Babytoes, another living stone, blooms like lithops in late winter indoors on a bright windowsill.
There are few growing experiences as disappointing as meltdown. When your favorite indoor cacti or succulents get soft for no reason at all, it’s downright frustrating. The phenomenon of succulent sudden meltdown is caused by an infection that enters the internal tissues and causes rot. Like tooth decay, rot works its way throughout the interior of the plant before you ever know it’s there. While a tooth eventually tells us through pain that there’s a problem, most gardeners never really know what killed their plant. Nine times out of ten it’s moisture related because gardeners tend to overwater and microbes plentiful in home growing conditions aren’t naturally as numerous in the arid environments where these plants originate. Succulents lack the needed defenses to ward off rot. Continue reading “Stop Succulent Sudden Meltdown”
A myriad of colorful African violets await adoption at your local garden center.
African Violets (Saintpaulia hybrids) are America’s favorite houseplants according to the African Violet Society of America (AVSA). The beloved African violet’s immense popularity is most likely due to its irresistibly fuzzy rounded leaves, wide spectrum of cheerful reblooming flowers and ability to thrive in typical household environments. These members of Gesneriaceae, a large plant family with ~150 genera and over 3000 species of tropical to temperate plants, also share stage with other popular indoor gesneriads, such as Achimenes, Gloxinia, Sinningia and Streptocarpus.
Miniature African violets are perfect additions to open, raised terrariums.
African Violets are indigenous to the cloud forests of eastern tropical Africa, so they perform best in warmer temperatures that are also comfortable to us. An indoor range from 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit is best, but with adequate water and air circulation they can tolerate warmer environs. Cold drafts or pockets near windows in wintertime should be avoided; temperatures around 60 degrees can damage African violets and those that dip below 50 degrees may cause them to perish.
African Violets need plenty of sunlight in order to bloom well. An ideal location would be an east-facing window with gentle morning light. Southern and western exposures can also be beneficial, if sheer drapery is used to filter out harsh direct sunlight. In the absence of sufficient natural light, keeping African violets under artificial grow lights can be very successful. Whatever your light source, be sure to regularly rotate plants in order to keep them symmetrical and get light into their interiors.
High humidity is essential for success, so kitchens and bathrooms are good locations for these plants. Still, providing enough moisture to the air can be a challenge in other rooms in a dry house, especially in winter when the heat is running. A great way to increase humidity around African violets is to place their pots on trays filled with pebbles. Periodically add water to the tray to a level just below the bottom of the pots so that the plants benefit from the evaporation without accidentally taking up additional water at the roots. Another way to keep moisture in the air is to frequently mist your African violets with tepid water, but never to the point where droplets form on the leaves.
A light, aerated potting medium is essential, which is why I use Black Gold African Violet Potting Mix. The superior lightweight mix contains peat moss, compost, perlite/pumice and earthworm castings and is specially blended to help these favorite houseplants thrive.
African violet relative, Streptocarpus, was named “Plant of the Decade” by the Royal Horticultural Society in the UK.
Water African violets when the potting soil feels dry to the touch. Before watering, remember that if you drink your household water, it should be safe for your plants. However, avoid using soft, high mineral or chlorinated water, and remember that tepid water is best because cold or hot water can damage plants. African violet leaves can be damaged by leaf droplets, so carefully water them from the top of the soil with a narrow-nosed watering can or bottle with a long spout, avoiding any water contact with the leaves. After a couple of minutes, be sure to drain the pot or saucer of any residual water which has passed through the soil and puddled. (Never allow these plants to sit directly in water!) Specially designed African violet self-watering containers are recommended for novice growers; they allow plants to only take up what water they need through the clay walls of the inner pot liner.
African Violets need extremely good air circulation in order to avoid developing mildew on their fuzzy leaves and blooms. The trick is to provide plenty of space between plants for air to move.
The growing fad of containerized indoor fairy gardens has spawned a resurgence of interest in filling terrariums with tiny houseplants. This environment can be perfect for miniature African violets as long as they are sitting atop a mound and the glass container is left open at the top.
As popular as African Violets are in the U.S.A., their longer-leaved showy cousins, Streptocarpus, were just recognized as the Royal Horticultural Society’s “Plant of the Decade”. During an English garden tour last month, I had the pleasure of seeing a spectacular display of lacy violet purple and white flowered Streptocarpus ‘Harlequin Lace’ in a garden center. I wish I could have brought one home. Soon I hope to locate some Streptocarpus in my local garden center to join the African violets in my kitchen window box.
Colorful Streptocarpus grow well under the same conditions as African violets.
