The Gotham Gardener
Amber Freda writes The Gotham Gardener newsletter from her home in Pennsylvania, where she also designs gardens, plans installations for gardens in New York City and Pennsylvania, writes gardening articles, practices yoga, and enjoys time with her husband, Anthony, and their 4-year-old son and budding gardener, Antonio.
|
|
POINSETTIA POWER
The poinsettia, euphorbia pulcherrima, is the most popular flowering plant sold in the U.S. That's right, there are more poinsettias sold in the month of December than any other plant species sold the entire rest of the year! How many of those poinsettias wind up as landfill and compost in the spring?
Most people treat poinsettias as annuals, purchasing new plants every year. The poinsettia can be difficult to induce to reflower after the initial
display when purchased. The plant requires a period of uninterrupted
long, dark nights for around two months in autumn in order to develop
flowers. Incidental light at night during this time will hamper flower
production. When watering, it is important to allow the plant to drain
out any excess water. Having a poinsettia sit in water can do harm to
the plant as it prefers moist soil to direct water.
The poinsettia is native to Mexico and Central America, where it can attain heights of 10-16'. Imagine growing a tree poinsettia in your very own backyard! It is a tropical plant and should be kept away from drafts and cold windows. Its ideal temperature range is 55 to 70 degrees F.
|
|
 Celebrating the Christmas Cactus
Like the poinsettia, the Christmas cactus is a PHOTOPERIODIC PLANT, which means that it is a
winter bloomer that requires shortened daylight hours to stimulate bloom. Artificial light can interfere with bloom production.
They are originally forest cacti, growing as epiphytes at elevations between 1000 and 1700 meters above sea level (3280 to 5575 feet above sea level) in the Organ Mountains north of Rio de Janeiro in southeast Brazil, South America.
Despite the name, most varieties flower naturally after Christmas. Although this plant is a cactus, its native home is in humid forests, not deserts, so it has different needs than most cactus. Water thoroughly when the soil feels dry to the touch and keep in high humidity.
The joints of the plants are quite fragile and can break apart if the plant is in poor health. The flower buds' joints are especially easy to detach.The soil should be evenly moist for best growth, but they are intolerant to constantly wet soil and poor aeration.
Christmas cactus will do best in bright indirect light. Long term direct sunlight can burn the leaves and stunt growth. If taken care of properly, a single planting can last for hundreds of years. Christmas cactus will create flower buds when subjected to cooler temperatures (10-14°C/50-58°F) for 6-8 weeks.
|
 Winter Garden Favorites
Evergreens can be planted in pots any time of year, even in winter, for that touch of green that brings life to winter-ravaged gardens. I like to plan all of the gardens I design with at least a few spots of evergreen color to keep the garden from looking so bleak in the winter months. The evergreen shown in the photo is an alberta spruce, and it is the best evergreen for containers because it stays small (rarely exceeding 6' tall in pots), grows slowly, and tolerates neglect and city conditions.
Other beauties in the garden during the winter months are plants with berries, such as hollies, plants with interesting foliage, such as dormant ornamental grasses that rustle their leaves in the wind, and trees with beautiful bark, such as the peeling bark of crape myrtles, the white bark of birch trees, or even the beautiful red tones of a coral-bark Japanese maple.
With a little planning, your garden can be a sight to behold even in the middle of winter!
|
 Amazing Amaryllis Bulbs
After more than 10 years in the horticulture industry, amaryllis blooms still have the power to take my breath away. Few indoor bulbs are as easy to grow and bloom, or as rewarding, as the amaryllis.
Hippeastrum is a genus of about 70-75 species and 600+ hybrids and cultivars of bulbous plants in the family Amaryllidaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas from Argentina north to Mexico and the Caribbean. Some species are grown for their large showy flowers. These plants are popularly, but erroneously, known as Amaryllis. Since this is the name most people know them as, I will continue to refer to them as amaryllis here to avoid confusion.
The bulb is tender and should not be exposed to frost, but is otherwise easy to grow, with large rewards for small efforts, especially those that bloom inside during the winter months. The very large, decorative flowers can also be grown outside in temperate areas.
The flower colors include red, rose, pink, white, orange, yellow and pale green with variations on these including different colored stripes and edges on the petals.
Bulbs should be firm to the touch and greenish-white with thin brown outer layers like an onion. Nearly all bulbs for sale will be healthy but watch for and reject any that are soft, have blue or greenish mold, look decayed or appear to be extremely dried out or in a state of desiccation, since these are most likely rotted and will not likely grow or produce any blooms.
Soak the bottom of your healthy bulb with the roots in warm (not hot) water - this will make them pliable and easier to spread out in the pot. Put the bulb where it will get some sun everyday and water it once. Care should be taken not to over-water: after the first watering do not water again until growth is visible or the soil has become bone dry, and then water sparingly. Too much water will cause the bulb and its roots to rot - at this stage the bulb is not capable of absorbing much water. Watering can be increased to weekly after an 20 cm (8") flower spake with bud or two 25 cm (10") leaves have appeared. Do not feed the bulb while it is blooming.
Most new hippeastra take between two weeks and three months to bloom after they have been potted. They may wait a few weeks or months and then rebloom, or they may be finished for the year. New bulbs usually produce a flower spike with four flowers but two or three flowers are not uncommon.
|
|
|
