Suffering floral withdrawal

Suffering floral withdrawal

I enjoy making my garden productive as well as attractive, whether itโ€™s growing a few fresh vegetables and herbs for the table, or ensuring there are enough seedheads and berries remaining on the perennials and shrubs over winter to feed the birds. For me, a productive garden also means abundant flowers and leafy branches to gather for the house. I love bringing the outdoors in, and Iโ€™m already missing the dahlias, zinnias and roses from summer. Just a stem or two of anything flowering in a simple vase pleases me.

White amaryllis
I cheated with this white double amaryllis; it was purchased already in bud at a grocery store.

To fill this floral gap, I started amaryllis, hyacinths and paperwhites in soil or pebbles a few weeks ago. I had hoped for a few blooms over the holidays, but given the slow progress of most of them, I may have a floriferous January instead.

Jodi DeLong of Halifax writes about her techniques for forcing bulbs in โ€œForcing bulbs and dreaming of spring.โ€

Landscape Ontario has a good tip sheet on forcing bulbs, too.

Empress of Dirt covers almost everything you need to know about bulb forcing in โ€œHow to grow flowering bulbs indoors (& force blooms).โ€

For those of you who love poinsettias (not everyone does, you know), โ€œCaring for poinsettiasโ€ offers tips to keep these seasonal plants happy.


Winter inspiration on Instagram

For those of you who visit social media sites such as Instagram, I include this list of accounts I check in on, especially in winter when I miss walking into the garden to mingle with the plants and putter about. There is an ever-increasing amount of sponsored content that I need to scroll through, but I often find inspiration for new plants, designs or techniques, or simply relish the beauty of a remarkable plant photo. Following the accounts of gardening destinations you might want to visit someday can be helpful, too.

A few Canadian (including former Garden Making contributors), U.S. and British accounts, in no particular order:

@toronto_gardens

@janetspaintbox

@guelphtrialgarden

@tara_n

@heritageperennials

@foodgardenlife

@thedailyblooms

@nikijabbour

@the_new_perennialist

@provenwinners

@masonhousegardens

@savvygardening

@palatineroses

@brandywinecottage

@pagedickey

@northcreeknurseries

@awaytogarden

@houseplantjournal

@themontydon

@gardendesignmag

@tomstuartsmith

@sarahravenperchhill

@coyotewillow

@chanticleergarden

@rbgcanada

@mtcubacenter

@deborahsilver

@greatdixterofficial

@clausdalby

And, of course, thereโ€™s @gardenmaking, although itโ€™s not as active as it once was when the magazine was still publishing.


Garden news and views


Winners of garden journals

Our draw for two copies of the 2022 Toronto & Golden Horseshoe Gardenerโ€™s Journal closed Nov. 22 with 554 entries. We’ve randomly selected the two winners: Carole E. of Bowmanville, Ontario, and Susan K. of Brossard, Quebec.


A closing note

This is the last newsletter from me for 2021. Thank you for your comments and enthusiasm over this past season. I hope your winter is filled with exciting plans for next yearโ€™s garden, as well as pleasant memories of what you accomplished this year. I agree with the sentiment of Lauren Springer, U.S. horticulturist, designer and writer, who said, โ€œLet your garden celebrate who you are and where you are.โ€

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