Often times when we think of house plants, we neglect to think of the many outdoor plants that might make enjoyable and unusual house plants, if given the right conditions. Or if we cannot duplicate the right conditions, many will at least last for several weeks or longer and then taken back outdoors. But during this interval, we have been able to enjoy them indoors.
There are many factors involved with growing plants indoors and proper light is probably the most important. As I looked at plants in my garden this past summer, I discovered there were many that could be brought indoors during the winter months and then placed back outside in the spring.
Cordyline
One of my favorite outdoor plants that can be grown inside is Cordyline ‘Festival Grass’. ‘Festival Grass’ can easily be grown as a house plant during the winter in a sunny window. This New Zealand native forms a fountain-like clump and has brilliant narrow burgundy colored leaves. The plant in the photo was taken in my garden in August and this pot was planted with three plants the previous spring as I wanted to make certain it was a very full pot since it would be at the entryway to our house. So, imagine if you had one of these in a sunny window during the winter and the bright color it could bring to what might be a drab space. In the spring, take the plant outdoors and place in a sunny location.
When I lifted the three individual plants of Cordyline from this large pot, I separated and planted them in individual pots using Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Soil. At the time of re-planting I also added some all-purpose fertilizer, which was sufficient to provide enough nourishment to keep the plants healthy during the winter. Once the weather warms, I will take these individual plants outside and plant them all together in another large container.
Succulents
Succulents are a huge group of plants and many will thrive indoors in a sunny window. This photo was taken at a local garden center last summer and it shows some of the leaves and colors there are to choose from. You will find foliage colors of green, gray, yellow, shades of red, and some that are almost blue. The way succulents grow is as variable as their colors and there are upright varieties and other varieties that will trail over the side of a container. Succulents want as much light as possible so a sunny window is usually ideal. Succulents also need excellent drainage and I have found that Black Gold Cactus Mix is ideal. Be sure to select a container with a hole in the bottom so water can drain out. Succulents usually do better with less water than many other house plants and I have found that letting the soil get dry to the touch and then giving them a thorough watering works well.
For a splash of bright yellow, try Sedum ‘Ogon’. Like many plants with yellow foliage, this one does best if not in full sun, and while it needs light, keep it away from a bright sunny window. If plants tend to get a bit leggy stretching for light, it is easy to pinch the tops and you will create new growth and a more dense plant. Sedum ‘Ogon’ is ideal to plant around the base of other house plants and the bright yellow makes a nice contrast to the dark green of many common house plants. Be sure to use Black Gold Cactus Mix as your potting soil of choice.
Another excellent indoor/outdoor plant is Crassula ovata, commonly called Jade Plant. It is easy to grow outdoors in our Pacific Northwest summers but in a container can sometimes not survive a winter if temperatures drop too much. I think it is better to be safe and bring it indoors in the winter. It is well adapted to growing indoors and can look stunning in a container such as the red one shown in the photograph. Jade plants will often bloom and have clusters of pink star-shaped flowers.
Sometimes one of the most difficult rooms to grow house plants in is the bathroom. For an unusual house plant that will often thrive in a bathroom, try Tillandsia usneoides (Spanish Moss). Other names for this plant are graybeard or old man’s beard and once you see this growing, you will understand how it got the name. Spanish moss is in a group of plants called epiphytes and it absorbs nutrients and water from the air and rainfall. It is common to see it growing on trees in parts of the southern United States such as Louisiana where there is high humidity. Spanish moss needs this high humidity and thus in many homes, the bathroom is ideal because of the humidity created by showers. Mist it with a fine water spray on a regular basis to help keep the humidity high and the plant moist. Find an attractive piece of wood and let Spanish moss cascade down. It will be a conversation piece.
Check out your local garden center as many of them carry a bigger assortment of house plants during the winter months than in the spring or summer. Try something new and mix your plants to make interesting color combinations and leaf textures.
Get ready for spring and enjoy the new seed catalogs whether on paper or on the internet. They make ideal reading on a winter evening and can get your mind thinking about what new plants you can add to your garden.
If allowed to grow outdoors in summer, the Rex Begonia Vine can reach 12-feet in height.
If you are excited by the prospect of growing a unique vine indoors, there is none more interesting than the climbing Rex Begonia Vine, Cissus discolor. The leaves of this quick-growing vine are deep green, decorated uniformly with silvery brushstrokes, and when flipped, the leaves reveal surprising burgundy-red backsides matching its stems and tendrils.
For the best results, give Rex Begonia Vine adequate support, allow it to dry slightly between waterings, and place it near your brightest windows. The best mix for this plant is Black Gold African Violet Mix.
