I was scrounging in garden centers for bargains when I was ambushed by a display of paperwhites.

The pretty white flowers gleamed on the dark green box, and the price wasn't much. About the same as a couple of lattes.

So I bought some.

I have only ever forced a bulb once. (I don't even like the expression. Sounds like "at gunpoint.")

My neighbor Patty gave me an amaryllis for Christmas last year, and it actually grew and bloomed for me.

But, mostly, I am "The Land Houseplants Forgot." I don't have much in the way of windowsills or good light, except through the sliding glass door in the kitchen.

I sometimes put plants on the floor there, such as the basil when it is cold outside. But generally, the family objects.

Anyway, I bought a paperwhite narcissis kit: five bulbs, soil and a little plastic pot. I did this even though I have read time and again that paperwhites, for all their virginal beauty, have a distinctly unpleasant smell.

Paperwhites are also famous for flopping over from the sheer weight of themselves, but blogger Margaret Roach of A Way to Garden, suggests mixing eight parts water to one part gin or vodka and using that mixture to water the bulbs the first few times.

She got the tip from a veteran gardener at one of her lectures who swears the booze keeps the plants' leaves short.

I'm gonna give it a shot (modest bartending joke). Thank heaven the trick doesn't call for white wine...

Photo credit: Flickr/acertainworld

Posted by Susan Reimer at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Container gardening
        

Photo credit: Baltimore Sun/Jerry Jackson

For those of us who go to the garden center with a page torn out of a magazine and the fervent hope that we can re-create the picture there, P. Allen Smith has an answer.

Container garden recipe cards.

A deck of 50 cards depicting container gardens seen in his book, "P. Allen Smith's Container Gardens," is divided by season. Each card has a picture of the finished planter on the front and a shopping list and a planting diagram on the back, plus a few tips.

Each card also tells where the container would do best - sun, shade or partial shade - and tells of the design principle that Smith is using: color, shape and form, or whimsy. These design elements are described on bi-fold card that also includes a list of supplies the gardener should have on hand.

A couple of thoughts on what is otherwise a very handy product:

The cards do include - indeed there isn't room for -- a list of substitutes if you can't find the plant in the "recipe."

And, it is not immediately clear to me if the containers on the winter cards - there are only seven - are meant for outdoors, and in what zone.

The container that uses orchids is photographed on a kitchen table. I understand that that is a centerpiece. And several use evergreens, such as dwarf spruce or junipers.

But what about the one that includes snapdragons and English daisies or lamb's ear and scabiosa? How long might we expect those containers to last?

Having said that, the recipes for the spring and summer containers are a vision. And, though several of the containers are quite unusual, most are the kind of 18-inch decorative pots that are easy to find at a garden center.

This deck of cards sells for $14.99. Less on Amazon. I'd say it was worth it.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Container gardening
        

Kerry Michaels, who writes about container gardening at about.com, has posted a stunning gallery of photos of fall containers and offers this advice:

Fall is a great time to experiment and have fun with container gardens. Try different colors and textures. Think about using perennials or trying out some cool looking, cold loving annuals in your containers.

Don't forget that a single plant in a wonderful pot can look stunning. Also, try grouping your containers and try using some pumpkins or decorative gourds to unify your design.

Take a look at her photo gallery. It is inspirational!

Posted by Susan Reimer at 10:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Container gardening
        

It's about time to dump the geraniums and the vinca and the tired zinnias in your containers and replace them with plants that will get you through the fall -- and look like fall, too.

I am never very good at designing container combinations, so I do the next best thing.

I steal ideas I like.

Garden Design magazine has several worth stealing in this month's issue. The designs are unusual, but still simple, and a list of plants is provided. The editors have also rated the difficulty of the design and the size of the containers needed.

Take a look and let me know which ones you are going to steal!

Posted by Susan Reimer at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Container gardening