January 9, 2012

Young holding campaign kick-off in New Albany

By DANIEL SUDDEATH

Daniel [dot] Suddeath [at] newsandtribune [dot] com
The News and Tribune

Mon Jan 09, 2012, 07:11 PM EST

NEW ALBANY —
U.S. Rep. Todd Young will be in New Albany Jan. 28 for a campaign kick-off event.

Young will be at Aebersold Florist, located at 1217 Silver St., from noon to 2 p.m.. to talk about his time in Congress since 2010 and his plans for the country moving forward.

He’s seeking a second term in the U.S. House this year, as the Republican defeated incumbent Democrat Baron Hill to take the Indiana 9th District seat.

Refreshments will be served during the event.

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Tough … Mrs Reagan didn’t let her husband have chocolate.

WASHINGTON: This is what historians wait for: the delicious little stories that take years to come out.

Former White House executive pastry chef Roland Mesnier spent 25 years working for five administrations and, having departed from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, can finally share his tales about life in the presidential kitchen.

Mr Mesnier spoke on Friday at the annual Washington Winter Show as a last-minute substitute for former White House florist Nancy Clarke. In an hour-long talk at the antiques showcase, Mr Mesnier affectionately dished about his old bosses, including Barbara Bush, who shouted a lot and insisted on dry, overcooked fish, and Bill Clinton, who in his pre-vegan days polished off five or six pork chops without batting an eye.

Rosalynn Carter, who hired the French chef in 1980, had a family recipe she insisted be added to White House buffets: a cheese ring. ”That thing was so nasty,” Mr Mesnier said. ”It was a mixture of Muenster, cheddar, all the stickiest cheese you could find, mixed with onions, capers, and strawberry jam in the middle … It was a secret family recipe that no one tried to steal.”

And believe it or not, Jimmy Carter, a peanut farmer, and his wife ”did not care for peanuts at all”, Mr Mesnier claimed.

Nancy Reagan’s arrival in 1981 had the kitchen staff fearing for their jobs. The new first lady, they’d heard, was ”hell on wheels”.

Mr Mesnier said he quickly realised it was ”Nancy’s way or the highway. And I like that, to be honest with you … Forget about compliments – if she didn’t complain, that was a compliment. But I loved her to death. She was a perfectionist.”

For one September dinner in the Rose Garden, Mrs Reagan directed staff to wire hundreds of fresh roses onto the bare bushes. She also gave Mr Mesnier strict orders never to give her husband chocolate. But when she was out of town, Mr Reagan got his favourite meal: steak, macaroni-and-cheese and a big bowl of chocolate mousse. ”That was a very happy man,” Mr Mesnier recalled.

All food gifts sent to the first family, even by close friends, are destroyed for security reasons. A couple of weeks after his historic trip to Washington, Mikhail Gorbachev sent a large package to the White House. Mr Mesnier and the executive chef were the only ones on duty when the head usher walked the box into the kitchen and ordered it dumped. The cooks opened it to find two massive tins of Russian caviar.

”I looked at the other chef and said: ‘I don’t know about you, buddy, but I’m willing to die for what’s inside. So I’m taking one home and you can have the other one’, ” Mr Mesnier said.

The Washington Post

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Michelle Obama is not one who can easily hide her feelings; usually her emotional state is visible on her face.  Think civil rights leader Dorothy Height’s funeral, or Michelle staring down French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozi. 

So it wasn’t a shock to find out that some of the less-than-thrilled expressions Americans have witnessed over the last three years may be rooted in how Mrs. Obama thinks her husband and his team should be handling the affairs of the nation.

One has to admit, if Jodi Kantor’s New York Times article, “Michelle Obama and the Evolution of a First Lady” and forthcoming book “The Obamas” is an accurate portrayal, Michelle Obama going toe-to-middle-finger with Rahm Emanuel indicates she’s one tough cookie.

