Panhandle Plantings
Horticultural Victims of the Holidays
by Val Ford, Holmes County Master Gardener
I have two horticultural peeves during the holiday season – amaryllis and rosemary (I could include paperwhite bulbs in this category – but that’s another column). No, I’m not irritated at either of these plants – I’m constantly anxious and concerned about their care and imminent demise. It seems both fall into the category of traditional ‘emergency’ gifts – when in doubt take an amaryllis bulb, or grab a rosemary topiary crammed into a decorative little pot! Many times neither the giver nor the receiver has any interest in the plant beyond it’s contribution to the holiday environment. Poor things, it makes my heart sad. L
On the other hand, neither of these plants is my favorite, but that doesn’t mean that they should be doomed to a slow, torturous death by wrongful care or just plain being ignored. My claim to fame on the care of amaryllis is one bulb given me last year - and that my third grade teachers’ name was Amaryllis Gillespie. Rosemary – here’s a shrub that will give it’s all for very little attention – if you’ll just get it out of those infernal little pots!
How do we prolong the life – and your enjoyment of an amaryllis? Once it’s done it’s duty and blossomed during the holidays, carefully remove the flowers as they fade, and finally the flower stalk, being careful to cut it off about an inch or so above the neck of the bulb. Replant in a pot larger than the ‘forcing’ pot it came in. Care for it as you would any other houseplant with regular watering and
fertilization – it’ll reward you with a display of beautiful leaves. The next
few months are the most important for developing the following years bloom. If this were my plant, I’d plant it outside come the end of March – in a well
prepared bed with a southern exposure and some mid-afternoon shade. This will allow the bulb to grow, increasing in size (the larger the bulb, the better the bloom).
To ‘force’ the bulb into Christmas blossom for the next year – either allow it to remain outside until temperatures stay in the 50°F range for 4-6 weeks – or pot and bring indoors to a cool place for the same time. When you remove the bulb from the cooler temperatures into warmth, this will break dormancy and inspire the bulb to bloom. The other way to induce bloom is to force dormancy by withholding water for the same time period, then resume watering to break dormancy and encourage bloom. If you are going to try either method, about August 1 is the magic start-date for holiday bloom.1653101
Small rosemary topiaries have become very popular holiday gifts. The main problem with these is that many are horribly rootbound and don’t have a chance for survival unless you come to the rescue. If you receive a gift of rosemary this year, I plead with you to immediately tip it out of the pot and take a look at the root ball. Healthy roots are going to be supple and white. If they’re tight, hard and yellowish you have some work to do if you want to maintain a growing plant.
Let’s assume you have a tight rootball. First thing, prepare a pot that provides at least an inch of ‘wiggle room’ on each side of the rootball (don’t go any larger than a couple of inches on each side). Take a knife and slice off the very bottom of the rootball – just about ¼ of an inch. Then take your hands and break the rootball so that the roots are somewhat loose. Pot the plant and set it someplace where it can get at least 6 hours of sunlight (this is the minimum amount of sunlight required for the plant to produce the essential oils it’s known for). 8111201
Rosemary likes very alkaline soil – potting soil is better than our native soils which are very acidic. Rosemary doesn’t like a lot of organic matter, so don’t use an organic mulch. If you want to mulch the top of the pot, use small marble chips or dolomite – this will provide some of the alkalinity that the plant wants. Water and MILDLY fertilize about once a week. When spring arrives, set the plant out in a prepared planting site or bed where it will get FULL sun. Remember that rosemary doesn’t like organic material up around it’s stem. Also, the planting site should be VERY WELL drained – Miss Rosemary doesn’t like wet feet. Given a chance, your little holiday topiary will become a nice sized bush in the landscape or herb garden.
Happy Holidays! I hope you’ll have some reminders of the holiday spirit around for the next twelve months.
Val Ford is a Holmes County Master Gardener. If you have a gardening question or problem, contact your local Extension Office or e-mail Val at FLSnowflake7592@aol.com
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