Good morning, and may you catch a break. Welcome to Saturday Morning Garden Blogging.
After several days of riding the Arctic Express (on Monday the high was 11°), Denver will finally be getting a break from the cold. Yesterday we got into the upper 40s. Today is forecast for the low 50s. And Sunday... the upper 50s!
Not quite the few days in the 60s we generally get this time of year, but better than a kick in the ass.
And, well, it's pretty windy. And going back to cold and snowing by mid-week. But right now, I'll take what I can get.
Even mutant forced hyacinth.
These are Jan Bos hyacinth, one of the easiest to force. They consistently send out bountiful roots, the buds form quickly and easily, and they don't require as long of a chilling period as some of the other hyacinth to get good results. The florets of the Jan Bos aren't as large and loose as with some of the other types (compare to the Sky Jacket hyacinth pictured last week), and they aren't quite as top-heavy.
I've actually gotten adequate blooms with Jan Bos by leaving them in the refrigerator for 8 weeks, then doing the forcing in a cool, but not cold, closet (although the heads aren't quite as big as those that get the full cold treatment).
Every once in a while, though, I'll get a "mutant" bloom, where the bud ends up curved around. I think I may have finally figured out why it happens. I noticed that the last layer of leaves, which initially cover the bud, don't always separate all the way; I've been checking the remaining hyacinth and have found a couple of instances where the leaves are stuck together at the top. I think that extra little bit of pressure on the soft, incipient stem may be enough to curve it; since the florets attach to the stem, the bud becomes curved. Where I've found stuck leaves I've gently "unstuck" them, much as one will assist a hatchling that is having a little trouble getting out of an egg.
If that is what is going on, it opens up some interesting possibilities: can I purposefully create "mutant" forced hyacinth?
Really not a lot going on around here, other than waiting out the weather. If I'm smart I'll use this blah period to pull the seed starting rig out of the basement and get it cleaned up and ready to go, rather than doing what I usually do: procrastinate. Usually I end up putting off starting the eggplant and tomatoes because I don't have the seed-starting rig up from the basement, cleaned up and ready to go. I mean, I did manage to get my seeds ordered in a timely manner this year; what other miracles might happen?
That's what's happening here. What's going on in your gardens?