I have Naked Ladies bulbs. I'd love some Hostas.

The hyacinth are at a point of showing what color they will be, pink or lilac and I am wondering if they are going a little too fast and will be spent by the April 17. They will probably be fine. What I would do with them, is let them mature a good bit until they are nearly in full bloom. Then put them in the garage and dark would be best. That should 'hold' them at that point for several days. They should then be very pretty and fragrant for the 17th and not immediately decline. I know your bulbs are potted but below is a pic of 4 daffodil blooms after they been picked and stored in the cool dark basement for 5 1/2 days. I was really surprised at how well the blooms stayed nice after being cut that long. hth. Good luck! Sue

Hi Rosepedal, I am interested in your Bridal Crown and Saint Patrick's Day daffodil. Would you like to see my list of daffodil bulbs I have available? I have the Claridge Druce Geranium on your wish list, but are you still accepting plant trades? Thanks and PLMK, Kathy

Many plants respond the same way... offsetting when root bound in a pot. It may be their way to assure survival of the species... or, it could also be that they have successfully grown enough roots to fill their space, and so energy is then placed into making new plantlets. Either way, it seems that containing a bulb in a pot assures faster reproduction through offsets. I have my H. pardonii 'Germa' bulbs in 4" clay pots... they are currently offsetting nicely, each bulb having at least two babies. My largest 'Minerva' bulb is in a 10" or 12" pot, and she only has one baby, though it's a very large one! I've noticed that the 'Lovely Garden' klister I divided and planted into three separate pots are now filling their pots with offsets, too. So, it seems that potted Hippeastrum bulbs will, indeed, offset faster than garden grown bulbs. :-)