Mel Bartholomew, creator of the Square Foot Gardening method and author of the bestselling book on the subject, passed away last Thursday at the age of 85. A household term for gardeners, the Square Foot Gardening method of intense planting revolutionized backyard gardening. Green thumbs all over the world learned that you can easily grow an abundance of produce in a surprisingly small space.
With their pom-pom like vibrant blooms that come in pink, blue, white or purple, hydrangeas can’t help but light up the garden. Beginning to bud up now, these free-flowering shrubs promise to grace your outdoors from late spring into fall. Even better, this plant’s striking blooms are long-lasting and will decorate your home for weeks at a time.
To have the best luck growing hydrangeas, which can be planted now, keep the following tips in mind. Choose the planting location wisely. Hydrangeas grow best in a location with morning sun and afternoon shade—such as an eastern exposure. They can also thrive in dappled sunlight. They will not do well in heavy shade, such as under a tree or in the shadow of a structure. Also ensure that the planting location will allow the hydrangea to comfortably reach its full size, which is generally about 4×4-feet for standard-sized shrubs.
(Joey Vedders/Freeimages.com)
As serendipity would have it, I smelled my first lilacs when I was nine and had just finished reading the Nancy Drew book, The Mystery at Lilac Inn. Though I enjoyed the book’s plot, as a budding green thumb, I remember being more intrigued by the lilacs. What did they smell like, I wondered, and were they as beautiful as they looked?
To my delight, lilacs lived up to their reputation. The gorgeous lavender clusters of blooms emitted the most charming fragrance I’d ever encountered. Now is the time to plant this heavenly flowering shrub, which blooms spring through early summer. To have luck growing lilac, keep the following cultivation tips in mind. Choose the growing location carefully. Lilacs grow best in full sun. They can tolerate some shade later in the day. Ensure sufficient space for growth by checking out the mature height and spread of the species you are planting. Some lilac bushes will eventually reach 25 feet high. Lilacs prefer soil that is slightly acidic to slightly alkaline. Provide excellent drainage. Lilacs don’t do well with wet feet. Plant in a location that drains well. Test the area by digging a 12-inch-deep hole and filling it with water. If the water doesn’t drain within an hour, find another planting site, or amend with compost and pumice to improve the drainage. Once you’ve finished amending, retest the drainage.
(Mira Pavlakovic/FreeImages.com)
As kids growing up in the late 1960s and early 1970s in rural Massachusetts, I and my three sisters spent many happy hours roaming a nearby forest and snacking on wild blueberries. We’d come home after a day of foraging with blue tongues, mouths and fingers, grinning from what was no doubt an antioxidant high inspired by Mother Nature’s bounty.
Today I live in Southern California, where the alkaline soil isn’t hospitable to this acid-loving berry bush, but I am able to enjoy a blueberry bounty by growing them in containers. That means you can experience the sweet goodness of homegrown blueberries, no matter where you live. Now is the time to plant blueberry bushes. Follow these tips for growing your own delicious, antioxidant rich berries. Plant in full sun. Blueberries require a location that receives sun most of the day. Opt for a location that gets sun until at least 2 or 3 pm. Provide acidic soil. The soil pH for successful blueberry growing should be around 5.0. If the blueberry bush is grown in more alkaline soil, the plant will fail to thrive and won’t fruit. Signs that the soil is too alkaline include yellowing and dropping foliage, which is caused by the plant’s inability to take up sufficient iron. If you are unsure of the pH of your soil, perform a soil test. Most university cooperative extension offices perform soil testing, as do soil laboratories. Or you can do your own test by using a soil test kit purchased from your local nursery.
(Julia Freeman-Woolpert/Freeimages.com)
(Kelsey Johnson/Freeimages.com)
I remember well the first time I saw a columbine flower in my garden. It was years ago when I was new to gardening and had just moved into my home. Most likely planted by the previous owner, the purple, bell-shaped bloom with its brilliant yellow stamen mesmerized me.
Known for its distinctive spurred flowers that come in a wide variety of colors—from pastels to bright orange, red and purple—columbine blooms from spring through early summer. In addition to brightening up your garden, the plant attracts hummingbirds.
Hear the word geranium, and you may picture those plants native to southern African with their large, often primary colored flowers and strongly scented foliage. To be accurate, those are actually pelargoniums. True geraniums feature delicate, often variegated foliage and flowers in more muted shades of violet, blue, pink and white.
True geraniums, which are also called hardy geraniums, are versatile plants capable of growing in just about any climate. There are varieties of this plant for shade and sun. They make great groundcovers, rock garden plants and grow well in containers and perennial borders. Now is the time to plant true geraniums, which will flower from early spring into late fall. Keep the following growing tips in mind. Provide well-drained, fertile soil. Hardy geraniums require a soil that drains well, yet retains nutrients. If you live in an area with heavy clay, amend with compost to increase drainage. For sandy soil, also add compost to bulk it up.
With its wispy, soft foliage and drooping clusters of perfumed flowers, wisteria adds elegance and fragrance to the garden. Plant this eye-catching vine, and you’ll find that it takes center stage in your landscape. Most wisteria features purple-blue flowers, although there are varieties with white blooms.
Now is the perfect time to choose your wisteria and prepare for planting. Wisteria will soon be coming out of dormancy, and depending on the variety, will bloom in spring or early summer.
Compared to issues like war and climate change, gardening may seem frivolous. Yet growing flowering perennials, annuals, shrubs, vines and trees is something we can do to make the world a better place for ourselves and wildlife.
