garden withindoors

Inevitably at this time of year the focus shifts from the garden withindoors to the garden withoutdoors. 

At that site you can see what's happening in my garden, including my first frog. I am so excited to finally have one after over 10 years of trying to get them and being given frog spawn a number of times.

Here's my indoor frog, a recent purchase I'm looking forward to planting small bulbs in in the autumn. The pot on the left is a mystery. It was described on ebay as a "bulb pot" but it's obviously missing a piece from the centre and possibly from the other holes. It looks quite a lot like a SylvaC pot I've also seen on ebay with animals in the holes and a small pot in the middle. Anyone have any ideas? (totally unmarked on the bottom).

While I'm doing show 'n tell with new purchases, here's a vase I bought for hyacinths, although it's not an "official" hyacinth vase, it's the perfect size to put a hyacinth bulb in.

I do hate showing this poor looking bulb *but* it shows both how desperate this bulb is to grow: 1.it's struggling to bloom 2. it has a secondary stem coming up 3. it has a large bulblet developing and also how the blue vase is a fine size for a hyacinth bulb.

For some reason these Red Hunter tulips are not blooming properly in this pot although they did do very well in the trough growing on grit. There's lots of colour but the flowers just aren't opening up.

I also have 2 sad looking hyacinths which I don't even want to picture here. Those are the final bulbs for this forcing year.  Almost completed my notes on my forcing results.  Do let me know your successes this year (julie @ gardenwithindoors.org.uk).

I happened to notice this cigarette card on ebay. Not quite as good as finding a hyacinth bulb in a vase but in a pot is the next best thing.

As these are two of my final hyacinths it's finally time to review my bulb forcing results. I have created some new pages with info about how each variety/supplier/bulb performed. I'm still working on them as there's so much to go through. I'm also formulating some questions to ask the bulb suppliers, eg: 1. why are there so many double-stemmed hyacinths this year? 2. why are the Jan Bos hyacinths so poor this year compared to other years? I'm sure I'll think of more questions.

Yet another double-stemmed hyacinth (right). It would be better if both stems were in bloom at the same time. I guess I should cut the wilted one off. This photo embarrassingly shows how I haven't watered this one as I should have. I may seem organised in some ways but keeping up with the watering I find difficult!

These Red Hunter tulips are taking longer than the other pot I had of them (one of the Shorter troughs) but I was pleased to see the first red bloom this week.

I think this may be my last hyacinth bloom. I started it mid-December. The other two bulbs I did not put in the cellar and they don't look like they're going to bloom but I was wrong about some of the others so they may surprise me.

These are the final white hyacinths: L'Innocence far left and far right and Carnegie middle three.

These are the final few Delft Blue hyacinths.

I've had a number of double-stemmed hyacinths this season but this is the best one.

These are my last 10 hyacinths and they are certainly taking their time to bloom. I suspect some won't make it.

Are they trying to produce bulbs with multiple stems? Maybe I missed the press release. Here's another that has one stem with a flower in bloom and another stem emerging.

I've been picking up bulb forcing  leaflets from garden centres for a number of years. This one was produced by the International Flower Bulb Centre Hillegom.

This was produced by the Wincester Growers (WB on the back).

See these complete leaflets and some others at the Bulb Forcing Leaflets page.

Ceramic and terracotta hyacinth vases are rather rare. This wasn't described as a hyacinth vase but from the shape and size it certainly looks like a hyacinth vase to me.  I had one final hyacinth bulb kicking around to try in it. I have never tried growing a hyacinth in a vase without a cold, dark period but as it's the end of January  I'm not going to put it in the cellar now. I'm going to leave it out and see how it does. BTW the blue and white vase in the photo below is ceramic as well but it is not an "official" hyacinth vase - I'm just using it as one and the brown vase in that photo is indeed a terracotta hyacinth vase.

As it was almost the end of January I decided to take the remaining bulbs out of the cellar even though some didn't look ready to come out. The two on the right look ready, the six in the middle I'm really not sure about and the one on the left looks decidedly unready (another double-stemmed bulb).

Three in the middle (terracotta, tall green X and tall cranberry glassroots) have no roots at all.

A close-up of the latest double-stemmed bulb.

The last amaryllis.