After a mini-blizzard yesterday, it is a gorgeous morning with a temperature of nearly 20 degrees already and highs climbing to 30 today.  The wind is calm and the snow yesterday left a beautiful blanket of white over all the gardens, marred only by the paw prints of the Wiese Acres kitties and Lady, our collie.  The benefit of being surrounded by trees is that we are protected from much of the wind and drifting snow.

This time of year, I'm still focused on indoor gardening and amaryllis are the most spectacular indoor blooms.  They are very easy to grow and the inexpensive bulbs are readily available, especially around the holidays.  A bulb planted at Christmas time will give you spectacular blooms around Valentine's Day, or about six weeks after they are planted.  Generally the flower stalk emerges first and grows to 1 to 2 feet tall.  Strap-like leaves emerge after the flower stalk is nearly fully grown. 

The bulbs are easily saved from year to year and with just a little bit of care, will give you spectacular blooms for many seasons.  Once the flowers fade, cut the flower stalk back to the top of the bulb.  Leave the foliage, as that is what feeds the bulb so it can produce blooms again the next year.  Water whenever the top half inch or so of the soil is dry - you want to keep it damp but not soggy.  Feed the bulb with an all purpose houseplant fertilizer every week.  The feeding is the critical part - without a steady supply of feed, the bulb cannot store the energy necessary to provide the next year's blooms.  When all danger of frost is past, move your amaryllis outside to a protected, partly sunny area.  You can either leave it in the pot or direct plant it in a protected area of your garden.  Continue fertilizing it weekly.  Before frost, bring the plant indoors and stop watering.  Once all foliage is dried off, remove the bulbs from the soil, allow them to dry slightly, then pack the bulbs in a paper bag filled with peat moss.  Store the bulbs in a cool dry place until about six weeks before you want to see blooms again.  Then plant the lower half of the bulb in a loose, rich planting mix, water regularly, and wait for the show.