Kantor’s book points out that despite Mrs. Obama’s initial hesitation to involve herself in her husband’s administration, she has been an “unrecognized force …[and]… her story has been one first of struggle, then turnaround and greater fulfillment.”

The book says that Mrs. Obama was a “supportive but often anxious spouse, suspicious of conventional political thinking, a groundbreaking figure who has acutely felt the pressures and possibilities of being the first African-American in her position and a first lady who has worked to make her role more meaningful.”

According to Kantor, Mrs. Obama was often “caught in an internal debate about how the Obamas should look and live, travel and entertain.”  

Her feelings for a country she only recently became proud of are evident in her ongoing disregard for the opinion of its people by blatantly indulging her affinity for opulent vacations, epicurean Xanadus, and closets full of couture.

The forthcoming book exposes Michelle projecting her own racism onto a colorblind America. Even after a white majority put her husband into the White House, Michelle felt that “As the first African-American first lady, [she] wanted everything to be flawless and sophisticated; [because] she felt ‘everyone was waiting for a black woman to make a mistake.’” 

Supposedly fiercely defensive on her husband’s behalf and seeing him as a “transformational figure,” her allegedly hostile clashes with the likes of ex- Press Secretary Robert Gibbs and former Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel indicate Michelle is someone other than who she projects herself to be while hula-hooping and gardening with Big Bird on Sesame Street.

According to longtime Obama strategist David Axelrod, behind the scenes, if Mrs. Obama “thinks things have been mishandled or when things are off the track she’ll raise it, because she’s hugely invested in [her husband] and has a sense of how hard he’s working, and wants to make sure everybody is doing their work properly.” 

Discussing with aides the first lady’s displeasure about the direction the administration was taking on issues like healthcare reform, President Obama once confided that “She feels as if our rudder isn’t set right.”  Does “our rudder” include his rudder?

So apparently if everybody isn’t “doing” what Michelle thinks they should be doing, or someone criticizes what she is doing, the “rudder” adjuster believes “things have been mishandled [and] are off the track.”

The book says that Robert Gibbs tried to protect the White House from being seen for what it is: “oblivious to public anger about joblessness, banker bailouts and bonuses.”  Apparently, Gibbs had the wherewithal to try to tamp down the “vacations, décor, entertainment [and] even matters as small as whether to announce the hiring of a new florist.”

According to Kantor’s account, Michelle was as thrilled with being told what to do by her husband’s team as she was being prohibited from walking her dog, or “monitored by her husband’s aides for everything from how she decorated the family’s private quarters to whether she took makeup artists on overseas trips.”

So to show advisors who was in charge, Mrs. Obama flew the dog she couldn’t walk to vacation spots all around the world, called in a high-end Hollywood decorator to gussy up the living quarters, and hired a makeup artist that charges $15K per day.

Kantor’s book maintains that Mrs. Obama has no problem expressing her opinion behind the scenes about issues such as: how health care reform should’ve played out, the direction the 2012 reelection effort should take, and who should call the shots. 

However, the book does say that publicly, the first lady has been reluctant to step into the limelight, except on signature issues like “Let’s Move” and assisting military families.  That was until recently when, in between vacation junkets, dutiful wife Michelle has taken to appearing on behalf of her husband in an attempt to exploit her popularity to “buoy [Obama] personally and politically.”

And while politics and policy intricacies are telling, more telling by far was the way Mrs. Obama handled the President’s 50th birthday, which said a lot about her domineering nature and how convinced she is that we, as well as he, need her to show us, and him, how it should be done.

According to Kantor’s book, in preparation for the coming election, Michelle exercised a practice run on birthday party guests, warning them not to leave early — under penalty of what?   Then, she commenced with delivering a “stem-winder of a toast in praise of her husband,” who sat there like a schlemiel.

Minus the soaring orchestration and slide show, Mrs. Obama subjected those supposedly already her husband’s friends to her deluded version of Barack Obama: the “tireless, upright leader who rose above Washington games, killed the world’s most wanted terrorist and still managed to coach his daughter Sasha’s basketball team.” 

