Houseplants, Part One: Basic Information

December 29, 2014 / Earth and Oils / 1 Comment

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! I can’t believe the year is almost done! Christmas was very nice this year.

I know we had a nice time, despite my little girl getting sick on Christmas day. Santa was very good to her this year.

Now that the holidays are over, and a new year is upon us, most people, gardeners included, end up hunkering down for the rest of the Winter and hiding until they see the tulips come up in Spring.

However, most people fail to think about houseplants– the gardening you focus on when the snow and cold are swirling outside! Houseplants can be fun to collect, and you can get them at a fairly reasonable price– especially the common ones.

So, what is so great about that green plant in the pot in the corner of your living room?

A lot, actually.

Houseplants:

Are great “living” home decorations. They bring a warm, homey feeling to your interior decor.
Most varieties of houseplants are very easy to maintain. Even easier than you outdoor gardens!
There are houseplants for every type of person. For example, if you are a person who is tends to forget you have plants around, there are plants that are extremely low maintenance and don’t need to be watered as much as others. If you are very attentive to your houseplants, there are many more high maintenance varieties that you will love as well!
Houseplants are healthy for your home. They work as filters for the air in your home. Experts say you should have between 10-20 houseplants in your home to keep the air you breathe clean.
They are easy to find. To be honest, most of the houseplants I own came from my local grocery store. And they are always on sale. They can be much cheaper than the chintzy little vase you paid a fortune for that does nothing to improve the look and feel of your home!

Caring for Your Houseplants

Depending on the plants you purchase, you may have to experiment for a while to see what works for them. I know I have had to move plants from one place to another before they started to really take off. Some like more light, others don’t. You can research the plants you would like to get and see what has worked for others. But don’t go crazy. If you are looking on the internet, there is a lot of information that people will throw out, but really and truly, you must listen to your gut and use COMMON SENSE. Take the information you learn and work it into your houseplant care routine. It’s really not as crazy as what people say.

For example:

“Water three times a day, with the first time being warm water, then with slightly cold water and then just regular water.” WHAT?!!

Common Sense says:

Plants can not only get too little water, but too much. They will rot and mold if water that often. Keep it simple– schedule your main watering once a week. If it’s Winter time, they tend to dry out quicker because of the heat being on. Do a soil check and you may have to water more. Just take the time to be watchful at first so you know what works for you and your home.

The next part of this series will discuss and portray common houseplants you will most likely find in your home improvement or grocery store.

So, I wish everyone a Happy New Year! Make it even better by getting a houseplant to not only chase the Winter blues away, but keep your green thumb fresh for the Spring!

Indoor Plant Kits and Some Points about the Poinsettia

December 23, 2014 / Earth and Oils / 3 Comments

Happy Holidays, everyone! I hope that your holiday season is coming along just fine! I am actually looking forward to some time off here within the next few days. It will be nice to decompress after a quick and busy December! This is one of my favorite scenes of the season:

This little Christmas tree stand right down the street from me looked so pretty with the snow we got last week!

This little Christmas tree stand on the canal right down the street looked so pretty with the snow we received last week!

A couple of weeks ago, I purchased my first indoor plant kit! You almost always see indoor plant kits/bulbs at the holidays. Two of the most common and popular are the Amaryllis and Paperwhites. Amaryllis are big, beautiful plants that are most generally grown inside. They are said to bloom quickly and easily. Hopefully, mine will as well! Paperwhites are small, beautiful delicate flowers that are, well, white. Both of these plants are very popular indoor plants that brighten up the long, dreary days of winter.

So, for $8.99 at my local garden center, I purchased this one:

Now this is a kit and was extremely easy to put together. All the instructions are on the backside of the box.

This is what is supplied to you:

You have your bulb, potting mix, pot and saucer.

Start by putting two inches of the potting mix in the pot.

2. Place the bulb in the pot and spread out the roots.

3. Take the rest of the potting mix and place around the roots of the bulb. Make sure that the top 1/3 of the bulb is exposed.

The exact reason why I need a potting soil scoop!

4. When you are done, make sure water it first with lukewarm water, and then place it in a sunny spot in your house. Make sure to keep the soil moist– do not over water.

20141222_191435

Your plant should bloom within 6-10 weeks. Enjoy, and take good care of it!

Fast facts about the Poinsettia

I love getting Poinsettia for family members, and myself, for Christmas. I really like the ones you can get in the grocery store that are purple and full of glitter! They are actually a very interesting plant with an amazing history. Here are some fun facts about this beautiful holiday plant!

