Tag: hyacinth

Photo Challenge – One to Three Challenge/Hyacinth

On By TimelessladyIn photo challenges8 Comments

Yesterday, I wandered around the backyard and noticed quite a few early Spring bulbs emerging. The Hyacinths were just beginning to unfurl their first petals and were awash in bright colors even before they were totally out of the cold earth. I snapped a few photos with my camera’s macro lens. I’ve noticed that for every one photo in the macro mode that is a success, two are usually blurry and unusable, but this close-up portrait of a coral hyacinth turned out well. I love the way the macro lens focuses on the subject and blurs the background into a lush backdrop. I decided to use this simple photo for the March Challenge, hosted by Xingfu Mama, titled One to Three Photo Processing.

My first attempt at processing was the most ambitious. I used Adobe Express and chose a Robin’s Egg Blue background with a half circle of light on the right-hand side. I added my photo, then used the background remover tool in Adobe Express to remove the entire background with just one click. This process enhanced the flower color with a complementary shade, making it even more of a star. The photo eventually became today’s encouraging word in my Signpost Blog.

My second attempt at processing the photo used Lunapic. Lunapic is a free photo-processing site that is so much fun to use. This photo was processed with the Effect – Surreal Painting.

My third try used Ribbet and the Posterize filter. If you want to isolate some of the colors for creating artwork, the Posterize filter lets you see the photo with new eyes.

Thank you to Xingfu Mama for hosting this challenge.

Plants – Fragrance in Winter

On By TimelessladyIn Plants20 Comments

Brightly hued-flowers surround me at any venue I visit this time of year. I love them but also enjoy the simplicity of Paperwhite blooms. The fragrance is authentic Spring at the beginning of Winter. The flowers are small, the size of a half-dollar, but they have a strong and resilient scent. Mine have been blooming for several days and they still are very fragrant.

The Paperwhites are my entry into Cee’s Flower of the Day challenge.

It is gratifying that all the work involved in forcing the bulb was done for me. I purchased the plant already growing, near bloom, and anchored in a sturdy bulb vase. My responsibility has been nothing more than enjoying the beautiful scent.

In another room, I have a Hyacinth bulb beginning to grow. I have done some tweaking to bring this flower into bloom. In early September I bought the bulbs. There are five in all, and I placed them in their package in my refrigerator produce drawer. When I put the bulb in a vase with the water level just touching the bottom, the roots quickly began to grow. I’ll update the blog when the plant blooms.

Whatsoever is lovely in my life this week is flowers blooming in November, filling my home with sweet fragrance.

Writers have written many an eloquent word and quote about the beauty of fragrant flowers, and although the quote below doesn’t specifically mention fragrance, I like the image it suggests. How fragrant life would be if we looked at the whole world as a garden.

“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.” — Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

Planting – Tulip Bulbs

On By TimelessladyIn Planting5 Comments

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I purchased tulip, daffodil and hyacinth bulbs in the Autumn months, when they were placed on clearance. My grandsons and I planted the daffodils in pots of dirt and placed them in the refrigerator. Later, when winter arrived, they were moved into the garage. These flowers are now growing and are near blooming. This week we turned our attention to the tulip bulbs. Put to bed for three months in the refrigerator, with only a plain brown lunch bag for protection, the bulbs had already begun sprouting when we released them from their cold confinement.

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I had come across a beautiful picture on Pinterest of tulip bulbs growing in a glass container. I thought we could create a version of our own. Into a tall glass vase, we placed some glass pebbles, added the bulbs, and poured in enough water to barely cover the bottom of the tulips. This is where the roots will form. We will need to keep a daily watch so the water level does not fall too low.

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I’ll post an update on the tulips as they grow. Happy gardening!

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Plants and Plans – Bargain Bulbs

On By TimelessladyIn Plans, PlantsLeave a comment

This has been my week for bargains. I stopped in a local box store Friday and found bins of bulbs that had not sold. They were almost giving them away at 75 percent off. I bought several packs to force in the Spring.

FORCING THE BULBS is not difficult. There are several ways to do this. The bulbs can be shallowly planted and kept outdoors in a cold frame. Another way is to plant and keep the bulbs in the back of the fridge. I have had success with this in the past. This year I am hoping to force some of the tulips in this way.

FORCING BULBS IN WATER is another way to bring them into bloom. I have success with this technique using hyacinth bulbs. I have never tried with tulips, but this year will give it a go. I’ll update this post in the Spring.

My bulbs in brown lunch bags getting a shot of cold air in the crisper bin of my refridgerator.