A more apt description would have been: a president who, between vacations, ‘tirelessly‘ works from 9:30 am — 6:30 pm and has played more golf standing ‘upright’ than any other president in American history; a president who “rose above Washington games” so well that, against Congress’ wishes during a “recess” that was still in session, he appointed a five-time Jeopardy champion to the position of director of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The man who shamelessly takes credit for killing Osama bin Laden — an end that would never have been achieved without GW Bush’s committed determination, and a father who, when not out golfing, will use any excuse, including spending time with the kids, to pop a few shots through a basketball hoop.

However, besides the ‘everyone was waiting for a black woman to make a mistake’ -portion of Jodi Kantor’s “critic and advocate” book, the most revealing moment of all was what allegedly happened during that laudatory 50^th birthday party soliloquy. 

Kantor recounts that in front of 150 guests, Michelle admitted to being hard on an embarrassed Obama, who attempted to cut her off only to be firmly told “to sit and listen,” which he submissively did, summing up in three words Mrs. Obama’s ever-evolving attitude toward the President of the United States and all of us as well.

Author’s content: www.jeannie-ology.com

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Handling the holiday gift-shopping routine from the road can prove difficult. Arm yourself with a detailed list and the proper mobile phone applications, however, and things get much easier. Follow these smart shopping tips for streamlined savings.

Comparison: Getting the best price possible is on everyone’s mind in this economy. Stay informed with the proper price-comparison tools. ScanLife for example, allows you to scan a product’s bar code in order to compare retail prices, read consumer reviews and receive coupons. The Find is a similar app which will feature stores near your regularly-travelled route, making it perfect for day-tripping soccer moms as well as frequent business travellers.

Deals: Hate to miss out on a last-minute holiday sale? Nextag, a popular deal-alert site for online shoppers, has a handy app for road warriors that lets you know when a particular item drops in price. Similarly, an application called OO on the Go will feed you deals of up to 50 percent off, letting you know exactly when the sale starts. This can result in serious savings for high-ticket items. It’s also possible to practice a degree of couponing from your smart phone. Many major retailers are more than happy to send savings coupons to you electronically, and savings apps such as Yowza allow shoppers to receive a variety of coupons that can be scanned directly from the screen of your device.

Cards: Don’t miss out on loyalty-card savings just because you left your stash in your at-home wallet. That’s right – there’s an app for that. My Card Star lets you scan individual loyalty cards from popular chain stores for storage on your mobile phone. Cashiers are able to scan your card directly from your smart phone for streamlined holiday savings. Key Ring lets you store loyalty rewards cards digitally as well, and allows you to sign up for additional retailer rewards and exclusive customer-savings offers. Gift cards can be purchased, sent and used from your mobile phone using an additional app called SWAGG, making last-minute gift purchases a snap.

Calling: It’s a phone, remember? If time is of the essence and you’d like to support a business back home, give the local florist a call. There are always long-lasting affordable holiday arrangements that will make Mom or cousin Susie smile. Winter greenery with ornaments, pine cones, bows and candlelight make a frugal yet very stylish gift statement, as do carnation arrangements in seasonal colours.

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Debbie Elliott/NPR

John Timmons, owner of ear X-tacy in Louisville, Ky., closed his record shop after 26 years of business because of the bad economy.

Open any children’s book with a scene set downtown and you’ll see a picture of basically the same row of shops. There’s a bookstore, a pharmacy, a florist, a post office and a bank, and maybe a bakery where the kids can hope for a free cookie.

Nearly all those businesses are under threat from the Internet.

There’s nothing new about this. Bookstores have been going under for a couple of decades now. But reports that former corporate giant Eastman Kodak will seek bankruptcy protection serve as a reminder that a multitude of products and just about every kind of transaction is now available digitally.

