Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

I’ve joined an internet meme (pronounced meem) created by fellow Hoosier blogger Carol Michael. In case the term meme is new to you, it is a word that describes an idea that is spread and promoted through the internet. Most memes are spread from person to person via blogs, social networks, even email. In this case, Garden Bloggers Bloom Day is a meme that occurs on the 15th day of each month whereby participants post images of what’s in bloom in their gardens. It’s a great way to see what’s blooming all over the country, and world for that matter. Here’s what’s happening in my neck of the woods this month.

Blooms are hard to come by during the winter months, but I did find a lovely Witch Hazel in bloom. This is Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Jelena’. Known for it’s winter blooming, these multi-colored flowers are capable of producing a sweet fragrance. Flowers bloom along the stems in February to March.

Not satisfied with only one offering, I turned my attention elsewhere and found a couple of blooms on two indoor plants.

Begonia Rex. I keep several Begonias indoors during winter. I grow them for their fancy foliage, but the delicate blooms that appear each February are always a delight. A sweet touch on Valentine’s Day. Growing Begonias indoors can be challenging. If you’d like to learn more, follow this link: American Begonia Society.

Areca Palm. There is a long story about how I came to own (ahem, care for) this plant, but I won’t go into that right now. The palm flower always catches me by surprise because it is so unusual. My partner swears it reaches for him every time he walks by it. See, you can teach an old plant new tricks.

Happy Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. Be sure to visit Carol Michael’s creative blog, May Dreams Gardens.

Caring for Poinsettias

Poinsettias are America’s best selling flowering potted plant. Would you believe that each year Americans purchase over 60 million of this popular holiday plant? My favorite color is white, but the photo above would indicate that I don’t make all the decisions in our household. Choose your battles, right?

Anyway, the color red accounts for nearly three-quarters of all sales, followed by white and pink. Lately, there are all these crazy colors available as the result of dyes and paint. Oh wait! Can I have some glitter with my obnoxious airbrushed poinsettia? What’s up people? Stick to the classics. Good taste never goes out of style.

Below is a list of best practices to prolong the life of your poinsettia, no matter what color it is.

©Meadow View Growers Inc.

Caring for Poinsettia Plants

First and foremost, protect your plants from wind or cold on the way home from the store. They are highly sensitive to cold temps and just a few minutes of exposure below 50°F can cause them to wilt. Make sure they are wrapped properly for transport.

Once you’re home, unwrap your plant carefully and place it in indirect light. Six hours of light per day is ideal. You can diffuse bright light with shades, shudders or sheer curtains.

Keep poinsettias away from warm or cold drafts which can be caused by opening doors or windows, air registers and radiators. This is perhaps the best thing you can do to prolong the life of your poinsettias.

Keep poinsettias from touching cold windows.

Ideal temperatures for poinsettias: Daytime temps of 60° to 70°F  and night time temps around 50°F are ideal. High temps will shorten the plant’s life

Check the soil daily and water when dry. Water enough so the soil is moist but not soggy. If your poinsettia has a decorative foil or plastic wrapper around it, punch holes or cut out a circle in the bottom so water can drain out. Place a saucer beneath the pot to catch water. Discard excess water.

Want to save your poinsettia and have it rebloom next year? Good luck. I don’t recommend it as the process, while completely doable, requires constant care. Its like having a puppy. And, I’ve never known anyone to actually have rebloom happen. But if you really want to know how, follow this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS58ZkRTnqs

And there you have it. Following these simple tips will help keep your poinsettia looking lush and healthy throughout the entire holiday season.

Did You Know?

Most people think the colored parts of poinsettias are the flowers, but they are actually colored bracts. Bracts are modified leaves.

In nature, poinsettias are perennial flowering shrubs that can grow to ten feet tall.

Poinsettias are native to Mexico.

Poinsettias are not poisonous. Studies have shown that eating bracts will not kill you, but they might give you a stomach ache. Where did they find the people to be human test subjects for that study?!

Poinsettias were introduced into the United States in 1825 by Joel Poinsett.

December 12th is National Poinsettia Day.

Spring Awakening

So often spring crops up with such fervor, that we hardly notice its subtle colors aside from the obvious greening of the lawns or the intense hues that daffodils and tulips offer us. Before the show is over, take time to admire and appreciate the delicate, soft and unexpected hues too. Below are a few of my favorites. Click on the first image to begin the slide show.

I took a chance on this climbing hydrangea last year. Moonlight Chinese Hydrangea Vine is hardy in Zones 6-9, but lucky for me, it survived our Zone 5 winter. It has started attaching itself to the bricks and begin to climb.

In medievel times, Hellebores were considered a weapon against witches, madness, and evil spirits. They are an excellent shade plant and among the first to bloom in late winter. This is Hellebore ‘Ivory Prince’.

Hellebores signal the awakening of spring. Although the common names include “Christmas rose” and “Lenten rose”, they do not belong to the rose family. This is Helleborus ‘White Spotted Lady’.

The trees are bursting with energy. I love the bits of color each bud provides the branches.

The swollen buds are ready to burst open and reveal the first white blooms on this Star Magnolia Tree. Each bud is its own complex shade of milky pale green.