Growing a pollinator-friendly garden is an important contribution to our climate and food supply, says Rhonda Fleming Hayes, author of Pollinator Friendly Gardening: Gardening for Bees, Butterflies, and Other Pollinators. “Gardeners may even save the day,” she says. “No one garden can solve the pollinator problem, but small changes by many can have an enormous impact by providing wildlife with refuge amidst shrinking habitat.” Why Pollinators Are Vital “Pollinators are responsible for every third bite of food we take—including healthy veggies and fruits,” says Hayes. “Of the entire world’s plant species, two-thirds depend on animal pollination. Many people think of pollen as that yellow irritant that gets in their noses and on their clothes, but the truth is that pollen is magic dust, and pollinators like bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies (not house), hummingbirds and bats do the vital work of spreading that dust around.” Bees are the top pollinators, including honeybees, which are general foragers that visit a wide variety of flowers. Other types of bees that do pollinating work include bumblebees, carpenter bees, sweat bees and mason bees. Some of these other types of bees are very effective in their pollination efforts. For instance, it takes 100 honeybees to do the same work as just one mason bee.
(Rhonda Fleming Hayes)
As you observe your trees this winter and spring, put your ear to the ground and your hand on their trunks and listen. What you hear may enlighten you and help ensure that your trees stay strong and healthy, no matter what weather comes along.
With the volatile cold winter weather in some parts of the country, tornadoes in others and the unseasonably warm weather and drought in parts of the west, many trees have suffered in recent months, says Jim Conroy, who has a doctorate in Plant Pathology from Purdue University and previously worked as an executive at top agricultural-chemical companies. Today, he is cofounder of The Institute for Cooperative BioBalance (IfCBB) and creator of Tree Whispering, a product-free method he devised to save ailing trees and keep them healthy. “Trees are confused right now,” says Conroy. “They need enough moisture in their buds to keep them from desiccating, and they don’t want those buds to freeze, as this will lead to decreased or no buds at all come spring. Other common problems seen with trees now and in the spring include loss of branches, late leafing out and slow development.” So what can you do when Mother Nature confuses your trees? Conroy suggests taking a leaf from his book and using your intuition to “whisper” to them. He is an authority on nature-based communication, healing trees and plants with a holistic approach that focuses on restoring their inner workings. “The word whisper generally means to speak softly and privately with another,” says Basia Alexander, co-founder of IfCBB. “Whispering with horses, dogs and babies became popular in the 1990s.” “Tree whispering is a profound experience of mutual connection with the life force of a plant,” explains Conroy, author of Tree Whispering: A Nature Lover’s Guide to Touching, Healing, and Communicating with Trees, Plants, and All of Nature. “When I touch a tree, I feel the bark, but I also feel a flow of power, like a current, moving from the roots to the branches and leaves. This force gives me details about the tree’s inner health in ways that conventional science and technology cannot.” Trees require a balance of moisture to keep their buds healthy, and extreme weather can imbalance them, so Conroy will work to balance moisture content. “I call it getting in touch with the growth energy of trees and plants,” he says. “Anyone can do it.”
If you want to add zing and zest to your next salad, sandwich, pasta or stir-fry, try some homegrown arugula. This tangy star ingredient in mesclun salad mixes is a quick and easy grower.
Native to Southern Europe, arugula can be grown most of the year and even indoors. It does best in the cooler weather of late winter and early spring. Arugula seed germinates quickly and grows readily. Plant seed now and you’ll be munching on this zesty salad green in as little as three to four weeks. The plant is an annual that will last two to four months before going to seed. Once it begins to flower, the leaves become bitter, so it’s best to keep the flowers pinched off. Also keep in mind that the warmer the weather, the stronger the taste.
(Julie Bawden-Davis)
Outdoor entertaining may be on hold right now while Old Man Winter makes himself at home in your garden, but don’t let that stop you from daydreaming about your next garden get together. As a matter of fact, now is a great time to plan how you’ll furnish your outdoor space so that you, family and friends flock to the garden when the weather warms.
Flowering plants that keep on giving say “I love you” louder and longer than your standard Valentine’s gifts. Give that special someone a flowering houseplant, and your sweetheart will think of you often.
“A live houseplant for that someone special on Valentine’s Day is a unique and personalized gift that allows you to pick just the right flower for that person,” says Costa Farms’ garden expert Justin Hancock, who recommends the following blooming beauties for your beloved. African Violet These easy-to-grow flowering houseplants offer a wide variety of bloom colors, including cranberry, pink, purple, coral, mauve, lavender and white. Some blooms are variegated with spotting and striping. The plant features single or double flowers, with some ruffled or fringed. Provide African violets with bright, indirect light. A northern facing window is ideal. Keep the soil moist, but not soggy, and fertilize monthly with a well-balanced, organic fertilizer. These plants prefer high humidity, so place African violets on a humidity tray. Anthurium Few plants are as perfect as anthurium for Valentine’s Day. This beauty features heart-shaped leaves and flowers. The blooms come in shades of pink and red, as well as purple, white and coral.
Red Arthurium (Costa Farms)
In his 1984 book, Biophilia, well-known evolutionary biologist E. O. Wilson focuses on our natural affinity to life and how it binds us with all living things—including plants. While many gardeners can certainly feel this affinity outdoors, there are forward thinking companies such as Plantscapers Inc. that recognize our innate desire to connect with plants indoors, as well.
