My amaryllis has stopped
blooming. Now What?
After the flowers fade,
cut of the flower stalk just above
the bulb.
Sometimes new leaves will appear before the flowers fade.
Most of
the time, leaves appear after the bulb has finished blooming.
You want to
encourage these leaves to grow, so place your plant in a sunny window, water
and feed them. These new leaves will gather energy to help replenish the bulb,
grow new roots and help the bulb rebloom again.
Water your plant enough to keep
the soil moist. Try to avoid extremes by not over watering to the point the
soil is soggy or allowing the soil to dry out completely between watering. Make
sure the pot does not sit in water. If excess water runs through, be sure to
empty the sauce under the pot.
Feed your plant every two weeks with a balanced
fertilizer such as Fertilome’s 20-20-20. Don’t worry about repotting, Amaryllis
like to be snug, so they should do fine in this year’s pot. Amaryllis can be placed outside in the shade
after the last frost date, usually Mother’s Day. You can leave them in their
pots or plant them directly in the garden, up to their shoulders. There they
will stay until late in the fall when you bring them in before the first frost.
This time of year, The Flower
Bin is full of everything Christmas. Along with our spectacular poinsettias, our
fresh Christmas trees, wreaths and garland, our gift house offers an excellent
variety of candles, lotions,
ornaments,
nativity scenes,
wind chimes.
Sun Dials
St. Nicholas
Handcrafted Bolga
baskets,
birdbaths, bird feeders.
Jim Shore collectables.
We strive
to carry unique gifts and holiday decorations. Shopping at the ‘Bin means great
gifts for everyone. We invite you to make
us a part of your Christmas tradition.
Rosemary is an excellent
choice for your indoor herb garden. Rosemary is a highly fragrant herb you grow
indoors with just a little care. Rosemary likes bright light, so a bright
window with morning sun would be a great location. Rosemary will also do well
under artificial light, such as a grow lamp or fluorescent grow bulbs.
This CFL
bulb will fit in any standard lamp socket.
A light stand is another easy way to
supplement natural light for your herbs. Rosemary does best in a location where
the daytime temperature is around 70°, with a little cooler night-time
temperatures. Good air circulation is important to help maintain plant health.
The simplest solution is to make sure you don’t overcrowd your plants. Leave
some space between them so that air can circulate freely. Avoid drafts. Keep
your rosemary away from fireplaces, doors and cold windows. It’s important to
keep the soil consistently moist, so check your plant daily. You want to avoid
letting the soil dry out completely. Poke your finger into the pot to see how moist (or dry)
it is. Another easy way to check moisture level is with a moisture meter.
Feed
your rosemary with a fish emulsion fertilizer. Neptune's Harvest and Age Old Organics are goods choices for organic fish emulsion.
Increase humidity around your
plant by placing it on a pebble tray. Put some pebbles in a tray, add water and
place your plant on the rock.
Make sure the bottom of the pot is above the
water level in the tray. You don’t want the plant to sit in water all the time.
Turn your rosemary frequently to help maintain its shape.
Regular pruning will
also help the plant. Rosemary can sometimes get powdery mildew. The leaves on
your plant will look like they have a white or grey colored dust on them.
If
you do get powdery mildew, spray the plant with Neem oil. Neem is safe to use indoors, on your herbs. You can still use the herb
in your cooking. If you have questions about growing rosemary or other herbs
indoors, come in and talk to us. We’ll be glad to help you.
Poinsettias are native to Mexico and Central
America. Poinsettias were introduced in the United States by Joel Roberts Poinsett,
the first U.S. Ambassador to Mexico. They were soon a very popular Christmas
plant. Poinsettias are not poisonous, though some people are sensitive to the
white sap they produce. Poinsettias have
thin foliage leaves that vary in color from pale to dark green.
The showy parts
of the poinsettia that most people think of as flowers are actually specialized
leaves, called bracts.
The actual flowers are these tiny yellow clusters found
at the very center of the bracts.
Poinsettias are available in a wide variety
of breathtaking colors from solid red to variegated leaves.
We also dye a few
poinsettias for added color and interest. Our dyes are safe for the plant and
people. Proper care for your poinsettia begins before you leave the store.
We
will gift wrap your poinsettia in foil and ribbon at no charge. We cut a drain
hole in the foil on the plants we wrap so your plant will drain properly. We will carefully bag your poinsettia when
it’s cold to protect it on its way home. Once you get your poinsettia home, unwrap
it and place it in a room where it will get bright light, but not direct
sunlight. Poinsettias don’t like drafts,
either hot or cold, so keep away heater vents, fireplaces, doors and cold
windows. The ideal room temperature should be around 72°F during the day and no
cooler than 60°F at night. Place the plant high enough to be out of the reach
of children and pets and away from traffic. Set the plant in a water-proof
saucer. Water your poinsettia thoroughly when the soil surface is dry to the
touch. Poinsettias don’t like to sit in water, so discard any water that may
collect in the saucer under the plant. With the proper care, your poinsettia
will last through the holiday season and retain its beauty well into the New
Year. At The Flower Bin, we grow all of our own poinsettias, so you can be assured
that the plant you are purchasing is locally grown and of the highest quality.
