Home Giving gifts of flowering bulbs can brighten the holidays
News

Giving gifts of flowering bulbs can brighten the holidays

AFP

newspaperFlower bulbs are beautiful gifts for the holidays. Purchased from local greenhouses and nurseries, bulbs will bloom indoors, providing a bright accent on bleak winter days.

“We think bulbs like paperwhites and amaryllis are perfect gifts for the holidays,” said Becky Heath, owner of Brent and Becky’s Bulbs in Gloucester County. “They bring such joy as the recipient watches it grow as it brings living color indoors.”

If bulbs are kept near a window and watered to keep the leaves green during the winter, they can be planted outside in a sunny garden area once the danger of frost passes, Heath added.

In some cases, “they just keep on giving and bloom during the summer,” she explained.

Bulb operations are part of Virginia’s green industry, which includes nursery and greenhouse products. The industry is an important part of Virginia agriculture, noted Tony Banks, a commodity marketing specialist for Virginia Farm Bureau Federation.

“Flower bulbs bloom a profusion of bright color and make great Christmas gifts,” Banks noted.

If you want amaryllis to flower for Christmas, you need to plan ahead. It takes six to eight weeks for them to bloom. They can be planted in glass containers with pebbles and water.

Support AFP




AFP

AFP

Have a guest column, letter to the editor, story idea or a news tip? Email editor Chris Graham at [email protected]. Subscribe to AFP podcasts on Apple PodcastsSpotifyPandora and YouTube.

Latest News

summer heat overheat temperature weather
U.S. & World

Everything you wanted to know about a heat dome, but were afraid to ask

dog puppy pet farm
Virginia

With the swelter of the heat dome coming, make sure to take care of your pets

With the heat dome on its way, PETA is urging people who see a dog chained outside in the sweltering heat to call authorities immediately – or to call PETA, if they don’t get the help they need from their local cops.

donald trump
U.S. & World

Trump dismisses pressure to sign affordable housing bill: ‘A big yawn’

That bipartisan affordable housing bill that Donald Trump’s own press secretary called “one of the most significant pieces of housing affordability legislation in American history” – what Trump really thinks about it is, “a big yawn.”

fueling up at gas station
U.S. & World

Trump regime on high gas prices: ‘Gas up in a red state.’ We did the math: It’s not mathing

police officer on city street at night
Local

Waynesboro: Police now investigating Saturday death as homicide, ID victim

ryan odom uva basketball
Basketball

UVA Basketball: Odom adds international perimeter shooter to 2026-2027 roster

fishing
Virginia

Virginia drought impacts on boating, fishing, hiking, camping: Know before you go