Since 1981, the company has designed, installed and maintained interior plantscapes for businesses and residences. “Our company is made up of dedicated, creative people who love plants and believe in a changing world that is finally embracing the symbiotic relationship that exists between humans and nature,” says the company’s founder and CEO, Julie Davis Farrow. A couple of years ago, Davis Farrow discovered an ideal way to surround her clients with nature’s bounty indoors by installing living walls, which are walls covered in indoor plants. The living walls that Davis Farrow installs can be seen from all vantage points of a room and make you feel as if you’re surrounded by greenery. “Indoor living walls are on the cutting edge of design in the architectural community. Other indoor plant setups, such as tall floor plants, can be impressive, but they aren’t always noticeable throughout a room’s design. Living walls create a presence in a room. When they are lighted properly, they act as living art pieces and are eye-catching conversation starters,” says Davis Farrow, whose living walls are in locations such as Houzz corporate headquarters and whose work will be showcased at Modernism Week in Palm Springs February 11th – 21st. Living walls also provide health benefits by cleaning the air, and they are an easy way to fit plants into tight indoor spaces. Here Davis Farrow answers questions about indoor living walls. What conditions do indoor living walls require to thrive?“They need good light. Track LED lights from above are recommended. They also require adequate air circulation.” 
(Plantscapers Inc. )
(Plantscapers Inc. )
(Plantscapers Inc. )
Tired of taking houseplants that require bright light to your dimly lit home and watching them eventually wither away? If so, it’s time to get real and introduce some low light plants to your indoor garden.
Most likely Murphy’s Law is at play here. It seems that indoor gardeners who long to fill their homes with houseplants somehow end up with less than ideal lighting conditions. You can brighten up your indoor garden with artificial lighting, but an even easier route is to choose plants that like things on the dim side. Fortunately, there are several indoor plants that do well when lighting conditions are less than ideal. Many of these houseplants originated on the shaded floors of the jungle, so they thrive in such conditions. Low Light Really a Problem? If you bring plants that require bright light into a dimly lit home and have luck with them for a time, you might think that improper lighting conditions aren’t your problem. The truth is they are. Houseplants will seem to do well in dimly lit conditions for a while, because when they receive sufficient light, they build light stores. Once placed in poor lighting conditions, though, these plants begin to pull from their light stores to survive. Eventually light stores are depleted, and it’s then that houseplants begin to drop leaves and look sickly. Unsure if you have dimly lit conditions for houseplants? Besides watching plants eventually lose leaves and fail to flower, you can also determine low light by the orientation of your home. If your house has more north-facing windows and/or those windows facing south, east and west are obstructed outside by plants and structures, then you most likely have low light in your home. If you want to get an accurate idea of the light levels in your house, measure the availability of light with a light meter. The following nine houseplants for low light are sure to brighten up your indoor garden. When fertilizing, use a well-balanced, organic fertilizer. Arrowhead Plant (Syngonium podophyllum) This tropical plant tends to trail or can be trained to climb. Bright light will burn the leaves and make them yellow, so it thrives in low light. Provide rich, well-draining soil and water when the top inch of soil has dried out. Fertilize every three months.
Arrowhead Plant (Julie Bawden-Davis)(Costa Farms)
Peace Lily (Julie Bawden-Davis)
Pothos (Julie Bawden-Davis)
Sansevieria (Julie Bawden-Davis)
Now that we’re officially in the dark and stormy days and nights of winter, gardeners find a funny thing happening to their green thumbs—they start twitching. In many areas of the country, the weather outside may make gardening impossible, but that doesn’t still the desire to feel dirt on our hands and watch plants grow.
The good news is that we can grow houseplants indoors at any time of the year and any time of the day or night. And this week, which began with National Houseplant Day, is the perfect time to enjoy some horticultural therapy with indoor growing. The secret to a successful indoor tilling experience is to choose the right plants in the first place. The family-owned business, Costa Farms, which grows indoor and outdoor plants, has a collection of 400 indoor plants known as the Exotic Angel line. Here are a few of the eye-catching, easy-to-grow members of the collection. Hoya Commonly known as the wax plant because of its thick waxy, fragrant flowers, this vining plant is easy to grow indoors. It makes an ideal hanging basket plant, as its stems readily trail. You can also grow it upright on a trellis. The variety pictured here has unique twisted foliage that is particularly eye-catching. To have luck growing hoya, avoid overwatering. Let the first 2 inches of soil dry out before soaking. You are better to err on the side of dry with this plant, as overwatering will quickly lead to fungal disease and root rot. In order to flower, the plant requires medium to bright light. You can grow it in low light, but you won’t get many flowers. Fertilize every three months with a well-balanced organic fertilizer.
Hoya (Costa Farms)
Purple Passion Plant (Julie Bawden-Davis)Ponytail Palm (Costa Farms)
Alternanthera (Julie Bawden-Davis)
Looking for last-minute gifts for the gardeners in your life? We green thumbs are generally fairly easy to satisfy. Just give presents that allow us to do one or more of the following, and you’ll be on our green list.
(Native Cast)
(Longfield Gardens)
Jeff Price Solar-Powered Garden Light (Jeff Price)
Jeff Price Solar-Powered Garden Lights (Jeff Price)
If you’re gifted with a cyclamen this holiday season or happen to pick one of these beauties up, it’s good to know that you can keep the plant blooming indoors throughout the holiday season and even beyond. These perennial flowering plants bloom throughout the winter months and with some care do well indoors.
Technically tubers, like potatoes, cyclamen create distinctive flowers often described as resembling shooting stars. Blooms come in a variety of vibrant colors, including red, white, pink, salmon, lavender and yellow. The heart-shaped, gray-green leaves are often variegated with silvery, mottled patterns. About 20 species of cyclamen exist, but Cyclamen persicum is the most widely available and tends to grow well indoors. The plant is native to mountainous areas of the Mediterranean, as well as Europe, North Africa and western Asia. Horticulturists believe that the Persians first cultivated the plant 3,000 years ago. The word cyclamen comes from Greek, and the plant was used for medicinal purposes by the Greek military and surgeons.
