Q: I have these "things" that my Mom calls Egyptian onions growing everywhere like weeds, and I periodically treat them as such. They look like huge scallions. They are bulb plants, and they sprout clove bulbs from the tops, then each clove puts out a twisty, alien-looking new "scallion" with a little clove bulb on the end of it. Fully grown, they are so bizarre-looking that I keep them around. Mom wants to know, what are they?

A: Your mom is correct! They are called Egyptian onions or Egyptian walking onions, and they do grow and "walk" or spread all over the place, and that's putting it mildly! They're also called treetop onion, or winter onions, and they're hardy to Zone 3.

They're called "walking" because of their strange habit of growing a strong center stalk from an onion-like bulb, then growing another cluster of onion bulbs on top of that stalk just like garlic, and when the stalk gets heavy enough, the bulb cluster bends to the ground and roots and "walks" into another part of your garden. Keep them around as a garden oddity if you wish, but they do need a leash and a good weeding tool!

They're edible. The taste is stronger than most onions, so it doesn't take as many "bulbs" for flavoring, and the milder tasting greens can be used the same as green onions or scallions or strong chives in recipes. Because of their small size, they make great, easy pickled onions.

A perfect plant for the kids' garden, too. They'll be fascinated by the way they grow with an "onion tree" on top of the stem. They're easy to plant, like an onion set, and easily handled by little hands.

Q: I have a few plumeria plants in pots. I keep them on my front steps that receive sun from approximately 11 a.m. until the sun sets in the afternoon/evening. I've had the plants for two years and have yet to have any flowers bloom. In fact, I have never even seen a bud. I usually feed them with Miracle Gro biweekly. Is there anything else I can do to promote flower growth?

A: Plumerias need the light and warmth you are giving them, but you are giving them the wrong type of fertilizer. They need a "super bloom," "bloom booster" type of fertilizer, which has a high phosphorus content (look for a high middle number on the package, like Peter's Super Bloom 10-50-10 (Miracle Gro makes a bloom booster, too). Use one every week or so during the growing season. Miracle Gro is a fine general, all-purpose fertilizer, but is higher in nitrogen, which promotes too much lovely, leafy growth for a blooming plant.

Keep your plumeria plants somewhat drier indoors during the winter, and don't panic if they lose all their leaves. They are succulent, and the leaves will reappear next spring and that's when you will begin the new higher phosphorus fertilizer regimen.

At two years, the plants might also be a bit young to bloom. Some species take a couple of years for cuttings to root and finally flower.

Q: I have a beautiful orchid plant that had several flower buds on the tall stem that were ready to bloom. I was trying to move it a bit, and the stem broke but not all the way through. I took some clips and am hoping that by securing it this way, it would start to bloom these pretty flowers. I have noticed that the buds that were quite large seem like they are dying and falling off. Is there anything I can do or should have done?

A: May I assume that this is a phalaenopsis orchid? If so, the stem part with the buds is most certainly lost. But sometimes, when the stem is broken, if you allow the remaining stem to remain on the plant, in time, it will sprout another tiny stem or two with buds!

If you cut the stem off at the base of the plant, the plant won't bloom again until next year, on a new stem, as that is the plant's normal blooming cycle. As a last resort, if the stem is broken through, cut it and put it in water and enjoy it for many days.

Isn't it maddening and disappointing to have nurtured the plant, waited for the flowers, only to lose them in a simple accident? I know how you must feel! I've had cats eat the blooms, children pick the flowers and pots fall from their hangers, etc. But they do grow back. Have patience. It's worth it.

Q: I was given a sunrise cactus three years ago, and it was in full bloom. It was beautiful! However, it hasn't bloomed since then. I have it on my dining room table, and it gets morning sun. The plant itself is very green and healthy looking, but no buds. I have put it outdoors in the summer and will do so again this weekend. Any suggestions on how I can get it to bloom again?

A: Your plant sounds very healthy! Now your sunrise cactus, so named because the flowers open in the morning and close at night, isn't a desert cactus but rather one of the family of epiphytic jungle cactus, sometimes called holiday cactuses. This particular variety is often called an Easter cactus, because of the spring blooming period. And yes, it's related to your Christmas cactus. Some sun year-round is desirable, but be very careful of direct, hot sun at any time of the year. They do love to be outside in the summer!

In the fall, like poinsettias, they require a period of cooler, drier, longer days to bloom well. In October, reduce watering, keep the plant in a dark place from late afternoon to dawn and replace in strong light each morning. The cactus is going through a period of semi-dormancy then, so do not feed during this period. You should have beautiful blooms in the spring!

This week's dirt

We're thinking about Christmas!

Sing along with me:

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way.

Twenty weeks to grow poinsettias before it's Christmas Day!"

Get busy! The end of July marks the deadline for taking cuttings of those old poinsettias you've been nurturing all summer. Cuttings taken before the end of July should bloom this year. Cut and root 4- to-5-inch cuttings. Keep them warm, watered and well-fed and you should have flowers for Christmas!

Don't forget! Beginning eight weeks before the holidays, you'll also need to give them 12 to 14 hours of total darkness every day for them to bloom! More about poinsettias later in the fall.

nnn

Great Gardening by Barbara Barger of Beverly is a regular feature of the Home North section. Reach her by e-mail at nsgardener@comcast.net or write to her c/o The Eagle-Tribune, 100 Turnpike St., North Andover, MA 01915. Her Web site is www.nsgardener.com.