Fall Flowers are Bloomin’

November is a roller coaster month; winter is creeping up on us and the last of summer’s blooms have turned crisp and brown, waiting to be dug up and thrown away. Replacing those colors are the warm oranges, reds and yellows of the leaves as they prepare to drop all that beauty with aggravating slowness onto our lawns. Then when you think you’ve had all the raking you can stand, it’s time for turkey…and dressing and mashed potatoes and pie.

All things considered, November can be a time for renewal much like spring. Plants are dormant by now but it’s also time to plant trees, shrubs, vines, roses, bulbs and fruits. As you pull up flowering plants, think about replacing them with bulbs for early color in spring.

Besides wanting your yard and gardens to look nice for holiday visitors, it’s a good excuse to clean up everything to get rid of overwintering insects and diseases which can come back to plague plants next year. Clean up dead annuals and perennial tops, take fallen leaves to the compost pile, and replace old mulch with fresh new mulch material. Don’t allow leaves to pile up around shrubs. They do not make a good mulch and should not be allowed to pack on top of existing bark or pine straw mulches. Leaves left too long might cause crown rooting which causes plants to be prone to drought damage.

Paperwhite narcissus and amaryllis are in stores now. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: buy one or two for yourself when you decide to give them as gifts this holiday season. Reward yourself for all your hard work getting ready for the holidays. Get them started right away in November for blooms in December. And by the way, these bulbs come in a box with a cheap plastic bowl or pot. Take all the stuff out of the box and choose a more decorative container, something with a seasonal theme or clear glass even. Reassemble the bulbs, potting mixture and rocks into a more pleasing package for gift giving. Use some of your own favorites at home or shop for interesting new ones at antique stores or thrift shops. We’re all hoping Friend Tammy will paint some more pots to be sold at the local craft store. If you see her, tell her to hurry up every chance she gets.

For a different sort of forced bulb, try hyacinths. They have a sweet, mild fragrance that is truly uplifting during the cloudy days of winter. Once they are growing, it is important to keep them moist but not wet over the holiday season. Keep them in a cool corner away from heat vents. Hyacinths thrive in good light but cannot take direct sun. Think about how you’ve seen them grow in the garden and replicate the light and growing positions in your home.

If you decide to stick with the narcissus, you can buy a kit which only needs watering to get it started. But for a more pleasing appearance, plant the bulbs in a glass bowl with decorative rocks and water. The roots grow down through the rocks just as if it were soil. Keep paperwhites in dim light until the first green shows, then put them in bright light to prevent their leaves and stems from becoming tall and falling over.

The spectacular amaryllis can be purchased already potted, placed in a bright spot, watered, and allowed to develop into a beautiful blooming plant with two or three flowers.

All resources say that all of these forced bulbs are worthless after blooming inside, but the Editor of this paper has maintained an amaryllis on a shelf in the office for two winters now.

Our great harvest feast, Thanksgiving, comes at the end of November as a reminder of all the blessings our land produces. The harvests are over and Thanksgiving gives us pause before the start of winter and a whole new growing season.