Cyclamen (Julie Bawden-Davis)
Gardeners who like using nature’s bounty to decorate their homes for the holidays know the secret to elevating those homegrown designs to art is getting a little help from their local florist. A good florist offers supplementary materials to make your designs pop and expert advice on the secrets to creating gorgeous home décor items like centerpieces and wreaths.
Korie Mulleady is co-owner with her mother, Kate, of The Enchanted Florist. In addition to being on hand at the shop to answer any questions, Mulleady regularly shares her vast knowledge of floral design by performing demonstrations on topics like wreath making. Here she shares her secrets for creating your own fresh-from-the-garden wreath. Create your wreath base. It’s possible to use cuttings from the garden to make your own wreath form. “Good materials to use for a wreath base that dry well include cuttings from eucalyptus, grape vine, peach and plum trees and Manzanita,” says Mulleady. “Use one material or combine them.” If you don’t have sufficient cuttings from the garden, it’s possible to get preserved birch branch, curly willow and mossy branch, the latter of which is covered in attractive green lichen.
You might think that pests and diseases are the reason houseplants don’t survive, but the truth is that improper watering is usually the source of houseplant demise. Not watering your indoor garden or watering it too much is likely to lead to death or failure to thrive. To keep your houseplants as healthy as possible, follow these tips.
Know your houseplants. When to water will vary according to the plant type. Some plants, like maidenhair fern, must be kept continually moist, while others, like succulents, need to go dry between waterings. Most houseplants require watering when the top 2 to 3 inches of soil has dried out. Thicker leaved houseplants can go longer between watering than thin leaved ones. Pay attention. Plants that require watering will do what is known as flagging when they require watering. This refers to the point where the leaves lose their sheen and wilt ever so slightly. Watering at that point is ideal. Wait another 12 to 24 hours, however, and the plant will be wilting badly and at that point it could be too late. Avoid watering schedules. It might seem like a good idea to water your houseplants once a week, but the truth is that watering on a specific day every week can result in overwatering. Water only when the plant needs it. Check before watering. Even if a plant is wilting, check the soil before watering. Wilting leaves can also mean that a plant has developed root rot. If you add more water to wet soil, you will most likely kill the plant. To check for water readiness, stick your finger into the soil up to the first knuckle. Only water if the soil is dry. It’s also possible to use a moisture meter, which is a pronged metal instrument you stick into the soil and get a reading as to if the plant is ready for water. Picking up a plant is also effective. If the pot is light, it’s time to water. Ensure drainage. Houseplants require excellent drainage to thrive. See that all containers have drainage holes and that they aren’t blocked. The soil should also be well-draining, containing perlite or pumice. Consider time of year. Water consumption for houseplants slows down considerably during the winter months, whereas hot summer days will cause your plants to drink more. Keep in mind, however, that the dry air created by heating in the winter can dry houseplants out more quickly—especially hanging containers. Watering methods. Always use tepid to warm water to irrigate houseplants. Cold water can cause leaf spotting and damage roots. Either water your houseplants from above by running water through the soil until the plant is soaked, or fill a container that is slightly larger than the plant pot with water and then submerge the pot in the container. Wait until the houseplant soil is completely soaked. This latter method is your best approach if you’ve allowed a plant to dry out too much. Avoid wet roots. Ensure that none of your houseplants sit with wet roots for long. Make sure to empty water from plant saucers once the plant drains to avoid the bottom of the pot sitting in water. A good way to do this is with a turkey baster. Julie Bawden-Davis is a garden writer and master gardener, who since 1985 has written for publications such as Organic Gardening, Wildflower, Better Homes and Gardens and The Los Angeles Times. She is the author of seven books, including Reader’s Digest Flower Gardening, Fairy Gardening, The Strawberry Story, and Indoor Gardening the Organic Way, and is the founder of HealthyHouseplants.com.
The next time you open a packet of seeds to plant, consider the journey the seeds took to get to your garden. Thanks to the work of dedicated seed companies like Renee’s Garden, more flavorful and better growing veggies, herbs and flowers are available to gardeners every year.
Veteran seed expert Renee Shepherd, who founded Renee’s Garden in 1998 and prior to that in 1985 started Shepherd’s Garden Seeds, spends a minimum of two years trialing plants before introducing them to her customers. The process, which starts with identifying varieties of interest and then growing them and trying them out, ensures that the seeds she carries produce the best possible results.
To choose her seeds, Shepherd starts by identifying potential varieties in one of two ways—from seed growers or observing what is trending in the food world.
“Every year at the end of January, big seed growers from all over the world meet with seed vendors and producers to discuss new, promising introductions,” says Shepherd, who is introducing for the 2016 season a split petal 19th century heirloom nasturtium that she found through an English seed grower.
“We also look at what’s trending in the food world,” says Shepherd, author of three cookbooks books, including her latest, The Renee’s Garden Cookbook: Delicious Recipes for Everyday Cooking With Growing Advice for Kitchen Gardeners. “For instance, kale has been very popular in recent years, so we added some cut-and-come-again varieties of the vegetable this past season. The same goes for root vegetables, which are being used by more and more chefs. For that reason we’ve added plants like celeriac (celery root) and parsnips and will be adding rutabaga.”
This coming 2016 season Shepherd is also carrying Hestia Brussels sprouts, which produce a high yield of crunchy, bright green sprouts, as well as beans for containers known as Mascotte and Five Color Rainbow Beets.