Kodak’s fall was accompanied by news that 60-year-old camera stores and record stores open longer than 30 years were going out of business as well, all citing pressure from the Internet.

There’s no doubt that the mix of shops and services that make up the spines of commercial strips and strip malls all across America will continue to change. The question now is what type of Main Street business will come under threat next.

“There are fewer and fewer services that a bank branch does, right up to getting the loans, that can’t be done completely online,” says Robert Thompson, a professor of popular culture at Syracuse University. “I’m surprised there haven’t been more bank branch closures.”

First Bookstores, Now Books

Over the years, I’ve picked up lots of bargains at stores going out of business because of Internet-based competition, such as Borders and Tower Records.

In the case of stores that sell CDs — and, increasingly, books — it’s not just the business model of a physical store that’s becoming obsolete, but the actual products themselves.

“People are not only buying books and CDs online, but what they’re buying online is a digital file,” Thompson says.

That’s why I was shocked, when I moved to the St. Louis area a couple of years ago, to find myself living in a suburb that still had not one but two record stores.

One of them, Webster Records, specializes in music that appeals to an older crowd, such as classical and Dixieland jazz. The store keeps short hours and there’s rarely much foot traffic. It does much of its business selling to collectors by mail order.

But the store couldn’t compete on price or wealth of offerings with the likes of Amazon. Webster Records announced Thursday it would shut its doors at the end of this month, after 58 years in business.

I Can Get It For You Wholesale

For Webster Records store manager Jim Lovins, this is not a new experience. For years, he sold stereo and home theater equipment at a store called Hi-Fi Fo-Fum.

That shop, which had been around for decades, closed its doors last year. It was impossible to compete with Internet retailers, Lovins says, because they don’t have to shoulder costs such as commissions or heating and air-conditioning display areas.

People might not be able to check out the sound they’ll get from speakers they’re buying online. On the other hand, they’re able to read dozens or hundreds of consumer reviews of each product and, if they don’t have to pay for shipping or restocking fees, take little risk auditioning equipment at home.

Losing Expertise

Not just sales of goods but also plenty of services are migrating online. Some people still don’t trust online banking and are nervous about the idea of depositing checks by taking pictures of them with their phones.

But their numbers are diminishing. And no business, it seems, has succeeded for long in pressing the case that the expertise or customer care it provides outweighs the convenience and cost savings of an equivalent Internet service.

Because of the paramount importance of health, pharmacies are hoping customers will continue to rely on the kind of face-to-face help a well-trained human being can offer about matters such as interactions between drugs.

“There’s a variety of counseling components that a retail pharmacist provides,” says Chrissy Kopple, spokeswoman for the National Association of Chain Drug Stores. “There really isn’t a replacement for that interaction on the Internet.”

That may be true. But it’s the same kind of argument that independent booksellers used to make about how well they knew books and their own customers’ tastes.

All of the major retail pharmacists recognize the lure of the Internet themselves. Each now offers its own Web-based prescription-filling service, potentially undercutting its primary business — just as Kodak did by inventing, but failing to prosper from, digital photography.

Not Getting Rid Of Stuff

With the passage of a Maine law in 2009, every state now allows pharmacists to give flu shots. As yet, there’s no app for that.

So it’s possible that companies that provide services will withstand the Internet onslaught longer than stores that sell goods.

With more and more light media — books and music, photographs and movies and correspondence — going all-digital, however, there will inevitably be fewer storefronts devoted to such interests.

But if downtowns are emptying themselves of certain types of goods, does that mean we’ll end up with less stuff at home?

Probably not. Digital is not next to cleanliness. I know plenty of people who sleep next to two phones, a tablet computer and a remote — or three — for the TV.

My friend Breeze Carlile is a professional organizer in Oakland, Calif., helping people get their houses in order, in part, by thinning their possessions. They may have e-readers but they continue to hold onto books, she says — and, often, the boxes they came in.

