2017 Smith College Bulb Show
Cristine and I always look forward to the Smith College Bulb Show. Always in mid March, it is a lovely reminder that Spring is not far off.
There are always a ton of very exotic tulips.
It ends tomorrow, so if you live in the Valley and want to see it, get moving!
Paperwhites
Just before Christmas I bought the last four paperwhite bulbs at Hadley Garden Center. As they were the last ones, they looked a bit ratty. Since we were gone most of January, Cris didn’t put them into the jar of rocks until just after we got home. The first flowers came out today. A full foot of snow outside but lovely to have these beauties in the house.
I spoke to my friend John Wilson in Stratford-upon-Avon late last week and he said the daffodils are already coming up over there. I guess we’ll have to wait at least 6 more weeks before we see any here.
Have a great weekend, everyone.
2015 Smith College Bulb Show
The annual Smith College Spring Bulb Show always runs early in March, and Cris and I were able to go this morning.
It is always amazing.
After the winter we have had here in the Northeast, walking into a greenhouse and seeing these flowers is beyond description.
There are always tons of tulips.
As well as tiny little guys like these ↑.
Some of the tulips have these erose edges. So delicate.
I love how these little flowers are lined up in a row.
That’s a pretty tulip ↑.
Though I always gravitate more toward the greens and yellows.
And there are usually a few that are showing off the business parts of the flower. To me, it feels a bit like I’m seeing something that should be private.
I’ll close out with a couple of tulips.
Thinking of Hank, as I know he has a Smith College connection. Hi Hank, wish you were here.
Paperwhite Update #5
This will be the last of paperwhite posts for a while as this batch of bulbs is nearing the end of their cycle. They are finally looking a bit tired, and the living room is no longer smelling quite so pleasant.
You can just begin to see the flowers starting to lose their shape. / This has been a great batch of bulbs though, and we never had any drooping or sagging. I have to run some errands later today, and I think I’ll pick up some new ones.
Paperwhite Update #2 / And They’re Off!
This is the tallest of the paperwhite stalks that I posted in Update #1. At about 4.30 I looked at the bulbs, and they were almost completely dry and there were no flowers. I added some water to the bowl, and at about 6.00 Cris noticed that two of the bulbs had started to open. And they smell amazing.
Paperwhite Update #1
A few of you have been asking for updates on the paperwhite situation, and I am happy to oblige. This is the second of our two sets of bulbs and as you can see they are progressing nicely. Cris says that they are sucking up more water than is usual; maybe a combination of it being really dry in the house, and this lot being a particularly thirsty variety. I can remember some years where we only added water once a week or so. / I reckon we’ll start seeing (and smelling) flowers in the next few days.
Paperwhites
A few years ago my sister Karen gave us some paperwhite bulbs and told us how to get them to flower. The process seemed to mysterious to me; put some dried up bulbs on some stones, add just enough water to cover the bottom of the bulbs and in a short amount of time…voila, you have the most amazing smelling flowers in your house. In winter! So we do it every year now. Give it a shot. It is a great way to brighten up a household.
Jon Crispin's Notebook 
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