Rather than focus on quantity, Shepherd always pinpoints quality. All of the plants undergo a rigorous trial process, which includes being grown out in conditions likely to be found in home gardens. The plant trials take place in central California and on the east coast in Vermont. If the plants thrive and produce well, then Shepherd tries cooking with the vegetables and herbs and making bouquets with the flowers.
“Many plants grow well in perfect conditions. By growing them in various microclimates that you would find in the backyard and on two different coasts, we make sure the plants will thrive in just about any garden,” says Shepherd, who uses all organic gardening practices. “It’s not enough, though, for the plants to thrive. The resulting herb or vegetable must be tasty, and flowers should make beautiful bouquets.”
Shepherd also doesn’t sell vegetables or herbs just because they’re a novelty. “They have to taste delicious, and we try to add varieties in beautiful, rich colors, because the more color, the more antioxidants in the vegetables and the more nutritional benefit.”
Shepherd and her crew keep a database of everything they have growing, including where the original seed came from, why they’re growing it, how it grows and how well it tastes. Their growing experiences with the plants also enables them to offer detailed growing advice, which is included on their decorative seed packets.
Julie Bawden-Davis is a garden writer and master gardener, who since 1985 has written for publications such as Organic Gardening, Wildflower, Better Homes and Gardens and The Los Angeles Times. She is the author of seven books, including Reader’s Digest Flower Gardening, Fairy Gardening, The Strawberry Story, and Indoor Gardening the Organic Way, and is the founder of HealthyHouseplants.com.
Growing an avocado tree from a pit is a fun activity for kids and adults. But what do you do with the little tree once it sprouts and fills up the jar with roots? If you’re like many indoor avocado tree growers, you may let the plant languish in the water without a clue as to what to do next.
The good news is that it’s easy to transplant an avocado tree into soil where it will grow into an attractive indoor tree you can enjoy for years to come. And in most cases, the plant will thrive even if it’s been sitting in water for months. Here’s how to transplant your avocado tree. Choose a container. Select a pot with drainage holes that is twice the size of the avocado tree’s root ball. Avoid planting in a container that is too large, as that will quickly lead to root rot and plant death. Glazed ceramic and plastic containers are good choices. Terracotta is porous and dries out too quickly. Prepare potting soil. Use a well-draining, rich, organic potting soil. Add water to the soil so that it is moist, but not soggy. You should be able to make a ball out of the soil that crumbles easily. Add nutrients. Mix into the potting soil ¼-cup worm castings and a starter fertilizer, such as a 2-3-2, according to package directions. Plant. Fill the pot ½ to 2/3 of the way with potting soil. Nestle the avocado tree roots into the soil, fanning them out. Continue filling the pot until the soil just covers the root ball and pit. Gently firm the soil. Leave ¼ inch between the top of the soil and the rim of the container. This prevents soil from overflowing out of the pot when you water. Water well. Soak the pot with lukewarm water. Don’t water again until the top inch of soil has dried out. It may be a week or more before the plant requires watering. Locate in bright light. Grow the plant in a sunny window in an eastern or southern exposure. If you don’t have sufficient light for the tree, place the plant under full-spectrum lighting, which can be found for all types of light fixtures. To see how this repotting procedure is done, check out this video on how to plant an avocado tree grown from a pit. Julie Bawden-Davis is a garden writer and master gardener, who since 1985 has written for publications such as Organic Gardening, Wildflower, Better Homes and Gardens and The Los Angeles Times. She is the author of seven books, including Reader’s Digest Flower Gardening, Fairy Gardening, The Strawberry Story, and Indoor Gardening the Organic Way, and is the founder of HealthyHouseplants.com.
Now that cool weather has set in and heaters are turning on and drying out your indoor air, chances are your plants are experiencing low humidity and the problems that come with lack of moisture in the air.
If your houseplant foliage is curling and experiencing brown leaf tips or dropping, you may have an insufficient humidity level. Many houseplants come from the jungle where the air is heavy with humidity. Heaters and cold, dry weather tend to suck the moisture out of indoor air. Many houseplants will survive in dry air, but they do much better with additional humidity. Some indoor plants suffer more than others when the air is parched, such as orchids, fittonia, anthurium, African violets and peace lily. To ensure that your houseplants have sufficient humidity, keep the following tips in mind. Test the humidity levels in your home. A hygrometer or humidity meter is an instrument that measures the moisture level in your indoor air. You want the humidity level to be at least 45 percent for the health of most houseplants. The humidity in your home depends on a variety of factors, such as where you live. Coastal homes tend to be more humid than those that are inland and certain states are much more humid than others. If you discover that your humidity level is lower than 45 percent in your home, in order to have healthy houseplants, you want to provide additional humidity. Here are three ways to do that. You can try one way or all simultaneously. Mist. Except for fuzzy-leaved plants like African violets, houseplants do well with regular misting, which humidifies the air around plants and can discourage certain plants, like spider mites. Use a spray bottle that delivers a fine mist and filtered or bottled water, as it is less likely to cause water spotting on the foliage. If possible, mist at least once a day, as the effects tend to be short-lived. Use a humidity tray: Placing plants above water causes a situation where the water evaporates and simultaneously humidifies the surrounding air. To create a humidity tray, fill a waterproof bowl with gravel or marbles. Add water to the container, stopping when the water level is just below the surface of the gravel or marbles. Place the plant on top, ensuring that the bottom of the pot doesn’t sit on water, as this can lead to root rot.
Humidity tray (Julie Bawden-Davis)
When I ordered my first bulbs years ago, I tore open the package with visions of eye-popping blooms dancing in my head. The papery husked orbs I pulled out of the bag in no way resembled the vibrant flowers I’d seen in the bulb catalog, though. A bit disconcerted at the incongruity, I shrugged off my concerns and planted them, enjoying an incredible bulb display the following spring.