According to the Self Storage Association, nearly 10 percent of all U.S. households currently rent a storage unit — an increase of nearly two-thirds over the past 15 years.

“My clients have phones and digital cameras to take pictures, and they still print out the photos and never get them into albums,” Breeze says. “Nope, people do not have less stuff.”

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Having found each other on Facebook and dated for three years, 27-year-old Thongchai Rattanakaew wed his 30-year-old florist boyfriend Chumwit Sudsai in front of their parents and 200 guests in Trang’s Huay Yot district yesterday.

Chumwit’s mother, Jinda Sudsai, said she had known her son was homosexual since he was young, but she had never criticised him because he was a good person and didn’t cause any problems to society. She also encouraged him to join beauty contests, eventually leading to his victory in the Miss Krabi Fairies 2011 title, she said. She gave her blessing and consent to his wedding because it made him happy, and because society was now more open to same-sex marriage.

Jinda said her family sought no money or assets from the “groom” – as she described Thongchai; the families speak of Chumwit as the “bride” – beyond the gold-and-diamond wedding ring, because love and understanding were more important than money.

She said she planned to open a restaurant for her son-in-law to run because he cooked very well.

Chumwit said he initially added Thongchai – who had served as a private at Chon Buri’s Sattahip Navy Base – as a Facebook friend because they were fellow southerners. Impressed by Thongchai’s simple, down-to-earth nature, Chumwit said the pair had been “boyfriend and girlfriend” for three years. After Thongchai came to help him at his flower shop, Chumwit proposed and Thongchai said yes.

Chumwit said they planned to continue running the flower shop, while Chumwit also taught traditional Thai dancing as a sideline.

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WARREN – James R. ”Dick” Adgate, 90, a well-known florist from Warren, passed away 5:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 6, 2012, at Trumbull Memorial Hospital following a lengthy illness.

He was born Sept. 10, 1921, in Salina, Kan., the son of the late David U. and Agnes Cunningham Adgate.

A lifetime Warren-area resident, Dick was a graduate of Warren G. Harding High School and a U.S. Coast Guard veteran of World War II.

On July 29, 1944, he married Betty L. Shaver, and in 1956 they co-founded Dick Adgate Florist, which at one time had seven locations in Ohio and Florida. He was a well-respected businessman and still was working when his health would allow him.

He was a member of the Warren Rotary Club, the Exchange Club, and was active with FTD and the Ohio State Florist Association. He was a longtime member of the Howland Community Church, where he served as deacon and Elder. Dick enjoyed tennis, golf, fishing and loved dancing with his wife.

He was preceded in death by Betty on April 17, 2006, after 61 years of marriage; by two brothers, William and Herbert; a sister, Katherine McFall; and by a daughter-in-law, Susan Adgate.

He will be deeply missed by his children, Jean M. Friend and husband Ronald of Champion, William “Bill” Adgate and wife Peggi of Tampa, Fla., David R. Adgate of Ft. Myers, Fla.; eight grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; a brother Charles ”Chuck” Adgate and wife Helen of Howland and numerous nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Tuesday at Roberts-Clark Chapel where friends will be received 7 to 9 p.m. Monday and 10 a.m. until service time Tuesday.

Interment will be in Crown Hill Burial Park.

To view this obituary online or send condolences go to www.robertsclarkchapel.com.

