I KNOW! It’s so hard to think about garland and tinsel when you’re working on fall wreaths and Halloween costumes (unless, of course, you enter a mega-low-mart somewhere in the United States, and then you’ll find nothing but aisle after aisle of Christmas paraphernalia.)

But despite the fact that it’s not time to think about such things, it’s really time to think about such things.

A wonderful hand-made and rather inexpensive gift from the heart would be a beautiful flowering plant from a bulb you (and/or your children) planted. You have to “coax-bloom” a bulb inside, which tricks it into thinking it’s springtime, but it isn’t impossible or even hard. A perfect bulb to do this is the Amaryliss.

In the bottom of a clay pot with a drainage hole and a saucer, spread a shallow layer of gravel, pot shards, or other drainage materials. Add several inches of soil and place the bulb in the pot with the pointed end of the bulb just peeking above the rim of the pot. Add more soil and gentlypat it down around the bulb, leaving the top exposed.

Water until the soil is moist but not soaked. Place the pot in a sunny, cool spot. Water sparingly for a few weeks, until the appearance of the first shoot, then water more often, so that the soil is always moist. In about 6-8 weeks, you have a tall exotic-looking plant with a cluster of huge red, pink, peach, orange, or multicolored flowers.

Wrap the pot with wrapping paper or tie a pretty ribbon around it and give it as a gift!

Hallee

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