“Bulbs are a leap of faith,” says Christian Curless, horticulturist for Colorblends.com, which provides bulbs to landscape professionals and home gardeners nationwide. “You fantasize over mouthwatering photos and place your order, but what you get appears to be lifeless stones. You close your eyes and try to remember the photos and then you plant. After months of waiting and sometimes forgetting what you planted where, your leap of faith is finally rewarded when sprouts spring from the barren ground. The flowers that eventually open are so incredible that they’re beyond the ability of the camera to capture accurately.” Coloring and painting your garden with bulbs is much like composing music, says Curless. “The bulbs are like instruments in an orchestra. There are the big, bold tulips, which make up the brass section. Think of the daffodils as the strings. Include hyacinths and you have percussion instruments with their sweet scent. The fun in making a spring composition is in selecting from the broad range of colors and bloom times to make something that brings the garden to life over many weeks while the surrounding landscape is still stretching and rubbing its figurative eyes after winter.”
(colorblends.com)
Commonly called wax plant because of its waxy, fragrant flowers, Hoya carnosa makes an eye-catching houseplant. When it flowers, the blooms emit a sweet scent, usually at night. Even when not in bloom, its thick, shiny, variegated foliage decorates your indoor garden.
Native to southern India and also found throughout eastern Asia and Australia, hoya was named in honor of Thomas Hoy, gardener to the Duke of Northumberland, a county in northeast England. His good friend, Scottish botanist Robert Brown, anointed the plant with his name in honor of his 40 years of work at the garden. There are about 100 species of hoya, but one of the most popular for indoor growing is Hoya carnosa. This selection features rounded clusters of small, star-shaped flowers that come in pink and white, purple and yellow. Many have variegated foliage. It is a vining plant featuring trailing or climbing stems that reach two to four feet long indoors. Hoya is ideal for growing in hanging baskets or draping over the edges of pots from an elevated location. The stems can also be secured to a structure, such as a trellis, and trained to grow upwards. Wax plant will grow outdoors in the mild climates of USDA zones 10-12, but otherwise must be grown indoors. For the best luck, keep the following growing tips in mind. Plant in well-draining potting soil. A loose soil that retains water yet drains well is the ideal growing medium for hoya. Keep in mind that hoyas bloom best when pot bound, so wait to repot until roots are coming out of the bottom of the pot and water rushes through the container quickly. Pot up in a container that is just one size larger. Water properly. Hoya is susceptible to root rot when grown in perpetually soggy soil. Allow the top 2 to 3 inches of soil to dry out before watering. When you water, let the water run through the bottom of the pot. Place in bright light. In order to flower and not become bothered by pests, like mealy bugs, hoya must be grown in a bright location. Locate the plant in front of an eastern window or a couple of feet away from a southern window. If your home lacks sufficient lighting from outdoors, place hoya near full spectrum artificial lighting, which comes in bulbs for all types of light fixtures. It is important not to move a hoya once in bloom, as this often causes the flowers and buds to drop off. Also don’t remove the vine on which the plant flowered, as new buds will form on that stalk. Keep away from drafts. Breezy conditions, such as near a heating or air-conditioning vent or next to a door, won’t harm the foliage of hoya, but it can cause buds and flowers to drop off prematurely. Fertilize regularly. Feed hoya monthly spring through fall with a well-balanced, organic fertilizer. Julie Bawden-Davis is a garden writer and master gardener, who since 1985 has written for publications such as Organic Gardening, The American Gardener, Wildflower, Better Homes and Gardens and The Los Angeles Times. She is the author of seven books, including Reader’s Digest Flower Gardening, Fairy Gardening, The Strawberry Story Series, and Indoor Gardening the Organic Way, and is the founder of HealthyHouseplants.com.
Watching a tree in your landscape deteriorate and die is heartbreaking—especially if the tree has become a cherished fixture in your yard. This scenario is all too common when the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) attacks.
One of the most destructive forest pests ever discovered in North America, EAB (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire) is a highly invasive beetle native to Asia. Originally discovered in Michigan near Detroit in 2002, this small, metallic green pest has killed tens of millions of ash trees in many states, leaving entire city treescapes destroyed. The adult beetle doesn’t do much damage eating ash foliage, but its larvae decimate trees by feeding just under the bark and disrupting the tree’s flow of water and nutrients. Until recently, there wasn’t much that could be done to prevent ash trees from dying once hit by EAB. Thanks to pioneering research done by the Davey Tree Expert Company, there’s now a way to detect the condition much earlier. When the infestation is detected and treated within the first year, ash trees often can be saved. This is good news for the nation’s seven billion ash trees that are potentially at risk if not treated, says Anand Persad, PhD., manager of arboriculture and plant sciences for the Davey Tree Expert Company. He directed a research study of 700 ash trees in Ohio that took place from 2008-2012. Persad found that infected trees break at the top of the tree first, but this is difficult to see from the ground and at that point the trees appear to otherwise be healthy. By the time it’s clear they’re sick, which is usually after two to three years of infestation, it’s often too late to save them. The initial means of detecting EAB relied on seeing a thinning canopy and exit holes from the trunk created when the larvae become beetles and fly off. Persad’s research uncovered earlier signs. Whereas when healthy tree limbs break, it occurs close to the trunk; trees infected by EAB have branches that break midway. Early diagnosis can be made by looking for telltale cracks in these areas, especially after stormy weather. Several treatment options that protect ash trees are available, says Persad. Proactively treat with a systemic product that repels the egg laying or kills larvae that hatch and are trying to bore into the tree, or use the systemic product curatively after EAB has been detected but the canopy has not thinned by more than one-third. Cover-sprays can also be applied to branches and trunks when the adult EAB are active and flying around. If you have an ash tree and live in an area affected by EAB, keep an eye out for symptoms of infestation, including bark splitting, small branch and twig failures, wood peckers and thinning canopies. “If EAB is in your area, it’s wise to have your trees inspected and proactively treated with a systemic product,” says Persad. “Treatment over the course of several years may be a fraction of the cost of removal, and you still enjoy the full benefits of the tree.”
