If you’re a gardener and a mother, chances are you’ll receive an indoor flowering plant for Mother’s Day. The timing is good, because it doesn’t take much effort to keep the flowers going through winter, and who knows what this winter will bring?
What’s to like?
Indoor flowers keep us cheerful and they liven up a room, making it feel much warmer! But there is more to it than that. Virginia Lohr, professor of horticulture of Washington State University, makes some interesting claims; that plants improve mental functioning in children, and reduce domestic violence, probably because of their known ability to reduce stress and calm us down. “In short,” she says, “plants makes us better, more civil people.”
Be colour wise
Lighter-coloured flowers show up better indoors than deep reds and purples. Good mood boosters are plants with light pink, lavender or yellow flowers; they also tend to fit in with most decor.
Other tips
- Give flowering indoor plants pride of place, where they will be easily seen.
- Indoor plants don’t like extremes of temperatures, so keep them away from heaters and windows because of the drop in night temperatures.
- Feed with a liquid fertiliser once a month to keep them flowering.
- Plants need less water in winter. Feel the soil with your finger and water when the soil starts to feel dry.
Cyclamens are the indoor plants most associated with winter because they thrive in the cold and don’t stop flowering. The hardest task will be to choose a plant from the huge variety of pink, red and purple shades, not to forget pure white. The latest trend is ‘hand-painted’ flowers that look like tulips, in various shades of pink.
Esta historia es de la edición May 2017 de The Gardener.
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Esta historia es de la edición May 2017 de The Gardener.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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FIRE AND Feathers!
On a dreary winter's day, a screen of fiery and feathery leaves puts up a fight against dullness!
GET THE ladies in!
At this time of year, early-flowering shrubs vie with each other to get the most attention. We say: Trust those with female names for frills and butterflies. They go the extra mile to flower their hearts out.
Vegetable Soups and dumplings
Vegetables make the most delicious soups and classic combinations are always a winner.
Yummy sweet potatoes for your good health
Boiled, baked or braaied, sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are a delicious and healthy winter comfort food. Just a dollop of butter, a little seasoning and you are good to go.
Pretty and functional
If cooking is your main thing, you would probably be more interested in the culinary value of the three herbs and some of their varieties we are describing.
Dried Seedheads & Pods
Autumn and winter are the best times to see what flowers produce the best seedheads that can be left on the plants to feed the birds and bugs and for harvesting for dried arrangements.
SO MANY FACES and so many choices...
Whoever associated a Cotyledon orbiculata (pig's ear) with the ear of a pig obviously did not know about all the varieties and cultivars this species in the genus Cotyledon has.
COLOURFUL Cold Weather WINNERS!
If it comes to a vote, these dependable shrubs will be the top candidates for prime performance in winter and in other seasons...
What makes a garden sustainable?
It is interesting to note that the United Nations defines sustainable development as: “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
Nurturing NATURE-The Story of Kraal Garden's Transformation
Nestled within Prince Albert's rustic embrace lies a gem that is a testament to the transformative power of human vision and nature's bounty.