A bulb garden for Winter
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Two methods are presented, along with the preparation for the bed.
                            Materials: 
You will need a stock of half a dozen or so old light bulbs. 
                           Preparation: 
Prepare the bulbs by placing them in a plastic bag (orientation 
doesn't matter) in the freezer for a half-a-day. This will chill 
the bulbs below freezing-point. 
                           Containers: 
Fill a pail or large plastic bowl with boiling hot water and 
wearing GLOVES AND GLASSES (a long-sleeved shirt might help, 
too), grasp a frozen bulb by the head and plunge the metal neck 
into the boiling water, immersing not more than one-quarter inch 
of the glass. After three seconds, raise the bulb from the water 
and tap the glass at the boundary of the neck with the back of a 
sharp knife. (See "Opening your very first boiled egg", lesson 
three). This should fracture the glass bulb from the metal stem 
somewhat easily. 
                    Bulb Garden Mk I variety:
                    -------------------------
Place a bed of gravel or coarse sand in a tray; place some fine 
gravel in each of the glass bulbs. Add one each of your remaining 
Bromeliads to each glass bulb, and rest the glass bulbs in the 
gravel bed. Spray the Bromeliads (I am *so* glad I bought those 
things. I love typing that word. I hope I'm spelling it 
correctly!) twice a day. 
                    Bulb Garden Mk II variety:
                    --------------------------
Place a bed, about three inches thick, of pasteurised composted 
soil in a tray; gently press the metal stems filament-end up, in 
the soil. Sprinkle grass seed or cress around the base of each 
stem. Tell your friends that it's a bulb garden, and aren't they 
coming along well!
Optional seasonal adornment: 
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Tenderly wire a torch (sorry: Flashlight) bulb into each damaged 
filament. (Sorry. I forgot to mention up front that you really 
ought to do this only with non-functioning lampbulbs!) and wire a 
simple serial circuit with a battery. You could make the switch 
pressure-sensitive by placing the ends of the wires under the 
tray. Gentle pressure on the tray makes the circuit and the bulbs 
come into flower. Flower Power! 
and now, back to my real job .......
christopher.greaves@ablelink.org     www.interlog.com/~cgreaves
 * 1st 2.00b #6263 * Don't Brake!
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