With the various growth characteristics, foliage colors and textures of sedums, it is always interesting to see how people use them. Sedum morganianum, often called ‘Donkey Tail’ is a sedum that has long trailing stems. In the Pacific Northwest, it would need to be brought indoors as a house plant in the winter but can easily be grown outdoors during the summer months. Donkey Tail needs fast-draining soil and with the addition of pumice. Black Gold Cactus Mix is ideal for this use. I thought this photo of Donkey Tail growing in a barbeque was a novel idea.
While there are always many things we can be doing in our garden during the winter months, it is also a time to give some thought to different house plant ideas. Here in the Pacific Northwest, I have been doing quite a bit of transplanting in my outdoor garden, and as I am probably like many gardeners, I have plants in the wrong places. Short plants are behind tall plants and vice versa.
Also, as the garden changes, so does the gardener. Often we want to add new plants and that may require removing some old ones. This is a good time of year to do some ‘editing’ of your garden. And while you are ‘editing’, if it involves removing plants, consider offering your discarded plants to others.
I think many of us overlook the value of having house plants and this is a good time of year to think about them. I must admit there are very few in my house but I do enjoy seeing them in other homes. There is a wide range of choices of many tropical and semi-tropical plants that would not survive outside, but do quite well indoors. Just like outdoor plants, some can be temperamental but many are easy to grow and enjoy indoors. I often remind myself that all house plants are living outside in some locale and it is our task to consider where the plant is from and adjust our environment as much as possible. The following are some house plants that I have selected as being relatively easy to grow.
Crotons
It would be difficult to find a group of plants that provide more splash of leaf color than the Crotons. These fantastic foliage plants are easy to grow and are available in a wide assortment of leaf colors ranging from yellow, purple, red, pink, green or almost any combination of these colors. Crotons can grow tall but if trimmed, they will branch out and remain quite bushy. In order to keep the leaf colors vibrant, place plants in a location with plenty of light. Often times I have seen several different plants all planted in the same container and this creates an extremely colorful effect. Purchase several different plants, with different leaf patterns and colors, and plant them all in the same container using Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Soil. With the addition of perlite and pumice into this potting soil, this greatly helps with drainage which is essential for most house plants to survive.
Bromeliads
If the colored leaves of Crotons are not quite your style, consider Bromeliads. With their sword-like leaves, the new growth can offer some very intensely bold colors. The lower leaves act as a reservoirs and it is best to keep clean water in these spaces. If you live in an area with heavy chlorination in your tap water, it would be wise to use distilled water. Bromeliads provide long lasting color in the upper leaves and while this main stalk will eventually die, the plant will usually produce a new shoot or shoots near the base and this can be cut and planted. Keep plants away from direct sunlight. Some leaves can be quite sharp so beware of this especially if there are young children around.
Lucky Bamboo
For a house plant that I would consider ‘fun’ and one that children would enjoy, consider Dracaena sanderana, often referred to as ‘Lucky Bamboo’ or ‘Curly Bamboo’. This Dracaena is usually sold as stems that are to be placed in water to root and then planted. It is an ideal learning tool for children because often the stem is purchased with no roots and within several weeks, roots will appear and children can watch as the roots develop. There will be buds along the stem and these will begin to swell and grow into new leaves. For a novelty, try ‘Curly Bamboo’, once you see it, you will know how it got this name. ‘Curly Bamboo’ is especially popular with children. Be sure to change the water in the vase on a regular basis and keep it clean. Once a mass of roots has developed, the stem can be placed in a pot with Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Soil and the plant will continue to grow.
Rex Begonias
Another group of plants that make ideal house plants and are easy to grow are the Rex Begonias. One of my favorites is called ‘Escargot’ and when you see the leaf, you will understand why! Rex Begonias will grow fairly well in the low light conditions that many houses have and they tend to prefer to be a little on the dry side. They will bloom with small white or light pink flowers and are long lived. Many Rex Begonias will do well outdoors in a shady location during the summer and makes a nice patio plant.
Just because we are in the middle of winter does not mean there is not gardening to be done; it just changes from outdoors to indoors. Check out your local garden center and you will probably be surprised at the offerings of indoor plants that are now available.
Special thanks to photographer Rich Baer, who took all the images that accompany this article.
Escargot: The distinctive spiral pattern in the leaves made ‘Escargot’ one of the most popular rex begonia varieties.
Begonias have always hovered in the shadows. They cluster beneath trees, in slotted shade of lath houses and on sun-deprived exposures. These unique plants, beloved by grandmothers everywhere, fell out of favor in the last few decades. Sure, I used Begonia richmondensis in hanging baskets and little wax begonias were a staple for shaded bedding areas, but these simply solved problems in shaded landscapes.