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Make someone feel really very special this Valentine’s Day by giving them nature’s most elegant love-flower: the Red Rose. It is one of the simplest yet romantic gifts two dealers.
But do not get caught out, two ensur prompt delivery, call your favorite florist the week before Valentine’s Day. When you call, have the Necessary information handy: the recipient’s name, address, phone number, what you want to send and how you want to be picture. If You Want Them Delivered to the workplace make sour the person who is To receive Them Will Be there.
If you are having trouble putting a suit comfortable message together ask your florist, They see thousand messages of love and are always more than willing to make a few suggestions. Here are a few ideas of my own:
A great way to catch someone by surprise, especially if they work in an office or school is send two restriction on February 13th and tell them “you just could not wait, you love retardation That much.”
Tell them that: “Today is a very special day – a day for declaring my ever-ending love.” Or maybe: “With you Valentine’s Day is connected to a dimmer all year long.”
The tradition of granting valentine flower Ireland valentine’s day first developed in the late 17th century. roses became the flower of choice because it was reputed to be the favorite flower of the Goddess Venus – the Goddess of Love. Florist goodwill Often Refer to the single red rose as a ‘signature rose.’
The valentine day flower delivery Ireland are gene rally red and white; some people also include pink in this pallet. Why these colors? Red is the symbol of passion, while white is the symbol of purity. Pink, some argue, is a more appropriate steps to color for young lovers because it represents a meeting point Between Two poles. Traditionally a Valentine rose is long stemmed but if you fancy been different you might ask your florist two are a nice little Posey.
There are Many Ways to give flowers- and Each Has its own hiding meaning here are a few of the more romantic
A bunch of send valentines day flower Ireland say “I love you.” They also able to respectfully and courage.
A single red Rosebud symbolizes beauty, youth and a heart innocent of love or: “You are young and beautiful.”
Two red roses flowers taped or wired together to form a single stem signal an engagement or coming marriage.
A full-blown red rose flower placed over the two red buds forms a combination that signifier secrecy.A pink rose represents happiness. It’s great two give a pink rose to a partner to say, “I’m very happy with our relationship.” But ask careful a light pink rose is also taken two mean ‘sympathy.’ When someone had a loss in their life simply often people offering light pink roses as a way of expressing condolences their Whatever the reason for the flower, whether it be one single red rose or a dozen red roses flower ask acid your love one will appreciate the thought.

Topic guidelines: We welcome your thoughts, stories and information related to this article.
Please stay on topic and be respectful of others. Keep the conversation appropriate for interested readers.

January 6, 2012

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The monthly Canandaigua Wine Walk on Saturday will feature four Finger Lakes wineries, Guinness beer and a restaurant.

Between 4 and 7 p.m., buy a commemorative wine glass for $5 at any participating merchant, which can be identified by the purple balloons, then visit any or all sites. No reservations are required.

Scheduled merchants are:

Icon Salon, 84 S. Main St., with wine by Seneca Shores Winery.

Rockcastle Florist, 100 S. Main St., with food by Eric’s Office.

JOOLZ, 112 S. Main., with wine by Buttonwood Grove Winery.

Pickering Pub, 170 S. Main St., with beer by Guinness.

American Made, 143 S. Main St., with wine by Fulkerson Winery.

Simply Crepes, 101 S. Main St., with wine by Red Tail Ridge Winery.

For a map and more information, go to http://www.downtowncanandaigua.com/events/winewalk/.

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You don’t need to be a keen gardener to grow a few bulbs indoors over winter. Even someone with a black thumb can succeed with this project. Nothing gets easier than this.

Amaryllis, the biggest bulb in the bulb kingdom, produces huge flowers in a range of colours, shapes and sizes. They are pre-chilled and ready to go the moment you get them home from the store.

The fastest to bloom are the ones grown in South America and harvested in April.

In stores they are often labelled as Christmas Amaryllis.

Since they are on the southern-hemisphere clock, they have a habit of popping into flower much earlier than the ones imported from the Netherlands, which tend to bloom a little later, between January and February.

Top cultivars to look for among the super-fast early-blooming Brazilian amaryllis include ‘Candy Floss’ (pink); ‘Pizzazz’ (red and white stripe); ‘Merry Christmas’ (dark red) and ‘Wedding Dance’ (white flowers).

My favourites are the mammoth 42-cm Dutch-amaryllis that can produce as many as three stems per bulb.

