What's in Bloom.....?

......What is in bloom in February?

     Amaryllis! Growing an Amaryllis is, in innumerable ways, one of the most rewarding of gardening pleasures. This bodaious bloom fully satisfies. For five dollars and  a few minutes of time you can enjoy the process of bulb to bloom.

     My dear mother in law, best known as 'Grandy', always comes to my house for Thanksgiving dinner bearing a precious gift of an amaryllis bulb. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas I plant my amaryllis. This year I planted  my bulb in a clear glass vase in order to see the development of the roots as they grew.

     First I put in a layer of smooth, round, black river rocks I bought for $1 at the Dollar store. Next I put in a layer of moss to keep the soil from washing into the stones. I got the moss out back in my woods. I topped that off with a few inches of potting soil. The potting soil came with the bulb. I planted the bulb with about 1/2 of it sticking out of the dirt. I also added another layer of moss on top of the potting mix.  I watered it and then is was not long until I saw fat white roots slowly caressing their way around the stones. Since my vase did not have a drainage hole I was careful not to over water my flower. Also the flowers are so big and heavy you will need to support them somehow. I use a piece of bamboo.
    I have heard that you can grow amaryllis in straight up stones and water but I have never tried this myself.
I have forced hyacinths in water so I would think that the stone and water idea would work.

                                                                       

     I do not save my amaryllis after it is done blooming but it can be done. My friend plants her bulbs outside for the summer fertilizing them well. Use a fertilizer with a high middle number count, such as 5- 30- 5,   in order to set buds. Dig them up in late summer. Let them go dormant until ready to plant again. I think it is usually about six weeks from the time I plant my bulb until it blooms. Hey I think I just inspired myself to try keeping my bulb this year!
     My friend Nala lives in Florida and she grows amaryills as a perennial, leaving it in the ground year round. So if you live in a frost free area; lucky you!  

     A flower bulb is such a mystery. It is such a good example of our life in Christ. In the bulb there is a flower. From the past will come the flower. In our end is our beginning. These beautiful thoughts come from a hymn. May you be blessed today in the name of the God who gives us everlasting life.......Jesus Christ.

                                               in the bulb there is a flower

in the bulb there is a flower,

in the seed an apple tree,

a hidden promise; butterflies will soon be free!

in the cold and snow of winter there's a spring that waits to be,

unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

there's a song in every silence, seeking word and melody.

there's a dawn in every darkness, bringing hope to you and me.

from the past will come the future; what it holds a mystery,

unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

in our end is our beginning; 

in our time, infinity;

in our doubt their is believing,

in our life, eternity.

in our death, a resurrection;

at last, a victory,

unrevealed until its season,

something God alone can see.

                                                                                                            

Catalogs and Chai Tea Recipe

   Yes it is winter in Western New York and what's a gardener to do......well it is the time for dreaming. I am of the opinion that one of the most delicious things about gardening is the anticipation of the garden. In December as the gardening catalogs start to arrive I stash them away for an appointed day. After the new year rolls around and all the holiday business settles down I make sure to find a day with a few consecutive hours to peruse my catalogs. Oh what pleasures of endless possibilities...

   Before I sit down to read my catalogs I am going to make a pot of Chai Tea. And here is how I did it.

Chai Tea

                2 cinnamon sticks

                   4 slices crystallized ginger

                   1 teaspoon cardamom pods

                   1 teaspoon coriander seeds 

                   1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns

                   1/2 teaspoon whole cloves

                   2 teabags black tea

                   1/4 cup brown sugar or honey

                   4 cups water

                   1 cup milk  

   Bring 4 cups of water to boil  and add the cinnamon sticks, ginger, cardamon, coriander, peppercorns, and cloves. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and add the tea and steep for 5 minutes. Add the sugar or honey to taste. Stir in the milk. Return to heat and bring up to a simmer. Strain into a warm tea pot and enjoy. Extras can be stored in the frig for a few days.

                                                                       

  I guess I am slow to change but I still prefer looking  at  a 'real' catalog than an electronic one. While I do most of my ordering over the internet I still like to look at a 'real' picture. My children gave me an ipad for Christmas and so for the first time ever I will use an electronic magazine though it does seem to me that  some of the charm  is lost.

    Winter used to hold no charm for me. Winter used to make me depressed. The endless gray, dull days of winter, days on end with not a beam of sunlight, constant cold and the extra work of snowfall would be such an overwhelming obstacle to my good humor. I would waste my days wishing for summer. What I have found however is that as I grow spiritually my circumstances effect my emotions less and less. I finally realized I had to stop being obsessed with growing plants and work on getting myself to grow! I had to get the crusty soil of my heart soft and ready for the seed that God was planting there. Yes! Our hearts are the garden of God. So today make sure to get some spiritual gardening done. Read your Bible, meditate on the Word, be obedient.  It might be winter were you live but I hope that in the  garden of your heart the Son is shining and things are growing. I pray for you that today you produce much fruit for the Master Gardener. Grace and Peace.