Geese

On Monday, while I was driving near the mighty muddy Unadilla River, a sizable group of Canada Geese were spotted flying fairly low over the ice choked water.  It seemed that they are here early as much of the river is presently still frozen solid.  Where fast current flows in the shallows no ice is found but any goose in that water will have to paddle furiously just to hold its position. The need to claim a good nesting site has clouded their better judgement but food is in generous supply since the farmers have begun to spread their brown gold on the fields.  Seeing the geese made me feel better because the season must be heading for a change. 

My two pots of Easter Lilies require twice daily turning to keep the stems straight.  Little is expected in the way of flowers since the planted bulbs were all rather small.  Growing plants at this time of year are a much needed promise of things soon to come.  What to do when these forced plants finish their growth cycle wildly out of season remains a question looking for an answer.  Perhaps a second growing season can be activated if the bulbs get some time in the refrigerator.

My initial plan was to purchase new bulbs this spring.  McClure and Zimmerman have listed L.Longiflorum bulbs in their catalog for the past several years.  The current catalog does not feature these bulbs and I can find no source for the uncrossed natural bulbs.  If new plants are purchased at the grocery store around Easter, then we can begin again.

This morning a mature bald eagle was spotted flying above our other muddy river the Susquehanna.  At this time of year nesting eagles should be close to having eggs in their nest.  Here is another unmistakable sign that this winter will soon end.  Time to place another seed order.  

New Year, New Growth

Planning for a retirement that focused on outdoor activities occupied my mind during the last few years of employment.  Building with native stone, walking in the woods and growing plants were the planned activities.  Winters trapped inside would be spent reading about stone work, hikes and gardening.  My need to see green things grow is a powerful force.  An annual tradition of seeds to soil on New Year's Day has taken several forms.  Leek seeds were planted on many first days of the new year.  Maturity has left me unable to digest leeks so now they are not grown.  Something new was needed for this very special day.

Recently, forcing Easter Lilies has become part of our observation of the first day of the year.  Trying to grow these plants three or more planting zones outside of their natural range has been less than trouble free.  Facing likely death by cold, the production of daughter bulbs seems to be the only activity on this plants to do list.  Each fall many small bulbs are found but the size of mature bulbs diminishes.  Plans to purchase new stock are in place but trashing all of the small bulbs seemed heartless.  Two pots were filled with entirely too many bulbs and placed in the ground near the house. The thaw just before Christmas seemed like the right time to move these pots inside.

Three of the larger bulbs were placed near the bottom of each pot.  Layers of soil and smaller bulbs were added.  Disturbing the bulbs seemed to trigger growth without a period of cold.  Frost killed new growth hangs over the edge of the adjacent pot.  My fears that nothing would grow when the pots were moved inside proved groundless.  I count nine new plants in one pot.  Three layers of three bulbs each makes the math come out right.  Weeds are also sprouting so our natural condition continues.  Somehow pulling weeds when the garden is frozen and snow covered just feels good.

2014's garden is actively growing now.  Tender plants that we carry over in the house are pleasant to work with but nothing feels as good as new growth.  Our New Year's resolutions include limiting purchases of new plants and finishing some spots previously opened for gardening.  Of course, the purchase of new Easter Lily bulbs are outside of the definition of the resolutions.

Easter In 90 Days

We try to start each new year with a gardening activity.  Forcing Easter Lily bulbs worked great for us last year so restarting that activity today seemed to satisfy several needs.  A quick look at a calender revealed that Easter falls on the last day of March this year.  Professional lily growers likely knew that and are following a schedule that will fill the big box stores and supermarkets with these treasures in time for Easter.  We follow a more relaxed pace here so our flowers may be late for the holiday but early for outdoor gardening.  In an attempt to learn, the pull from the ground date is recorded here.  We will count the days to first flower and try to get it right next year.

L. longiflorun is native to southern Japan with a hardiness zone of 7.  Low temperatures there range from 0 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit but frozen ground may not be an annual event.  This morning found our ground near the house foundation still soft and unfrozen.  Bulbs do need a cold period before warmth triggers growth.  We do not know if our unusually warm fall has provided an adequate chill for the bulbs pulled today.  Three more pots remain in the ground.  They will be pulled later following an as yet undefined schedule.  The pros have kept their planting stock under mechanical refrigeration and know the exact amount of chill needed to insure growth.

Our attempts to grow these tender lilies in the garden have revealed certain growth changes in response to our zone 4 cold.  Most obvious is the squat appearance of plants left outside. Full sized single flowers atop six inches of stem look comical.  Warmer temperatures seem necessary for full sized leaves and stems.  Our cold seems to encourage the formation of many new small bulbs.  We cannot begin to manage the huge number of usable bulbs produced each year.

The pot pulled today was placed on the basement floor near an outside wall.  If growth appears, the lily will be moved to the relative warmth of our bedroom and placed near a south facing window.  Our 2013 garden is underway and we will work toward flowering plants and try to learn the cause of less than complete success.