A young ash tree with EAB damage (Davey Tree Expert Company)
With fall tree planting season soon arriving, it’s time to choose some new additions for your landscape. The next few weeks are the ideal time to plant trees in your yard.
“September and October are the best planting months for trees,” says Tammy Sons of the Tree Nursery Company. “Autumn has mild planting days with fewer pests, which allows trees to more easily establish themselves,” says Sons. “Get your trees in the ground now, and they’ll put down a strong root system prior to the winter months, resulting in healthy, vibrant growth come spring.” The options are many when it comes to deciding what trees to plant in your yard. Here are three general categories to get you started on planning an attractive landscape full of robust trees. Shade trees. With their fluid, sweeping forms and ability to provide coverage to humans and wildlife, shade trees are a must have in every yard. Well-placed shade trees are an environmentally responsible choice, as they can substantially reduce the need for air-conditioning in nearby buildings. The best location for planting shade trees is the west side of the home or yard, as this receives the harshest and hottest of the sun’s rays. Some popular shade trees to consider include maple, willow, black gum, green ash, sycamore, beech, box elder, oak, cottonwood, sourwood, sweetgum, hackberry, poplar, locust, paw paw, birch, aspen and planetree. Flowering trees. Blooms in the yard are always a welcome sight, and they’re especially striking when they cover the expanse of a tree’s canopy. Many flowering trees provide a stunning display of blooms for a month or longer each year. For maximum impact, locate blooming trees where you can see them from either inside your house or from the street. Eye-catching flowering trees to include in your yard include dogwood, crepe myrtle, tulip poplar, Cleveland pear, redbud, red buckeye, serviceberry, mimosa, cherry, cassia and crabapple. Conifers. Easy to maintain and generally evergreen, conifers give a woodsy feel to any yard. They also offer a chance to create a fast-growing privacy hedge or screen, and they’re great at buffering noise. Some are also excellent candidates for topiary. Locate these trees anywhere you wish to create a forest feel. Various conifers that make good additions to the yard include pine, hemlock, cedar, fir, spruce, cypress, yew and juniper. Before choosing a tree for your yard, keep a few things in mind. First, make certain you have the space for whatever tree you choose. Trees are like puppies. They look cute and small when they are young, but they do grow and will take up more and more room. Consider the eventual size of the tree in relation to your property. Also make certain that the tree is the right one for your climate. Evergreen or deciduous? As their name suggests, evergreen trees stay green throughout the year. This is a bonus if the area in which you want the tree requires year-round coverage and shade. (Note that evergreen isn’t synonymous with no leaf litter. Evergreen trees drop leaves all year). Deciduous trees, on the other hand, shed most of their leaves once a year—generally in the fall. They remain bare throughout the late fall and winter months. A deciduous tree is an ideal choice for an area that you want shaded in summer and warmed by the sun’s rays in winter, such as near your home. Many deciduous trees are also show-stoppers with their eye-catching displays of colorful fall foliage
Enraptured with veggies you grew this spring and summer and want to preserve the magic? Try saving seed from your favorites. When you save your own seed, you have a much better chance of repeating the same harvest next season. Saving seed allows you to create your own dependable crops for years to come.
Seed packets didn’t exist years ago. Our ancestors saved seed and passed it on from generation to generation. Today, organizations like Native Seeds/SEARCH and Seed Savers Exchange continue the tradition of saving heirloom seeds so that various plants don’t become extinct and can be preserved indefinitely, creating a living legacy. You can also save seed if you keep a few tips in mind. Before you start saving seed, it’s important that you understand the difference between hybrid and open-pollinated plants and their seed. Hybridized plants are those that breeders have created by crossing two different plant parents. They do this to use desirable traits from each plant to create an even better plant. Don’t bother saving seed from such plants, though, as the results when you sprout the seed won’t be like the plant in your garden. The resulting plant may even look or taste odd. (I once saved the seed from a hybrid tomato and grew a tomato plant the following season. I ended up with a tomato plant bursting with yummy-looking fruit that actually tasted like I think used motor oil would.) Only save seed from what are known as heirloom or open-pollinated plants, which produce seed that becomes viable when it is pollinated by insects or wind. Such seed, which is what organizations like those named above are saving, grow true to form every time. Some indicators of hybrid plants are when they are labeled as F-1 or hybrid, either on the plant label or seed packet. If the seed description says that the plant is an heirloom, then there’s a good chance you have an open-pollinated variety that can be successfully saved. Some veggies that tend to generally be heirloom include beans, lettuce and peppers. Almost all corn varieties are hybrid. Other veggies, like tomatoes, tend to come in both types. Saving seed will vary according to the type of veggie or fruit, but there are a few constants to keep in mind. Wait. In order for seed to be viable, it must be mature. That means it’s necessary to leave the seed in the veggie or fruit until it dries or rots on the vine. Wait until cucumbers are yellow and lightweight, squash is overgrown and yellowed and tomatoes are beginning to rot. Bean and pea pods should be brown and dry. For root crops like lettuce, parsley and carrots, wait until they flower above ground and their seed heads brown and dry. Harvest. Once the veggie is ready, remove and dry the seeds. For plants like tomatoes, cucumbers and squash, cut out the seeds and separate them from their pulp by washing them clean with cold water. Pat the seeds dry and then lay them on paper towels to air dry at room temperature away from bright light. For seed grown in pods, like peas and beans, open the pods and pull out the seeds. To save small seed grown in seed heads, like lettuce, shake the heads into a paper sack. Store. Once seed is completely dry, keep it viable by storing it away from moisture and heat. Place the seed in a labeled envelope and put it in a screw top jar in a cool, dry location, such as the back of a pantry. Use the seed the following season, if possible, as seed viability drops after a year. Julie Bawden-Davis is a garden writer and master gardener, who since 1985 has written for publications such as Organic Gardening, The American Gardener, Wildflower, Better Homes and Gardens and The Los Angeles Times. She is the author of seven books, including Reader’s Digest Flower Gardening, Fairy Gardening, The Strawberry Story Series, and Indoor Gardening the Organic Way, and is the founder of HealthyHouseplants.com.
