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March 05, 2020
Photography By Kelly Savoca
In the south, February is a very sporadic month for weather. The weather can go from 40 degrees to 60 degrees in a matter of days. To be honest it's one of my least favorite months because it's typically the start of the rainy season in Nashville. It's on those warmer days that I took some time to get outside and work on a few projects. Take a peek at what I tackled in February and some goals for March.
Recently I've gotten to appreciate orchids. I spent some time with a grower and a horticulturist discussing these beautiful plants. Also, if you want to see a beautiful display of these Cheekwood does one every year in their mansion.
What is so amazing about these plants? Well, they bloom for a very long time. To give you an example I've had one this season that has been blooming for 8 weeks! There are endless varieties and they symbolize love, fertility, and strength just to name a few.
The two that I have on hand are Phalaenopsis amabilis (white) & Phalaenopsis Nankung's 4:55pm (spotted).
So, what I did this month was create both planters and Kokedama (pictured) with mine. In the planters, I used HeirBloom Orchid Blend and allowed the sprawling roots to hang over the planter. For the Kokedama I used a bit of the blend, but mostly sphagnum moss. The reason I did this is that they won't be in a traditional container holding moisture. Then I wrapped it in coconut coir which is super breathable. Both are holding up great.
If you'd like some additional info on care here are some tips:
1 | Find a nice spot in your home, in bright, but not direct sunlight.
2 | At least once a week rinse the base or planter with room temperature water avoiding center crevices - no ice!
3 | If you have a dry home misting the leaves and roots can help, but not the flowers.
4 | After the flowers are gone wait till the spike dries to clip near the base.
5 | Next year to help produce flowers they like a big difference in temperature. Warm during the day, cool at night.
In the past, I've not had much success with bulbs blooming more than one season. This year I wanted to make this happen! I saw the green leaves come up early in the month which was the perfect reminder to feed them. I used Gro-tone fish emulsion to feed them about mid-month. Ideally, I could have done this a bit earlier. Either way, this is what will help spur new growth.
Success! I have both varieties (Narcissus Double Replete & Jonquilla Narcissus) coming up this year and specifically Narcissus Double Replete coming in with nice, long stems. These both require full sun to partial shade.
I missed my opportunity in Fall to plant these so I wanted to try pre-sprouting so that these would bloom faster. Take a peek at my WINTER videos on Instagram where I share the process. These are the steps I took:
In the Nashville area, you can direct sow cool weather hardy vegetables like kale, turnips, peas, etc. Our last spring frost date is expected to be April 12, but you can start about 6 weeks before this.
For those of you not local just take a look at your last spring frost date by using the Almanac.
January 19, 2022
It's that time of year when we start to long for warm spring days and starting seeds. Seed catalogs are one of the best resources for starting a garden.
December 13, 2021
Once the holidays pass and the new year begins, what do you want to see and smell around your home? We say fresh, fragrant flowers! Amaryllis and paperwhites are some of the easiest bulbs to grow.
November 09, 2021
The holiday season has arrived once again. We’ve compiled some of the best gifts for mom and gifts for gardeners. The two go together like butter on toast!
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