Paperwhites

 I wanted something that I could grow inside my apartment during the winter that was cheap, easy to maintain and beautiful to look at; so I decided to go with some paperwhites.The paperwhite or narcissus papyraceus is a perennial bulbous plant that grows well in groups and is very fragrant. The thing that I like most about these plants are that they don't need to be planted in soil; just place them among some rocks, add water, and watch them flower. This is an easy DIY for anyone to do, even if you don't have a green thumb.
Below I have some pictures of my little display chronicling the growth of the flowers.

My paperwhite bulbs.

I bought the paperwhites at a garden center in October for less than 1 dollar a piece. You are supposed to keep them closed in a paper bag in a dry place until you are ready to plant them. Even though I kept them in the bag the whole time you can see that some shoots are already coming up.

Container with rocks

Next take any type of container you want; something clear is preferable because then you can see the green stalks and rocks. I picked a low round bowl but something tall could also work. I added some some small pebbles for the roots to grow around and some large rocks to keep the bulbs in place.

Bulbs in the container.

Place the bulbs however you wish in the container as long at the shoots will grow straight up. Then add water to just cover the small pebbles. Since this is in my bathroom I don't need to water it as much since the steam from the shower adds moisture to the air.

Stalks growing rapidly.

Only a week later and already the shoots have grown into tall green stalks. I have no real method to watering the bulbs; only when it looks like there is no water left in the bowl.

First flower.

A few days later and the first flower appears. You can see how one of the stalks is bent over but it righted itself again in a few days. I think this because of the amount of sun coming in the window and the temperature outside.

Lots of flowers

 About two and half to three weeks later all of the bulbs have now flowered. Again some of the stalks have gone sideways but I was able to right them all.

Bright and cheery for the winter

Paperwhite Flowers

Hope you learned how to bring something beautiful and easy to do into your own home.

Living Wreaths

Anyone who has ever come to my apartment knows that I always have a wreath on my front door that I change for the different seasons. I think it is a fun and easy way to show a little bit about your personality before anyone even steps inside your home.
Wreaths were also a prominent part of the Christmas Flower show at Phipps this year, with the majority of them being living wreaths. This means that they were made out of live plants and flowers that continue to grow as they are in the wreath form. Of course there were also the typical evergreen wreaths with red bows but I think the living wreaths are just a bit more special.
Here are some pictures of the wreaths at the Phipps Christmas show.

Wreaths surrounding the portraits of the founders as you first walk in.

Absolutely love this! Wreath around the clock from the Nutcracker.

Giant wreath made of clover. Last year they had a big red bow on it, wish they had done that again.

So you can get an idea of the size.

Not a living wreath but it was so pretty I had to share it anyways.

For information on how to make your own living wreath I found this great blog you can check out.
DIY Living Wreath

For more information about Phipps Conservatory.