opening from the kitchen to the rest of the house and I just couldn't see that working long-term! 

Have you ever been in a Christmas Tree Shop on a Sunday?  I do not recommend it.  People constantly stop in front of you blocking the entire aisle with their cart.  How completely obtuse do you have to be to do that?  The aisles are so narrow that it's impossible to pass even if you don't have a cart.  It's 12 hours later and I'm still pissed about it.

Even with the idiots we managed to come home with good stuff -- some not even advertised.  Unfortunately they were out of the over the sink cutting boards, but here is the latest addition to our living room (we have dark wood bookshelves lining the opposite wall, so the dark wood works):

The bottom two shelves are full of board games -- mostly Trivial Pursuit and Scene-It, and the two top shelves will be for DVDs since we've run out of room in the entertainment center (1/3 of which is out of frame).  Maybe some time this winter I'll give you a full tour of the living room.

But here's a close-up of my amaryllis:

I'm a little concerned about the large amount of dried roots coming out of the bottom.  Is that normal?  I kind of thought there wouldn't be any roots  or what appears to be new growth from the top. 

I also picked up 4 hyacinth bulbs to go into the vase when the amaryllis conks out and another hyacinth bulb and a forcing vase.  I'm going to start it in 3 weeks.  With the inevitable red poinsettia for the living room at Christmas time, we should have flowers blooming through the winter if all goes according to plan.

I am still hoping to see the mystery flower in the wildflower patch in full bloom, but just in case we get a killing frost, here it is nearly there:

Cosmo -- right?