forcing bulbs-a trick and a treat!
written by Lisa Briggs
I love pots of showy amaryllis during the holidays. Though fragrant paperwhites are not my favorite, they are very easy to force in vases. And with a little prep time, you can have pots of tulips and daffodils blooming in your kitchen in late February.
what makes a bulb a bulb?
written by Lisa Briggs
We call them all bulbs, but bulbs, rhizomes, corms and tubers are essentially storage organs that contain flower buds. The structure feeds the developing flower as it grows to maturity and blooms.
time to get houseplants indoors
written by Lisa Briggs
We’ve got a couple of chilly nights under our belts, with the night temps as low as 45 degrees. So it’s time to get your houseplants that have spent the summer months outdoors ready for their move back inside.
the colors of autumn
written by Lisa Briggs
When summer is dishing out heat and humidity, and winter brings us face to face with another polar vortex, we remember rich palette of autumn. Fall color typically peaks mid-October in southern Wisconsin, but many of us are too busy to do much traveling.
bring the outdoors in
written by Lisa Briggs
What a difference a season makes! Now that we’ve turned the calendar page from August to September, we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief. Cooler temps. Lower humidity. And so many other reasons to love fall! But a gardener’s work is never done. There is so much to do. Let’s start by acknowledging that cold weather is coming.
bundle up buttercup!
written by Lisa Briggs
The average first frost in the Madison area occurs in the first week of October, but we did experience a 31 degree night on October 2nd last fall. The first hard freeze didn’t occur until the 19th when the mercury dipped to a chilly 27. So it isn’t a bad idea to formulate your plan for moving houseplants and other tropical plants that have spent the summer outside, indoors for the winter.
somewhere over the iris rainbow
written by Lisa Briggs
The Iris is named after the Greek goddess of the Rainbow. The three upright standards and three drooping sepals are symbols for faith, valor and wisdom. It seems appropriate that the Keeper of the Rainbow is the symbol for iris because they are available in every color of the rainbow.
if at first you don’t succeed…
written by Lisa Briggs
So many of you planted fruits and vegetables again this spring and we hope that you’ve been happy with the results.
bulbs- the ultimate delayed gratification!
written by Lisa Briggs
It is a bit early to plant spring blooming bulbs like Tulips and Daffodils, but the Garden Center will soon be home to autumn crocus and iris rhizomes.
a thousand acres of silphiums
Written by Lisa Briggs
The hot, dry weather that is typical of late July, early August and this season, almost all of June, can be hard on your garden plants.