They are native to Mexico and Central America— they are actually shrubs/trees that can grow up to 13 feet tall in their native environment!
There are over 100 different varieties of the Poinsettia
They are NOT poisonous— contrary to popular belief, they are NOT poisonous to your pets, though if your cat or dog did get a hold of leaf, they would have minor gastrointestinal problems. So, be sure to keep them out of reach!
It became associated with Christmas in 16th Century Mexico— the star-shaped leaves are said to symbolize the Star of Bethlehem.

I wish everyone a wonderful holiday season, and cheers to a great new year in the garden ahead!

Great Gifts for Gardeners

December 15, 2014 / Earth and Oils / Leave a comment

Now that my Christmas shopping is pretty much done, I can sit back and breathe a sigh of relief that I am two weeks ahead of the game. That’s a first for me! I am now going to sit back and enjoy what’s left of this holiday season.

Now that the gift buying is complete for everyone else, you can actually stop and think about what you would like Santa Claus to bring you! What does someone get for a gardener? A bucket of dirt? A packet of seeds? There is just the right gift for every level of gardener out there–amateur to master. Here are few ideas for gifts for every type of gardener on your gift giving list!

The Amateur, or the “You have to water this!?” Gardener

Watering Can— some of the most beautiful gardening supplies I have ever seen are a simple watering can with great design.
Gardening Gloves— being a country girl, you were considered a wuss if you wore gardening gloves. I have since learned that gloves come in very handy when pulling weeds. You can pull twice as many with gloves on!
Knee Pads— as I stated in an earlier post about planting spring bulbs, my knee pad saved my life. You can also buy knee pads that attach right to your knees.
Gardening Tools— just the basics. Just get them a “digger” and call it a day.

2. The Seasoned, or the “Yea, I Am a Gardening Expert” Gardener

Planters — the more you garden, the more you want to plant more stuff. There are beautiful planters out there to go with any decor.
Seeds— you would think an Amateur would like this, but in all actuality, they are still very new to gardening, and they would think seeds would be a lame gift. Now, for the seasoned gardener, this is like striking gold. The less you need to pay for, the better!
Garden Decorations– garden decorations of any kind will make any seasoned gardener jump for joy. Gnomes, snails, mushrooms, bird baths– bring it on!
Soaps, bath oils, etc. –– if I have been out digging in the dirt without my gloves on, I notice that my hands get really dry. There are many beautiful soaps, bath oils and salts that restore and rejuvenate your body from all the hard work you put in to your garden that day.

3. The Master, or ” I am too Sexy for My Shirt” Gardener (I’m just kidding, I just couldn’t think of anything for this one!)

Copper-Plated Tools — actually, I wouldn’t mind at least one of these for myself. Copper is a natural slug deterrent, and they do have some nice copper plated trowels, cultivators, etc. The copper is supposed to fleck off from your tools when you use them and it sends slugs running! The not so great thing is that these tools start around $60 apiece– hmm, um Santa?!
Gardening Books— master gardeners have spent a lot of time learning in and out of the garden. Why not give them something to feed their appetite for gardening know-how?
Plants, bulbs, etc. — you can give these to any level gardener, but when you have years of gardening experience under your belt, you really come to appreciate different specimens of plants and want to add to your collection!

Gifts not mentioned but worth taking into consideration:

Large brimmed hats, water bottles, pocket knives, garden boots and clogs — all very important in the gardening process.

Now, trust me, just to have some fun, I split gardeners into levels. I can tell you that anyone who is interested in gardening will love any of the above gifts. There are no designated levels of gardening, and that’s what makes it beautiful.

So, what’s on my list?

A potting soil scoop — I didn’t even know they made these until last week! I saw it in the garden center and would jump for joy if I got this for Christmas. I am sick of spilling potting soil all over when I re-pot plants.

Soap— I saw this display of soaps and thought about how nice it would be if my hands didn’t get so dried out after digging in the dirt.

Heated Bird Bath — I really want to have a bird bath for the Winter, and when I saw that they actually made heated bird baths, well, I just have to have one! I love feeding the birds in the Winter, so this may be something that will have to be a part of my yard sooner rather than later…

Plants— I turn my attention to houseplants in the Winter. (Posts to follow!) I love Ferns. I love the simple beauty they possess. Ever since I saw an alligator fern at the botanical gardens, I have wanted it. When I happened upon this at the garden nursery today, I wanted to squee with joy!

So, no matter what you gift to your favorite gardener this holiday season, it will sure to be a hit!

“Spruce” up your Winter Decorating!

December 7, 2014 / Earth and Oils / 1 Comment

I can’t believe the first week of December is already over! Unfortunately, it’s going to go much faster than I would like it to go. My work schedule is crushing me this month, so I thought I better prioritize my responsibilties a little better. I have to go out-of-town this coming week for work, so this meant I must try to get my Christmas shopping and decorations up as soon as I could, or it wasn’t going to happen at all! I am happy to say that I feel good about both tasks, so now, all I have to do is concentrate on my up coming schedule. I should be in the clear by week’s end (hopefully).

