Winter Mantel

Christmas decorations taken down. It's cold today. We were spoiled yesterday with temperatures in the mid 50's. The fire feels good today. My house plants finally got a good grooming, the ones in the dining room. I Planted more bulbs on the porch today. I found 3 more packs of bulbs I didn't see yesterday. I'll finish planting them soon.

Forcing vases finally arrived from an antique shop in Denmark. Love the color. Hyacinths for this year are already on the porch chilling and growing roots so these won't be used until next fall.

Added some small crocus forcing ones. I've never forced crocus before. Should be interesting next year.

 

Maybe I should fill the entire wreath with reindeer moss? Plebodium Aureum Davana fern is beautiful for now. I hope she'll thrive. With the tree cut that was blocking light from the window she should get lots of indirect bright light.

Time to box it up my village until next Christmas, God willing.

 

Before December Ends

One container of hyacinths. Others are in glass forcing containers that will go indoors when ready. I love this color pink tulip. The pot may be too small for them but let's see what happens.

Reindeer moss for my amaryllis. I love the feel of it.

The last of the paperwhites won't be planted today but soon. I have a container of them already in the kitchen window developing roots.

Will plant these 3 another day.

Wonder if my hellebore will bloom? They were beautiful in the garden center yesterday, but I didn't buy any.

Have to put the pumpkins in the yard for the critters. The box contains sunflower seeds for the birds. They've been sitting on the empty feeder in the yard waiting for it to be filled. Philly has had rain for the past 2 days and I didn't want to go out to fill it. Today was the first day of sun and a beautiful blue sky.

Before Planted. They were ready.

Will hopefully plant some tulips in here tomorrow and some in my window box outside the bedroom window. Then I only have to plant a pack of dead looking anemone and 4 huge allium bulbs and I'll be finished with bulb planting.

Tulips left to plant.

Sorry for the upside-down picture.

Watered and hoping they make a beautiful show this spring.

My favorite plant this winter. Some other house plants are currently having a problem with mealy bugs and scale. Have to get it under control before I start seed starting.

 

That pine Smell & Bulbs

Amaryllis has opened. Today one bloom has closed, finished.

 

It was foggy this morning. Woke up early like it was a work day. I got a lot done. When it warmed up some I got started out front then onto the porch to get started planting these bulbs.

Arrived via plant mail yesterday. I'm waiting for 2 more to arrive from Denmark. Won't order from out of the country again. The shipping was too expensive.

Two containers for my daughter. Only 1 dried up bulb out of 45.

Sorry for the upside-down picture. Wanted Darwin tulips because they'll come back every year.

Watered and working on a second row of bulbs.

Roses from Thanksgiving.

Going to insert more bulbs then put the containers in a box so they can get some dark time. Will probably take to the basement next week because nights will be in the 20's next week and the containers may burst like last winter.

Rosemary tree, arborvitae, and hellebore.

Tomorrow day 2 planting tulips.

 

Raccoons

 

My nightly entertainment. Tampered with the suet feeder until they tore off the cover which I have yet to locate amongst the leaves. No success tonight, but I think I'll to have to slightly move the bird feeder so they have nothing to on stand to reach it.