creative jewish mom

Now Is The Time To Buy Bulbs For Forcing!

Dear readers, I know that many of you are quite busy preparing for Succot, but I thought I'd just remind you that when you're out and about, don't forget to pick up some bulbs for forcing, now is the time to buy them! While you can certainly try bulb forcing until January or so, the bulbs are very often not available when you want them, so it's best to buy them now when they're in the stores for those who need to plant them in the ground.

For those of you unfamiliar with "forcing", it is bascially a way to grow lovely fragrant flowers indoors in the winter, and it's very exciting. You trick the bulbs into thinking it's spring and they grow and bloom right before your very eyes, in either soil filled pots or containers with water and some rocks to hold the roots. Once you try it you'll do it every year, trust me!

This year I'm going to put my hyacinth bulbs in paper bags in the fridge for about ten weeks and then place them in water, since while this isn't necessary, they do take quite a long time to bloom if placed directly in water, which is what I've done in the past. I also recommend forcing narcissus paperwhites, which require no preparation. See my post from last year here where you can find all the info you'll need to get you started. Give it a try this year, you won't be sorry!

All the best, gotta run, my Succah is waiting for me!

Forced Hyacinth Bulbs In Bloom At Last!

If you ever decide to force hyacinth bulbs, and I hope you do, you will be rewarded with an amazing show of stunning and fragrant blooms like these! However, I do have to retract a statement I made way back in December, in which I told you, my dear readers, that hyacinth bulbs do not need a cold treatment in order to be forced indoors in water. Now technically speaking this is true, if you want to wait three long months to get something gorgeous like this, but I can't imagine  that forcing a bulb to bloom is supposed to take that long!

Soooooo, next year I'm going to place my hyacinth bulbs in a paper bag in the fridge for 6-8 weeks before placing them in water, and then I would think the wait will be much shorter. Unless of course the bulbs freeze in the fridge, which is what I was always worried about, and why I have yet to try it! Maybe some of my readers in the Southern hemisphere would like to do a test run? Give your bulbs a cold treatment in the Fall, and then simply place them in a container with water and rocks or marbles, such that the bottom of the bulb is just touching the water. That's it. So simple with such amazing results. And the big surprise here is that I hit the aesthetic jackpot and ended up with a bloom in each color, all the better to share with you the wonders of nature and the excitement of forcing bulbs!

Our Forced Narcissus (Paper Whites) Bulbs Are Blooming!

Anyone remember when I told you about forcing Narcissus, Amaryllis and Hyacinth bulbs, about five weeks ago? Well, guess what? My Narcissus bulbs that I put in water just three weeks ago shot up and are now blooming! Very exciting, and gorgeous too. When I stand next to them I feel transported to one of those fabulously well decorated gift shops, or restaurants......I think I just need a little gurgling fountain! I almost can't believe that I have something this beautiful in my own living room —not to mention the fragrance, ahhhh. And it's so easy! Now, if you're convinced, and you haven't tried this yet, you still may be able to, especially if you live in a cold climate. (I just can't guarantee complete success, but it's worth a try. Ask the folks in the store where you purchase the bulbs, if you can find them.)

On another note, the hyacinth bulbs that I put in water at the time of the original bulb forcing post, more than four weeks ago, are just showing a tiny green tip. So for those readers who are trying Hyacinth, just be patient. I'll of course be sure to show you how beautiful they will hopefully be in another few weeks. And if I were you I'd make a note to yourself to buy some bulbs for forcing next November—this is one of those wonderful things that takes very little effort and has fabulous results.

Indoor Container Gardening: It's Time For Bulb Forcing!

I'm taking just a tiny break from the crafting to bring to you this very important announcement: Now is THE time to force bulbs! So run, don't walk to your nearest nursery, florist or garden supply store, and pick up some bulbs! Which bulbs? Narcissus, amaryllis and  hyacinth. These three are very cooperative when it comes to forcing and you don't have to go through any of the cold-room type treatment that you would with things like cyclamen of daffodils, for example.

And if you've never forced bulbs, so you're missing out! There's nothing like fragrant blooms in your home in January, ahhhh, and the anticipation of watching the bulbs grow and then flower is simply wonderful!

How To:

You'll need bulbs, and containers, some rocks or marbles, and some water. Narcissus grow tall, so they do best in pots or tall vases. Amaryllis has one tall stalk, so it also needs a sturdy base. The gorgeous hyacinth is mainly a flower, and can even be forced in glass forcing vases, (photo on left), or any container that allows the bulb to sit nicely on top. The idea is that the bulb should sit in enough water so that the bottom of the bulb is touching water, but you don't want the bulb to sit in water if possible. Prop the bulb up with rocks or marbles. After roots start to form, the water level is less critical, just make sure the roots are in water. Place bulbs in a light, not sunny spot, and the warmer the spot the faster they'll grow.

