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The Plant Notebook

A collection of experiments, thoughts and articles for the indoor gardener.

Amaryliss growing in a terracotta wall planter.

The King of Bulbs - Growing Amaryllis bulb.

Last spring I tested growing bulbs vertically with good success. So, of course it seemed reasonable to go from daffodils to the king of bulbs, Amaryllis. Last year's Daffodils and Cyclamens. This year's Amaryllis. Hailing from the Andes Mountains of Chile, Peru and Bolivia, this flower has reached Europe in 18th century where over the next 226 years it has been hybridised to the king of bulbs we know today. It has graced the glass houses of many a green fingered aristocrat,

Feb 133 min read

Hellebores growing in a terracotta wall planter in a vertical garden.

What if one was to bloom all year round?

While the god of gardening, Monty Don, combats winter with as much green as possible. I, on the hand, like a randomly awakened bee, need flowers. Outdoors and indoors. Hellebores for outdoors and Amaryllis for indoors. Is it winter that you are into? Not at all. I used to be. At least the snow, when it happened, had a way of reflecting light, even on the dullest of days. But the greyness of recent winters, especially with prolonged cloud cover we’ve had in the UK, has become

Feb 33 min read