12.12.2016

Indoor Gardening - Time For Beautiful Blossoms And Wonderful Scents

It's Time to Garden...Inside
by Kay Wedel Landrum

As the song says, "O the weather outside is frightful but the fire isso delightful..." Many gardeners use winter as a time to read gardenbooks and magazines. Many people use winter as a time toevaluate what worked well this summer and to plan for the followingspring. But just because it might be cold on the outside doesn'tmean that you can't garden inside your home. Here are a few thingsyou can do inside this winter to keep your green thumb happy andwarm.Amaryllis are easy to grow and are beautiful flowers. Since mygrandmother and great aunt already had everything they needed,they always looked forward to receiving one for Christmas. Wedel'shas 20 varieties of amaryllis. We can plant one for you at the storeusing our selection of containers or you can bring in your own. Makesure to pick up a copy of our care sheet on amaryllis, too.

If you would like to plant your own at home here are some directionsfor success: The base and roots of the bulb should be placed inlukewarm water for 2 or 3 hours. Plant bulbs in a nutritious pottingmixture - we recommend Fertilome Ultimate potting mix. Plant thebulb up to its neck in the potting mix, being careful not to damagethe roots. (Do not cover the neck of the bulb.) Press the soil downfirmly to set the bulb securely in place after planting.

Plant the bulb, or place the potted bulb in a warm place with directlight since heat is necessary for the development of the stems. Theideal temperature is 68 to 70 degrees F. Water sparingly until thestem appears, then, as the bud and leaves appear, gradually watermore. At this point, the stem will grow rapidly and flowers willdevelop after it has reached full growth. Bulbs will flower in 7-10weeks as a general rule.

Another plant to grow inside this winter is rosemary. I find the scent of rosemary very stimulating and almost invigorating. Most people find that our winters are too cold for rosemary to survive outside, but they can grow well with the right care inside.

The first thing rosemary needs is light. The plant should be placed by a sunny window or near a grow-light. You will find that rosemary might not put on much growth during our winter months butthat is normal. As long as the foliage is a healthy green, your rosemary is doing fine.

The other thing rosemary needs is even moisture. Rosemary doesnot like to be too wet but should not completely dry out betweenwaterings. At the garden center, I check the rosemary even otherday for moisture and water when needed. Another thing I will do ismist the foliage about twice a week. When rosemary is outsideduring the summer, it enjoys a more humid climate than our homesprovide. I have found in the past that leaves dropping off of rosemarybrought inside for winter occurred when I did not mist the foliage.

I hope you stop by the garden center to check out the amaryllis,rosemary, other indoor bulbs and our Christmas displays. But mostof all, I hope that you and your loved ones have a blessedChristmas and a happy New Year.

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It's Time to Garden...Inside
by Kay Wedel Landrum

As the song says, "O the weather outside is frightful but the fire isso delightful..." Many gardeners use winter as a time to read gardenbooks and magazines. Many people use winter as a time toevaluate what worked well this summer and to plan for the followingspring. But just because it might be cold on the outside doesn'tmean that you can't garden inside your home. Here are a few thingsyou can do inside this winter to keep your green thumb happy andwarm.Amaryllis are easy to grow and are beautiful flowers. Since mygrandmother and great aunt already had everything they needed,they always looked forward to receiving one for Christmas. Wedel'shas 20 varieties of amaryllis. We can plant one for you at the storeusing our selection of containers or you can bring in your own. Makesure to pick up a copy of our care sheet on amaryllis, too.

If you would like to plant your own at home here are some directionsfor success: The base and roots of the bulb should be placed inlukewarm water for 2 or 3 hours. Plant bulbs in a nutritious pottingmixture - we recommend Fertilome Ultimate potting mix. Plant thebulb up to its neck in the potting mix, being careful not to damagethe roots. (Do not cover the neck of the bulb.) Press the soil downfirmly to set the bulb securely in place after planting.

Plant the bulb, or place the potted bulb in a warm place with directlight since heat is necessary for the development of the stems. Theideal temperature is 68 to 70 degrees F. Water sparingly until thestem appears, then, as the bud and leaves appear, gradually watermore. At this point, the stem will grow rapidly and flowers willdevelop after it has reached full growth. Bulbs will flower in 7-10weeks as a general rule.

Another plant to grow inside this winter is rosemary. I find the scent of rosemary very stimulating and almost invigorating. Most people find that our winters are too cold for rosemary to survive outside, but they can grow well with the right care inside.

The first thing rosemary needs is light. The plant should be placed by a sunny window or near a grow-light. You will find that rosemary might not put on much growth during our winter months butthat is normal. As long as the foliage is a healthy green, your rosemary is doing fine.

The other thing rosemary needs is even moisture. Rosemary doesnot like to be too wet but should not completely dry out betweenwaterings. At the garden center, I check the rosemary even otherday for moisture and water when needed. Another thing I will do ismist the foliage about twice a week. When rosemary is outsideduring the summer, it enjoys a more humid climate than our homesprovide. I have found in the past that leaves dropping off of rosemarybrought inside for winter occurred when I did not mist the foliage.

I hope you stop by the garden center to check out the amaryllis,rosemary, other indoor bulbs and our Christmas displays. But mostof all, I hope that you and your loved ones have a blessedChristmas and a happy New Year.