If you have any questions, so just drop me a line, I'd be happy to help you explore the wonders of bulb forcing!

Fall Table Decor With Succulents!

Plant succulent cuttings in enameled mugs and use them to liven up your fall table, or give them as party favors. I just love the succulent trend that seems to be going strong. Succulents are sculptural and hardy and from one plant you can usually make many. You should see how many pots I've filled with offspring from the grandfather of this one. All you do is stick a piece of of the plant into moist soil, and if it's a succulent it should root all by itself....it's that easy!

And by the way, thanks mom for hanging onto these brand new mugs and this tablecloth for a good thirty plus years, they look perfect now, and they match my new banner so nicely! And if you're wondering why there's no napkin in this photo, so stop back tomorrow to see the real table setting I had in mind here, you're gonna love it!

The Spider Plant That Keeps on Giving And Giving And Giving.....

Hello dear friends, followers and those who have just climbed aboard this creative journey. I've been bombarding you with quite a few new crafting ideas lately, so I thought I'd spend today talking about another topic very near and dear to my heart - plants! Well to be more specific, just a particular plant known as the "spider" plant, or, Chlorophytum comosum.

Above: This is the mother spider plant, which really consists of three small plants that I originally planted together.

Spider plants happen to be one of the most common houseplants, because they are easy to grow as well as propagate.  Spider plants reproduce like crazy given the right growing conditions (bright light but no direct sun) and they produce their own ‘babies’ which are really tiny plants that can then be placed in water or dirt.  Though I always thought spider plants were house plants, here in Israel they grow outdoors nicely (in the shade) even in my area which is like a "zone 5 or 6" in the United States. My spider plant did suffer last winter, but entirely replaced itself with healthy leaves and an exuberant shower of hanging babies this past spring. 

As you can see from the photo above, spider babies are actually tiny spider plants suspended from a longer branch of the plant. You can leave the babies on the plant and they will grow while attached to the mother! Alternatively, you can clip the baby from the mother plant and place the bottom of it in water until roots form, and then plant the baby in soil or just put them straight into soil. 

Plant your spider plant in a hanging pot and you can have a stunning fountain of babies hanging from the mother in seemingly no time! The photos I'm showing you here are just a few of the plants that I've raised from Spider babies all from the same mother. I've given away some and killed some and even thrown some out as I just had too many!

Spider plants are excellent starter plants and very forgiving! Assuming that you don't forget about it altogether or leave it to bake in the sun, your plant can last for years and years. They make great filler plants to plant at the base of large indoor plants (see above, at the base of my palm) and it's really fun to give the babies away to friends! And those friends will in turn raise spider babies of their own and in turn give that generation to friends as well. Isn't that nice? It 's really so very easy, and there's nothing like a bit of green in the house to literally liven things up a bit!

Try Your Luck With Lucky Bamboo!

I'm not sure what is going on in the rest of the world, but in Israel lucky bamboo seems to be taking over the country! I even saw it for sale at the dollar store!  That being said, one of the luckiest things about this plant is that unless you are downright cruel and deprive it of water altogether, it is pretty hard to kill. Great news for those of  you who wish your thumbs were just a bit greener!

Lucky bamboo lives in water and grows very  slowly, let me rephrase that, verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry slowly, your hair probably grows faster! I bought these five tall stalks at the shuk about 6 months ago as bare rootless specimens and this is where we are holding......despite being encouraged with a song here and there! Nonetheless, I've been enjoying their sculptural quality and my four year old has even learned to sing "lucky....... you're so lucky" which is what I've been singing to the plant now and again.

Lucky bamboo isn't actually bamboo, it's a member of the dracaena plant family. (I'll admit to being a little disappointed when I found this out.) Lucky bamboo can grow well in low light so it would be perfect for adding a little life to any dark corner. The typical glass container and stones doesn't stay looking clean very long, so to avoid an extra headache, think about using something opaque and unusual, like how about a tall teapot for example? Or make a grouping of single short lucky bamboo stalks in vintage teacups......and use marbles or glass rocks to anchor them. If you have your heart set on huge glass vase filled with tall stalks, and you have a great place out of reach of little hands, then go for it, it could be really lovely.

Should you decide to add some lucky bamboo to your life, I wish you all the best, just don't forget to check the water level now and then, or your luck just might run out!

Note: Lucky bamboo apparently doesn't love chlorinated water, so it is preferable to refill your container with water that has been sitting out for 24 hours, giving a chance for the chlorine to evaporate.
Also, I read that lucky bamboo is mildly toxic (most plants probably are!) so keep it out of reach of small hungry children!