Then I paid a visit to Ball Horticulture’s demonstration garden some years ago, and was so impressed by the fancy leaf forms displayed there. Instantly begonias were back on my radar! Colors, spots, stripes and textures make each of the many varieties a living work of art. This group has been rediscovered by haute designers who utilize colored foliage to spice up interiors. The plants have proven their love of fluorescent lights or a bright window, but never in direct sunlight. They also do nicely in sunrooms and greenhouses, then may come outdoors to accent sheltered patios and verandas during the summer.
Rex Begonias
Known as rex begonias, these are certainly the kings of indoor color. Up close they are eye catching and so unique that guests may mistake the living foliage for silk or well crafted plastic. They do bloom, but the flowers are small and not particularly showy. Foliage lovers promptly pinch the flower buds when they first appear so that growth energy is restricted to developing lots of bright new leaves.
Each variety of rex begonia will feature different leaf color, pattern and shape.
Rex begonias originate with a fleshy rhizome that sits just below the surface of the soil. They are often sold online as a dormant bare root, which is the most economical way to acquire new varieties. This rhizome resembles that of bearded iris or fingerling potatoes, and must have well drained yet very moist conditions to thrive.
Repotting Rex Begonias
As the plants age, rhizome grows longer. Over time it may no longer fit in the pot, so the begonia must be repotted in a wider container that need not have greater depth as the roots remain shallow as well. The wider your pot, the larger a rex foliage mass becomes. Otherwise an overgrown rhizome may be divided into pieces and transplanted into numerous smaller containers. These make money saving gifts for friends and family. They also allow you to trade with other rex begonia lovers to enlarge your collections without spending a penny.
The traditional rich coloring of rex begonia leaves fit perfectly into the contemporary style palette of interior decorators.
When repotting your begonias, use Black Gold African Violet Mix, which is formulated to resemble the soils beneath tropical forest canopies. Its texture, water holding ability and PH are ideal for these royal begonias. This soil also works nicely for other indoor or conservatory favorites such as fuchsias, flowering maples, Venus flytraps, pitcher plants and some terrestrial orchids.
If you don’t yet own a rex or any other exotic begonia, consider buying one this year to add a little zing to a bright kitchen or greenhouse window. Visit your local garden center to see the many fancy leaf forms as potted indoor plants. One of these gets your started with a single purchase, but be prepared to pay dearly. If you’d like more selection for less, explore begonia nurseries or summer bulb stores online. Begonias won’t be shipped until after risk of cold damage in transit is passed. Be sure to pick up a bag of Black Gold African Violet Mix in advance for prompt potting when the bare root rhizomes arrive in the mail.
Crotons will brighten a shady patio as well as any interior room.
Eye-catching Crotons easily chase away wintertime blues because the warm colors of their variegated leaves intensifies in cooler temperatures and bright sunlight. During winter months keep Crotons out of drafts and fluctuating temperatures to avoid leaf drop, hold back on fertilizer until spring, and remember to only use tepid water. You can begin moving your Crotons outdoors for vacation once nighttime temperatures remain around 50 degrees Fahrenheit and higher. Crotons grow best in fertile, organic-rich soil. I recommend Black Gold® Waterhold Cocoblend Potting Soil.
Surprise your guests with an Abutilon in bloom as a house plant. As long as these Abutilons have a good light source, they perform well indoors and then can be planted outside in the spring. This particular Abutilon is called ‘Red Tiger’ and the flowers look like fine cut glass. It is an outstanding plant in a pot, either in a house or on a deck, and when people visit my garden and see this in bloom, they are amazed at the colors and pattern. Be sure to plant Abutilons in Black Gold® All Purpose Potting Soil with Controlled Release Fertilizer.
Some of the easiest house plants to take care of are those special plants in the genus Tillandsia, which are commonly referred to as ‘air plants’. They naturally grow in trees in tropical and subtropical regions, so they grow with no soil. In the home they can be placed almost anywhere. Many indoor air plant growers favor growing them in bathrooms where winter air remains moist.
Air plants tend to thrive as long as they are given indirect light (no direct sunlight) and a weekly spray of water. Warm, humid air will also keep them surviving at their best. With this simple regime, they will live for many years.
Try placing them in a vase, as in the photo. There are many wonderful species and varieties of air plants to choose from. These bromeliads can have silvery or green leaves of varying shapes and widths. Colorful, bracted spikes of flowers may appear in plants that are growing happily. Bloom times vary.