Bestsellers are ‘Apple Blossom’ (pink and white), ‘Minerva’ (red and white variegation), ‘Mont Blanc’ (pure white) and ‘Orange Sovereign’ (tangerine). They take eight to 10 weeks to bloom.

All the Dutch amaryllis are harvested in August and September and quickly packaged and shipped overseas.

In Vancouver, they are usually kept in a warehouse at 13 C for a few weeks to get them ready for market.

For something different, there are some exotic cultivars, such as ‘Naughty Lady’ with red flowers and white star-shaped throat, and ‘Papillo’, which has green flowers with a burgundy stripe.

The weirdest amaryllis are the novelty kinds, such as ‘Chico’, with its spidery red-and-green flowers, and ‘Emerald’, white with red stripes and ‘Lima’, with deep maroon blooms.

Miniature varieties are also worth growing. ‘Picotee’ has white flowers edged with a pinkish bronze. ‘Neon’ is shocking pink. They both only grow 60 cm (24 inches) high.

Some talented florists, such as Maureen Sullivan, of Thomas Hobbs Florist in Kerrisdale, make a grand show of amaryllis by growing more than one bulb in a large container, especially fiery multi-stemmed ones like ‘Red Lion’ and ‘Apple Blossom’, and using decorative huckleberry twigs to add interest, as well as extra support for the heavy flowers.

Vancouver Sun

swhysallvancouversun.com

How to plant

Don’t grow your bulb in too big a pot. Amaryllis bloom best and fastest when tightly potted with no more than an inch or two between the side of the bulb and edge of pot. If you plant more than one bulb in a large container, they don’t need to be separated by more than a hair’s width. As well, don’t plant the bulb too deeply. Allow about a third of the bulb to be above the surface of the soil.

How to water

Water thoroughly with lukewarm water immediately after potting. Keep the soil moist, but not wet, for at least a week. Try not to get water directly on the bulb stem (called the “nose”).

Where to place a pot

Place the pot in a warm room in a well-lit spot. A south-facing window is best. Watch for the green shoots to appear. Once the flowers begin to appear, move the pot into a slightly cooler spot where it gets indirect light.

After-care

After the flowers have faded, allow the plant to continue growing in a warm spot in the light. Water regularly to keep soil moist. Don’t let it dry out over the summer. In August, stop watering and place the bulb (still in its pot) in a dry, cool place for 10 to 12 weeks. The temperature should be 12-16 C). By November/ December, remove the bulb from its old pot, clean up the old foliage and any old roots, but leave plump, healthy roots intact. Repot the bulb in fresh soil. Place pot in a warm, bright spot. The amaryllis will bloom in about eight weeks.

Other indoor bulbs

The fastest bulbs to bloom are paperwhites (Narcissus tazetta), a member of the daffodil family. You simply press them into a layer of pebbles or gravel, add water, just enough to touch the bottom of each bulb, and they immediately start to root and grow.

They can grow quite tall and end up toppling over. A simple solution is to grow them in a vase or jar, so that as they grow, the leaves receive support from the sides of the container. Another easy solution is to use decorative raffia to tie up the leaves.

More challenging

Hyacinth, crocus and muscari can also be forced into bloom, but tricking them into bloom requires a little more finesse.

Bulbs must root first in a cool, dark place before they produce green shoots, which are followed by flowers.

Plant bulbs in a soil mix in pots and keep them in a cool, dark place, ideally at a temperature around 9 C. In ideal conditions, bulbs will root in eight weeks. Once the roots are formed, bulbs will send up a green shoot. When you see this bring the pot into the warmth and light of the living room. The flower quickly develops after that.

Pre-chilled bulbs

A regular hyacinth, plonked into a pot of soil, takes about 14 weeks to bloom. A pre-chilled “prepared hyacinth” reduces that time by five weeks. Planted now, your hyacinths should be blooming in all their glory by mid-January.

You can also force hyacinths by growing them in water in a glass “forcing jar” or vase.

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