Flickr / Steve Drolet
An apple blossom amaryllis in bloom.There is no better way to brighten your home during winter than growing some bulbs indoors. Here’s a good story from nj.com to get you started:

After the Christmas tree comes down and the wreaths are tossed, a long spell of bleak days looms ahead with nary a hint of green in sight. Fill the void with winter’s brightest bulbs and you won’t have to pine for vibrant, living color.

The key species for winter bloom are two showy flowers: amaryllis and paperwhites narcissus. Both are easy-to-grow windowsill plants offering quick, if not instant, gratification. Delicate paperwhites can bloom in as little as four weeks and gaudy amaryllis in six.

Unlike familiar spring-flowering bulbs, including tulips, daffodils and hyacinths, these two species don’t require a long period of cold temperatures to trigger bloom. Native to regions of the Southern Hemisphere, they are programmed to flower on an upside-down schedule in our winter months.

Read the rest of the story about indoor bulbs at NJ.com

Interesting story from mlive.com about two enterprising Flint gardeners that are doing their part for job creation and urban renewal with their commercial startup:

Urban gardening projects have been sprouting all over the city, but one new project may be the city’s most visible, even before a single seed has been planted.

A massive hoop house — a kind of greenhouse that uses a plastic covering to hold in heat from the sun — now stands covered in Christmas lights on a plot of land off Court Street just west of Miller Road.

Read the rest of the story here…

Organic is still a hot topic these days but organic seeds are not always easy to find in stores. Seeds of Change, the oldest and largest organic seed company in the U.S. has just released their 2011 catalog. Included are many new introductions including Blush tomato, Torreto Romaine lettuce and Tirreno Italian melon. Find out more on their website.

We came across a fun quiz in The Washington Post that tests your gardening skills. For example:

When is the best time to plant roses?

a) Install in deep, wide holes as bare root plants in November.

b) In spring, when growth begins.

c) In fall when temperatures are still mild.

Take the quiz here…

Any seasoned vegetable gardener knows the pros and cons of growing one’s own vegetables. Cost isn’t usually one of the cons we list, but most would admit that the costs can add up – and quickly. With that in mind, this Reuters story has some good tips on what is most economical to grow in your garden.

Vegetable gardening may not be as frugal a strategy as you think it is. Just ask William Alexander, a man who wrote The $64 Tomato (Algonquin Books, 2007) after going overboard on his own garden. He did the math, and calculated that it cost that much per tomato by the time he was done “investing” in soil additives, plants, water, tomato cages, raised beds and more.

But that doesn’t stop most of us. The slow economy has prompted more people to garden than have in many years. So what if they pay for the privilege? You could argue that it is a fun and healthy hobby and “saving” money is only an afterthought. Maybe so, but it’s nice to save money in the garden, too. Here’s how.

Read the full story here…

In the season of gift giving, here is an interesting take from CNN on home-grown gift ideas.

Some Americans are giving homegrown food and specialty items as presents this holiday season and spending a fraction of what they’d pay in a store.

Who doesn’t like a tasty bargain?

According to the National Gardening Association, about 41 million households participate in food gardening; 58 percent do it to grow better tasting food and 54 percent do it to save money on food bills.

Read to full story here…

We are approaching the new year and the resolutions that come along with it. Maybe that exercise you have been promising for years can be found in the garden? Consider this story today from UPI:

A Dutch researcher says gardeners of all ages reap healthy rewards’ besides produce, it improves health and well-being in the elderly.

Read the full story here.

Flickr / Michiteru Kodama
Paris japonica.Paris japonica. Yes, that’s right, a white flower has a genetic code 50 times longer than that of a human being. This was discovered recently at Kew Gardens in London.

“We were astounded really,” said Ilia Leitch, of Kew’s Jodrell Laboratory.

Leitch and her colleagues suspected the plant might have an larger-than-usual genetic code as its relatives have rather large ones too. But the sheer size of this flower’s genome caught them by surprise. If laid end-to-end it would stretch to more than 300 feet.

“We certainly didn’t expect to find it,” she said.

Read the full NPR story here. 

The event calendar has been updated with dozens of events, classes and seminars starting today and running through December. Check out the list – there is something for EVERYONE! Be sure and tell them you read about it in Michigan Gardener!

This story gave us a chuckle when we heard it on NPR yesterday morning…

A Montana woman fended off a bear trying to muscle its way into her home Thursday by pelting the animal with a large piece of zucchini from her garden.

Read the full story here at NPR.