to do or not to do... bulbs

Do you pull bulbs and winterize them or do you leave them in the ground?

I've found that if I leave bulbs to their own devices they start to multiply on their own. As the years go by you'll have more and more flowers.

The downside is that if you have limited garden space you won't have a lot of room to plant other things during the summer if you leave in the bulbs.

The first couple of year I left them in, then last year I wanted more space to I dug them out. I didn't do the regular recommended winterization and to my surprise they started to sprout again in their paper bag. I replanted them all this season, but I'm debating about removing them again once they have flowered....

Shamrock

March is a great time for Shamrock. 

This little plant grows from a bulb. If you want to keep it inside, the leaves stay year round. I've seen this little guy come in purple, green and even a mix of the two. At night the leaves droop a little and they look like little triangle butterflies waiting to spread their wings. I love how reactive this plant is to day and night. 

The cutest thing is that the leaves look like flowers. In the summer, when there is more light, there are cute little white trumpet like flowers that come out. Indoors these flowers only last a day or two, but outside they can last weeks. 

You don't have to keep it in a pot with a hole at the bottom. I love using little cups so I can place them all over the house. Be careful not to over water if you're using a pot without a hole. If it starts to look droopy, give it more water and watch it perk up :)

This is one that i've had for 4 years. As the bulbs mature, they start to create new bulbs in the same pot. After a couple of years you can start to divide mature plants and create new pots of shamrock.

 This is a little cup I found at an antiques fair. It's too small to hold the large amounts of tea I drink, but perfect to hold Shamrock.