Graceful and elegant, orchids create stunning focal points in the home. If you want to try growing them in your indoor garden, your best choice is Phalaenopsis. Commonly known as moth orchid, because its flowers perch along its stems and look like moths in flight, Phalaenopsis come in a variety of colors, including yellow, pink, lavender and white.
Moth orchids tend to bloom spring through fall as houseplants, and their flowers last for two to three months at a time. To experience a long-lasting orchid show in your indoor garden, keep the following growing tips in mind. Watch temperatures. Originating in the jungles of the Philippines, moth orchids do best in temperatures ranging from 62 to 85 degrees F. Keep them away from cold, drafty areas of the home during the winter months. Provide bright light. In their natural habitat, moth orchids grow in trees in the jungle where they receive bright light but no direct sunlight. To replicate these conditions indoors, keep moth orchids in a bright area of the home, such as an eastern or southern window, or under full-spectrum lighting. Determine if a moth orchid is receiving the correct amount of light by examining the leaf color. Light yellow leaves mean too much light and deep green leaves signify too little light. Yellow-green leaves indicate that the plant is receiving just the right amount of light. Check for crown rot. Moth orchids are epiphytic plants that grow upside down suspended from trees in the jungle. When grown as houseplants, you cultivate them in bark, which keeps them erect. Growing them in this way causes them to become susceptible to deadly crown rot. Prevent this by not overwatering. Water correctly. Moth orchids are accustomed to moist conditions, so keep the bark on the moist side. How often to water depends on the season and temperatures in your home. The bark will dry out more quickly in hot, dry weather. You know it’s time to rewater when the plan becomes lightweight. Provide humid conditions. Moth orchids require moist air like found in the jungle. Create a humidity tray for your orchid by filling a waterproof tray with gravel or marbles and adding water to just below the surface. Place the phalaenopsis container on top of this. Evaporation from the water creates humid conditions surrounding the plant. Fertilize orchids regularly. Feed moth orchids a ¼-strength solution of orchid food on a weekly basis when you water. Under-fertilizing results in poor flowering, whereas too much food can burn orchid roots. Prune spent orchid blooms. Once a flower stalk stops blooming, the plant will bud up and bloom in about three months if you cut the stalk off between the third and fourth node up from the base of the plant. The nodes are bumps on the stalk where new branches and buds will form. Keep repeating this process and the plant will continue to re-bloom. Repot orchids periodically. Repot moth orchids in new bark every one to two years when the bark has started to break down and decompose. Put the plant in a new pot when it isn’t in bloom, because repotting during flowering can cause the blooms to fall off prematurely. Between repotting, let the spongy moth orchid roots grow out over the edge of the pot. In their native habitat they use the roots to crawl throughout trees and to absorb water. Keep an eye out for orchid pests. Mealybugs tend to infest orchids. Treat by spraying with 70 percent isopropyl alcohol. Let the alcohol dry and then rinse the dried up pests off with water.
Julie Bawden-Davis is a garden writer and master gardener, who since 1985 has written for publications such as Organic Gardening, Wildflower, Better Homes and Gardens and The Los Angeles Times. She is the author of seven books, including Reader’s Digest Flower Gardening, Fairy Gardening, The Strawberry Story, and Indoor Gardening the Organic Way, and is the founder of HealthyHouseplants.com.
By nature, many gardeners are the thrifty sort. They enjoy conserving and creating sustainable environments, and propagating plants offers the ultimate in sustainability. Starting new plants from old ones is rewarding and an inexpensive way to add to your plant collection. Perhaps best of all, propagating allows you to include hard-to-find plants in your garden.
Some plants are easier to propagate than others. Many tropical plants readily reproduce, such as a wide variety of houseplants. Some plants make the process really easy by providing you with small plantlets. Several ways to propagate exist. These four methods are the most successful. Cuttings. The most popular way to create new plants is to take cuttings and create conditions where they produce roots. You can do this by rooting stems or leaves. For stem cuttings, remove a plant stem which has several leaves. Strip off the lower leaves, exposing two to three leaf nodes (the point where the leaf attaches to the stem). Also remove any flowers or buds. Root the cutting in water, vermiculite or sphagnum moss. You’ll get roots in about a month. Propagating by stem cuttings works best with those plants that have soft stems, such as tropical plants often grown indoors like arrowhead plant, begonia, coleus, lipstick plant, philodendron and pothos. Some hard-stemmed plants can also be rooted in this way, such as rose. For leaf cuttings, which works well with plants such as African violet and sansevieria, insert the leaf or stem 1/3 of the way into the rooting medium.