As I was running into Walmart to pick up some Christmas presents I ordered online this past Tuesday, I was very surprised, and actually a bit relieved in regards to what I had found. It was two bundles of evergreens, and it truly had made my day.

By the way, yes, it was Walmart I found these in. Normally, I would go to my farm store, but with time and schedule restraints, the supercenter that is less than five minutes from my house trumped all other options this week. I was pleasantly surprised to see they were even selling them. Thanksgiving weekend had me frantically hiking through the woods around my neighborhood to find some spruce branches, but unfortunately, there were very little for me to get.

Spruce, Fir and Pine trees are all conifers. Conifers are trees or shrubs, mostly evergreen, that have needle-like or scale-like leaves. Conifers are the quintessential Winter decoration. I love them. I decorate with them up right up until Spring. I love the look of Spruce/Pine branches with pinecones.

So, how do you tell the difference between them?

Pines— have long smooth needles that come in bundles of 2,3 or 5

Spruce– single needles are smooth and roll around in your hand

Fir– have single needles that are flat so you can’t roll them

I learned a lot about trees, especially Pine, from my father, who could tell you every different kind of tree. As a boy, he planted over 3,000+ trees for a 4-H project. Those are the woods I grew up playing in.

So now, I can finish decorating my urns out front of my house.

I got some huge ornaments that are supposed to go in a tree in your front yard, but instead I used them for my urns.

My hands were freezing! It was 29 degrees!

I inserted the hook part into the dirt in my urns to secure them from the wind. As you can see, I still had some spike plants from summer in there. I actually had to get my trowel out to get them out! The root systems were enormous!

My spike plants that I will talk more about in future posts.

I took my evergreen “bouquets” and inserted them in the urn for a “quick and dirty” holiday decoration.

I want to emphasize that creative decorating does NOT have to be expensive. Really cool decorations can be created with different items just hanging around your house! And nature, of course! I purchased these evergreen bundles for $4.87 a piece. So, I did not spend much at all.

Yes, I will be foraging for more spruce twigs as winter goes on, like I did last year while snowshoeing.

My snowshoe excursion in search of spruce and fir branches.

You can also decorate with them inside.

When decorating with spruce, pine or fir in your home, please make sure you WATER them often, or the needles will fall all over. They create quite a mess. Lesson learned from last winter!

I hope you get a chance to decorate with conifers this holiday/winter season. Just taking a walk on a snowy path through the woods to find them can be wonderful. Who doesn’t love the smell of spruce or pine in the winter? It’s very inviting and homey-feeling. Consider planting a smaller or dwarf version in your yard if you do not have a big backyard. They are an excellent example of winter interest as well!

So, quit “pining” for summer when winter has its perks as well!

Now That’s Botanic!

December 1, 2014December 1, 2014 / Earth and Oils / 1 Comment

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, I know I sure did. I really enjoy getting together with my family that I don’t get to see as much as I would like. I am grateful for all the wonderful things I have been able to do out in the garden this past year, and look forward to the many great adventures to come!

I don’t know if it is the weather, but I am slowly starting to turn my attention to the indoor gardening I like to call houseplants. In the past year, I have purchased quite a few, and I will be blogging about them in the near future. One thing I am very fortunate to have in my backyard is the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens.

The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens opened in 1900 and is one of only a few left of its kind.

If you live close to a botanical gardens, they are great to visit this time of year. When it’s cold and the snow is blowing, you can escape for a little while to another world that is lush and green and warm! Not only that, but you can get some great inspiration from a place like that! I take pictures of the plants I like and look them up on the Internet. Some of them I have found at my local nursery!

Or, you just get wowed by some of the most unusual plants in the world. In August, I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to observe a Corpse Flower bloom at the Botanical Gardens.

What is a Corpse Flower you ask?

It is the largest single blooming flower in the world. It can reach 20 feet in height!
When it blooms, it emits an order that is equated to rotting flesh, hence the name Corpse Flower. That odor is what attracts pollinators.
It takes them 7-10 years of growth before they bloom. And when they do bloom, it only lasts 24-48 hours.

Sounds awesome, right? I know some people may not like the sounds of it, but it really was awesome to see.

This is what it looked like one week before it bloomed:

Now, here is the Corpse Flower one week later. You could see all the flies that were attracted to that rotting stench!

This is just another great example of how amazing nature really is, and just what it can do for your garden aspirations. Looking “outside of the box” of gardening can breed garden creativity you can only imagine. So, get out of your garden comfort zone today to create an other-worldly garden tomorrow!