Tutus on the Trail Ride

A flashy horse requires equally flashy human attire...

Marble Canyon

Exploring Camp Verde

I'm Ready. Are You?

Forced Tulip bulbs growing indoors.

What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness? - John Steinbeck

Okay! It's official! The absolute, hands down, best job in the my ski resort hometown of Park City, Utah for this season was.... snow plow driver. Seeing as how we never got any snow. Nix, nada, nuttin. So their job was to sit around and wait for what never planned to come.

The bay window flowers that keep me busy, indoors, in winter.

That's my job in the winter, too. I desperately need that change of season. A time out, so to speak. To rest, to plan, to collaborate ~ on all kinds of new things that need doing. Just as soon as the warmer season arrives.

Again, indoors, spring comes late in the mountains. Daffs bloom outdoors in May.

It has felt like springtime for months, now. Teasing, miserable, unusual weather. Doing it's level best to mimic depressing Seattle.

A new re-blooming Orchid!

Apologies to the pacific northwest... but I moved here for the cloudless blue skies. Intense, high mountain sunshine that turns freshly fallen snow into a field of sparkling diamonds.

A wonderland to ski in and play in and give thanks for the change season. Not this long, long season of heavy, grey skies, constant rains, and the obligatory river of squishy, squashy mud.

I forced a collection of pink/white Tulip bulbs for bright color indoors.

But the times, they are a changing. In that we get to turn our clocks back an hour. And enjoy the longer days.

It's a domino effect. The moment the after work hours provide sunlight, horse season begins.

It may take the better part of the afternoon to scrape off all that squishy squashy mud but saddles will go on, the first ride of the season will happen.

No more lollygagging around the barn for them. No more lazy, scheming, dreaming, garden sessions on the couch, for me.

And, so it begins! The infinitely busier and considerably more exciting - summery half of the year. I'm ready. Are you? :)

* All the flower photos, in this post, are blooming indoors, in the sunny window.




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Cyclamen

This is a favorite houseplant of mine. I just love the way their flowers unfurl.  Did you know you can grow these beauties outdoors? Light watering, shady location. Choose Cyclamen hederifolium, hardy to zone 5.

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Over Achieving Christmas Cactus

She started flowering in October and is still going strong!

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Birthday Cake Wrecks

Argh. Why do I even bother? Happy birthday darling daughter. 

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Chill Time - Forcing Flower Bulbs

Ah... the bliss of an Indoor Garden...

 TGIF. Or, should I say TGIFE? Thank Goodness It's February's End. A short, not so sweet, month of odd weather. Dreary rain vs. welcome snow. More mud than imaginable. Ultra-warm days, teasing me into believing spring has arrived. (Seriously? Lilacs budding in February vs April?) It's messing with my gardener's mind...

Daffodils growing in the sunny window.

In spite of the wacky weather, I'm enjoying a fabulous Tulip Festival.... indoors.

Ever done something on impulse that turned out A-okay? Typically, it's the other way around for me. Impulse purchase = huge buyer's remorse. 

Hyacinths in the kitchen window. Their delightful fragrance makes doing dishes more enjoyable!

Well, last November, on a whim, I did something totally silly which turned out to be perfectly sane. (Surprise!) Wandering around Home Depot, I spied a bin of autumn flower bulbs, on sale, 75% off. Like I'm gonna pass that up.

I squeezed bulbs into existing potted plants, for happy color, while those flowering plants are dormant.

In late November, the ground is frozen, what to do? Turns out, you don't HAVE to do anything. They'll do it all by their lonesome.

IF you make the mistake I did, get online and look for instructions on how to force bulbs to bloom indoors, you will most likely give it up as a far too complicated idea. The laborious instructions on how to do it right made me roll my eyes.

But, I already had the bulbs. So, I decided to wing it. And, hey! It wasn't hard at all...

I forced over 100 bulbs this winter! A 100% success rate, I might add. They are smiling at me from every nook and cranny of this old house! And, I didn't do a whole lot to make that happen.

• I left them in their store packaging, stuck them all in a brown paper bag. (The brown bag prevents the bulbs from receiving light when the 'frig door is open, which it pretty much always is... since I like to stand there, hoping something tasty will magically appear...)
• Squished them into the veggie drawer of my refrigerator.
• And, there they sat. Ignored until January.

When I rescued these goodies from their long, dark days in the refrigerator, half the bulbs had already sprouted. The other half joined the party days after I warmed them up.

Proof positive you can't keep a good plant down. :)

* How-to instructions provide very detailed chill times for various bulbs, between 12 and 15 weeks. But, in reality, it's like every situation in your garden. Not rocket science, by any means. Chill bulbs in the 'frig for a couple of months. At 8 weeks, mine were sprouting and screaming: Get me outta here!!

** TIP: If you store fruit in your refrigerator, it can mess with bulb production. But, these beauties survived that challenge, as well.




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Bulbilicious

Wordless Wednesday: Bluebirds and Bad Dogs!

The Garden, Indoors.

We call them Bluebird Days because even though it's snowy up top, it's springtime down in the meadow. And, those skies.... those delightful turquoise skies...

Mr. Annoying.

And, this is my pesky Bad Dog, wondering why I would prefer watching t.v. on my laptop over throwing the ball to him.

For more {slightly} Wordless Wednesday participants, click here!




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Forced Bulbs

* The cool thing about forcing bulb indoors is that the bloom times can be manipulated. Hyacinth, Tulips, and Daffies are all blooming together in the sunny window.

Hyacinth

If you're willing to try your luck with any forced bulbs to be grown indoors, give it a go with Hyacinth. They're the easiest. Plus that delightful fragrance does a fine, fine job of chasing away the winter blues.

Freesia

Not tough enough to handle any time outdoors in my harsh climate ~ too hot in the summer, too chilly on a summer's eve. So, she keeps me company in the office. Love that petal pink.

Tip: Don't give up on her when those pretty flowers disappear. She'll surprise you with new buds in about 3 months.

PS: Freesia gets very cranky if you overwater her.  

Micro Mini Roses

Well, looky there. Discovered a surprise rose bud while doing the rounds of watering plants in the sunny window. IMHO, yellow is the prettiest color for roses of any size.

Kalanchoes

Just returned from warming my bones in the land of perpetual summer (AKA Phoenix.) Always worried when I get home.. are the plants dead?? No! Not dead at all, budding up a storm.

Do you grow these little cuties? They're happiest in a dry climate, such as Utah. Keep them in a sunny West-facing window. Water once a week.