Polar Bear
Dyed Poinsettia
Christmas begins at The
Flower Bin Holiday Open House, Friday, Saturday, Sunday November 28th,
29th and 30th. Start a tradition by making the Christmas
open house a “Must Do” to kick off your holiday season.
There will live
entertainment featuring Harpist Jenilee Elsbend and
Jeffery Rogers on the
Hammered Dulcimer.
Santa Claus will pay a special visit on Saturday, November
29th, from 11 AM to 3 PM.
Enjoy holiday cookies and apple cider while you shop the best in all
your decorations including:
live and cut trees, wreaths and garlands, ornaments
and
featuring Flower Bin grown Poinsettias.
Christmas cactus are members
of the Zygo-cactus family. They are native to the mountainous regions of
Central and South America and they are more closely related to orchids then to
cactus. Tropical cacti requirements are different than desert cacti. They like
bright, indirect light, so no direct sun. An east facing window will work well.
They don’t like drafts, so place them away from heating vents, fireplaces or
doors that open to the outdoors.
Feed them with a 10-30-20 or 15-30-15 fertilizer. Water
thoroughly and allow soil to dry out before watering again. Test the soil with your finger. If the top
inch or so is dry, then it’s time to water.
Christmas cactus like high humidity
and an easy way to increase humidity is to place small rock in a saucer, add
water and set the plant on the saucer.
Make sure the pot is sitting on the
rock, not in the water. Daytime temperatures in the 70°’s and nighttime
temperatures in the 50°s to 60°s will help promote blooming. If the plant begins
to drop buds, it’s a sign of overwatering, insufficient light or low humidity. Long term care for Christmas cactus, they prefer
to be root-bound and can easily go three or four years without repotting. When you
decide to repot, chose a pot one size larger and use a potting soil that drains well. Whether you’re choosing a Christmas
cactus for yourself or as a gift, we have a variety of colors and sizes available
now.
'Dark Marie'
'Nicole'
Narcissus is a family of
hardy bulbs which includes daffodils and paperwhites. These are hardy bulbs
which are planted in the late fall and will bloom in the spring. All narcissus
can be forced to bloom indoors, but paperwhites are the easiest because they
don’t require a long cooling period in order to bloom.
All you’ll need is a
container and some rock, sand or marbles. Paperwhites can be grown in soil,
sand, rocks or marbles. Because paperwhites are generally discarded after they
bloom, the planting medium doesn’t have to supply nutrients. When you’re buying
bulbs, remember that all paperwhites have a scent.
Zivas have the strongest
scent, while Inbals are more lightly scented. Look for the labels so you’ll get
the ones you want. Get enough bulbs to fill your container. The display will
look better and it will help keep the flowers from falling over.
Place a couple
of inches of rocks, sand, colorful marbles in the bottom of your container. Place
the bulbs with the wide bottom down and the pointed end up on top of the stones
or marbles.
Use enough bulbs to fill the container. This will ensure a great
display and help keep the flowers more upright. Next, fill in around the bulbs
with more stones or marbles.
Forcing vases are also available.
Choose a vase, nest the bulb in the top of the vase and add enough water to touch the base of the bulb.
Check your bulbs daily to ensure the water level is just touching the base of
the bulb. Paperwhites will go bad if you submerge the bulb, so keep the water
level right at the base of the bulb. Place your bowl or pot in a bright
location. Plenty of light will keep the flower stems from growing too tall and
becoming floppy.
Roots will develop in about two weeks, followed by top growth
and then blooms. You can start paperwhites every few weeks for continuous
blooms through the holidays and into late winter. Paperwhites can be planted
after they have bloomed, but it may take several seasons in order for the bulbs
to gain enough energy to re-bloom.
cut of the flower stalk just above
the bulb.
Most of
the time, leaves appear after the bulb has finished blooming.
You want to
encourage these leaves to grow, so place your plant in a sunny window, water
and feed them. These new leaves will gather energy to help replenish the bulb,
grow new roots and help the bulb rebloom again.
Water your plant enough to keep
the soil moist. Try to avoid extremes by not over watering to the point the
soil is soggy or allowing the soil to dry out completely between watering. Make
sure the pot does not sit in water. If excess water runs through, be sure to
empty the sauce under the pot.
Feed your plant every two weeks with a balanced
fertilizer such as Fertilome’s 20-20-20. Don’t worry about repotting, Amaryllis
like to be snug, so they should do fine in this year’s pot. Amaryllis can be placed outside in the shade
after the last frost date, usually Mother’s Day. You can leave them in their
pots or plant them directly in the garden, up to their shoulders. There they
will stay until late in the fall when you bring them in before the first frost.
