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So What Is A Gardener To Do In Winter?

Jan6

I spoke to a newly retired friend recently and she was lamenting the lack of structure in her life–and the fact that her retirement fell at the end of the gardening season so that now she had to get through the entire winter before she could garden again.

I am quite sympathetic to this plight since most of my periods of unemployment have also fallen in the winter (and to be honest, the one that did come in the summer wasn’t truly enjoyable enough that I could just sit back and enjoy it–who enjoys unemployment if it is not of one’s own making?)

So for all of us gardeners who find ourselves with extra hours in the cold and the dark this winter (or any winter) I thought I might offer some suggestions. I offer many of these same suggestions at the end of my “Putting the Garden to Bed for Winter” lecture because I suspect that garden club folks might need a little help getting through winter–as do I!

One of my suggestions is to count birds for Project FeederWatch–but that doesn’t work if you’re not into birds of course. If you are, it’s a great “citizen science project” and a great way to give back to the online science community. More information about that project can be found here. And it’s not too late to sign up for this winter.

There are many online volunteer science conservation and observation projects that you can participate in over the winter. I had my backyard certified as a habitat one winter through the National Wildlife Federation.  Not only is that fun (and you’ll probably come out feeling better about your “yard,” however it’s defined. It can even be a balcony) but you’ll learn a lot too. And you can find out what you need to do to make your yard better as well. More information is here.

If online isn’t your thing, late winter and early spring are the time when lots of plant societies are putting on symposia and flower shows. Any group that I have ever belonged to was always looking for help in that area with their various shows and symposiums and day long series of talks. A little “Googling” around ought to help you find out plenty of places to volunteer in person depending on where you live–or stop in at a local garden center. They might be able to direct you. And if not, you can still soak up some warmth and maybe come home with a new plant or two to tide you over.

Finally, there are lots of books, blogs, podcasts and the like that are always putting out the latest and greatest ways to grow things. All of the early issues of the “horticultural” magazines will have the latest and greatest new plants that are coming onto the market. The plant societies have already introduced their new varieties for 2017–some old and some new. Maybe this is the year you decide to re-vamp a garden (or several) with some new–or tried and true varieties. Winter is for dreaming–spring is for planting.

And before we all know it, it will be time to get back out into the garden!

 

 

Wordless Wednesday–Christmas Red

Dec21

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I promised no more zygocacti on Monday. But if it’s Wednesday, it must be zygocacti day. So here we go.

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Although the camera is showing these to be very orange-you, they are a true red. Very stunning. This is one of my new Logees acquisitions and it is called ‘Dark Marie.’

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This is a close up of the large flowered zygocacti I showed in the top photo. It came from a box store without a name.

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This is another of the new Logees plants. This is ‘Coral Red.’

This year my zygocacti are going all out for Christmas. Good thing I saved some amaryllis and paperwhites to get me through winter!

What to Do When a Poinsettia is Not for You?

Dec19

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I promise, no more zygocacti today at least. Yes, there are other plants you can grow this time of year in a cold house that are not poinsettias  (although I confess, every time I walk by a display of those brightly colored plants, I eye them wistfully. The glittery ones are even starting to look good to me. That’s how you know that I have poinsettia envy.)

One of the best plants for a bit of Christmas color  (and yes, I mean Christmas–the plant is red and green) is the red-leaved aglaeonema, otherwise known as a Chinese evergreen, shown in my photo above.

These stunning plants come in lots of color variations but the variations are mostly green and white. This variety with a red variation is perfect for Christmas.

What’s better is that it tolerates the cool house that I have (into the upper 50s at night and no higher than 70 at best during the day ). It also doesn’t need full sun–it prefers bright indirect light and will burn if put too near my east window.

These are generally readily available. Mine came from a box store. I have had it over 2 years and only repotted it once so far. It hasn’t had any pests since I have owned it. And it tends to keep its neat shape. I can highly recommend it.

Wordless Wednesday–Fuchsia Explosion

Dec14

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It’s Wednesday so here’s another amazing zygocacti flower. This is one from my oldest plant. I have no idea how old the plant is. It’s actually 2 small 4″ plants combined in one pot and I’ve had it maybe 2 decades or so.

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This is more of the plant. It’s in a 12″ pot, which you can barely see under the bracts and blooms.

Thank You, Santa

Dec12

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Okay, you knew this was coming, right? And I confess. Santa didn’t really come early to my house. It was our friendly mail carrier, David, who brought me these zygocacti. (Of course, the decorative outer pots are mine.)

And yes, of course they come from Logees. After rhapsodizing about some of those descriptions, how could I resist when they had a sale?

Now, while I have been assured that they will bloom this year, I do expect to lose some, if not most of the buds. These plants have just come from a toasty greenhouse, been sent through the mail (admittedly only overnight but still) and they have now arrived at my Siberian-like home. If you were a plant, wouldn’t you protest?

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Here are the plants, with others I already own, nicely nestled into the window where I grow these. I may not be able to grow those tropical, heat loving poinsettias, but these I can grow!

You may see evidence of spectacular blooms later this season. You will definitely see them in years to come.

Merry Christmas to me.

 

An Unusual Holiday Arrangement

Dec5

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Knowing how I feel about succulents, I am sure you all were surprised to see this photo. But I do like to do non-traditional things at the holidays. And my house is much too cold for those tropical heat loving poinsettias.

And I have discovered something. I did not have to take that unruly succulent to the compost heap after all. You may remember a few months back I posted about a succulent growing tall and leggy. I said that I couldn’t stand the look and that I would have to compost the plant.

You all should know me better than that by now .  Almost nothing leaves this house. I just can’t do it.

So I cut the leggy top off and stuck it back in the pot. Voila! More plants. Who knew? Maybe I do like succulents after all!