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Prima Donnas in March

BY Kevin Lee Jacobs | March 6, 2010 5 Comments

Last updated on December 2nd, 2011


PROBABLY I ENJOY MY WINDOW GARDENS MOST IN MARCH, when the last of the colorful, winter-forced Dutch tulips, scented daffodils and graceful Muscari bloom. Here is an intimate look at these Prima donnas of the indoor landscape:

Above, Tulipa ‘Burning Love’ (the name reminds me of the Elvis Presley song) receives center-stage on the broad sill in the Music Room. The flowers are redder-than-red, and they really sparkle when sunlight strikes them. Sturdy, 10-inch stems hold the flowers attractively upright. Do consider this one for planting indoors or out next autumn.

A nice companion for ‘Burning Love’ is the regal Tulipa ‘Queen of the Night’ (above), with deep purple, almost black blossoms. My only complaint with her majesty is the too-long stems. Without staking, the flowers tend to sway, and not too gracefully, either.

Adding fragrance to the window garden is Narcissus ‘Avalanche.’ This one flaunts gold-cupped, white-petaled burdens on towering 16-inch stems. Just a few open blossoms perfume the whole room. I used two pots of Avalanche to frame the red and purple tulips there.

Not fragrant at all, but a Victorian delight, is Narcissus ‘Thalia.’ I have it on the top shelf in the Music Room window. This popular old daffodil features ghostly-white trumpets of bloom on sturdy, 12-inch stems.

Scenting my parlor is Muscari, the common grape-hyacinth. Here, the clusters of soft-blue flowers display well in a shallow, blue and white china bowl filled with pebbles and water. The bowl is set on a round mahogany table in a west window. If you have any left-over muscari bulbs in your cold garage, try forcing them now in a pot of soil or a bowl of pebbles. You’d be surprised how quickly the flowers emerge.

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Related Posts:
How to Force Hardy Bulbs
Waiter! There’s a Hyacinth in My Glass!
Tip-Toe Through the (Species) Tulips
Scented Snowballs: Narcissus ‘Erlicheer’
How To Design A Window Garden
Seven Ways to Beautiful Houseplants

Thinking About Lily Today
First-Aid for Snow-Damaged Shrubs

Comments

  1. 1

    Erika says

    March 7, 2010 at 12:26 pm

    Kevin, I have Queen of the Night tulips in an east window. They do bend and droop, but they are beautiful and welcome nonetheless!

    I love your white and yellow Avalanche daff. I'll have to order that one in the fall.

  2. 2

    Adele says

    March 7, 2010 at 8:07 pm

    Nice shots of your flowering bulbs, with snow in the background. Thanks for sharing.

  3. 3

    Alan says

    March 7, 2010 at 10:08 pm

    Kevin, I really like your plants, and also the shelves in your window. Are the shelves glass or plexi? Where can I buy them? Are they expensive?

  4. 4

    Kevin Lee Jacobs says

    March 7, 2010 at 11:41 pm

    Alan – The shelves are glass, and they cost me no more than $10 each. Scroll up, and click “How to Design A Window Garden,” and also “Seven Ways to Beautiful Houseplants.” In these two posts you will more window-garden pictures and information regarding the shelves.

  5. 5

    Alan says

    March 8, 2010 at 1:27 pm

    Thanks, Kevin. I really like the look of your gardens!

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