Several Magnolia buds have started to open and reveal white blossoms. If the weather cooperates, it will be spectacular in full bloom.

Detail of crimson colored buds on the Maple Tree.

We planted several herbaceous peonies last year. Most peonies emerge from the ground in colors of red and burgundy before the foliage turns green. Notice many rocks in the soil? This clay bed will require significant amendments to improve the soil quality.

Even the houseplants are enjoying the extra sunlight that the lengthening days bring. I love fancy Begonias. In fact, I love anything fancy!

Radical Pruning

Houseplants are tricky. They either flourish or flatline. That’s been my experience at least. But perhaps more frustrating is when they lie in limbo- no new growth, no new foliage.

Such was the case with a Maidenhair Fern I purchased at Smith & Hawken several years ago. It was more or less at a standstill and getting ‘leggy’ as time passed. I noticed several baby fronds pushing their way out of the soil, but they never matured. I decided I would try some radical pruning and see where that took us.

My thought process began with sizing up the plant. It was healthy, but not growing. It was as though it had gone into a permanent state of dormancy. It was tall, sparse, and new fronds emerged from the soil but withered away soon after. This led me to believe that the old growth was using all the plant energy and preventing the new growth from maturing.

Drastic pruning stresses a plant, but spring is right around corner and it’s the absolute best time of the year to prune a houseplant– just before the start of the growing season.

Emotionally, I’m to the point where I’m willing to lose the plant if it doesn’t survive the big haircut. I’m optimistic that it will prevail. After all, those new little fronds tell me that it is intent on growing.

So here’s my plan: I’m going to cut off all the stems at the base, be diligent about keeping the soil moist and raise the humidity around the fern to encourage new growth. Follow the progress below. 

Jan. 19, 2011. After removing the old growth, tiny fronds are revealed.February 11, 2011. The momentum continues and new fronds are still emerging. Adding a bit fertilizer today.March 18, 2011. The fertilizer has helped tremendously. It looks better than ever.New growth continues to emerge.

I’m happy to report that this experiment has proved successful. It’s officially spring now and the fern seems quite content with the situation. It continues to grow and become full with healthy fronds. I’ll report back on our progress near summer.

Houseplants Crying Out in Winter

Did you know that most foliage plants known as house plants are native to tropical areas? Now look outside your window. Would you describe that as “tropical”? That might explain why they are looking so crappy this time of year. If they could talk, they might cry out the following: “It’s really dry in here. Hey, what happened to all the sunshine? I’m cold. I’m hot. Is my owner ever gonna take a break from feeding their pie hole to feed me instead? No one is paying attention to me. I’m stressing out!” Remind you of anyone you know?

As humans, we can take ourselves out of a bad environment to make ourselves happy. Plants are simply at the mercy of the their environment. Below is a list of tips that I recommend for making your plants healthy and happy no matter what time of year. And now for a little good news– the days are getting longer and that should make everyone very happy.

Tips for Houseplants

• Know what light requirements your plant needs and place in appropriate locations throughout your home:

East exposure will give you intense light in the AM hours and diffused light in the PM hours.

West exposure will give you diffused light in the AM hours and intense light in the PM hours.

South exposure provides direct light ALL day.

North exposure provides low light ALL day.

• Plants don’t like sudden changes, so be sure to acclimate them gradually if you move them to a new location.

• Ideal temperature for indoor plants can vary, but for many 68° daytime and 58° evening is ideal. Night temperatures should decrease about 10° from normal day temperatures.

• Use of a pebble tray or grouping plants together can help increase humidity levels.

• Be sure your containers have drainage holes and never let your plants sit in water. This can damage and rot the roots.

• Softened water is NOT recommended for watering your plants because of high sodium levels.

• Really cold water is not good for your plants. Room temperature or tepid water is the best.

• If you have fertilized plants through the summer months, little or no fertilizer is necessary during the winter.

• New to fertilizing? Visit your local garden center and ask them to recommend a product for your plants. Always READ THE LABEL and follow directions for all product applications.

The New Terrarium

I’ve been hearing an awful lot about terrariums lately. But why? Aren’t they just science projects for grade schoolers? Turns out there is a new world and fast-growing trend of terrariums that goes way beyond the local pet store’s aquarium box.

Terrariums were discovered somewhat by accident in the 1830s by Dr. Nathaniel Ward.  He watched a fern seedling and some grass growing inside an enclosed container for nearly four years, during which time not one drop of water was added, nor the cover removed. He continued his observations of other plants in containers which led to the development of “Wardian Cases.” These large cases were originally used to grow delicate plants in the home or transport them long distances.

Today, many unique containers and supplies are available for the new terrarium enthusiast. I recently came to know the work of Paula Hayes who creates original hand blown containers for her “living” artworks. Her work is exhibited by galleries, museums and private collectors around the world. At $4000 to $60,000 a pop, she’s elevated the classroom terrarium to new heights.

Perhaps it’s just a coping mechanism as we’re only half way through winter and I really miss being outdoors, but I’m suddenly on the lookout for a cool container to join the new terrarium movement. I’ve even hinted about it to a friend who just began a glass blowing class. Good thing he’s full of hot air. (Only kidding Rich)

ALL IMAGES FROM PAULAHAYES.COM