Garden Tips Newsletter
Chase away the winter blahs with a blooming
houseplant
January 26, 2009
Winter can be a dreary, dull time for energetic gardeners. If you are like me, looking through those new plant catalogs has just about gotten you worked into a horticultural froth. Until the weather moderates and you can get outside to do some real gardening, how about relieving the stressful need to do something horticultural by buying a colorful blooming houseplant to enjoy?
Some of these you can only find during the winter months at garden centers, florist shops, even grocery stores. One of my favorites is the florist type azaleas which are so named because they’re supposed to be only indoor plants. But, I have found these to be hardy outdoors down to about 15 degrees. These plants are offered in colors of red, pink, rose, and bi-colors. They bloom much longer than regular azaleas, starting in winter and continuing through spring. You can buy cute little plants in three and four inch pots, perfect for displaying atop a small table. Florist azaleas need lots of bright light, preferably from a southern window. Keep the soil evenly moist. Good drainage is a must. Don’t feed the plants until six weeks after they finish blooming. Then feed every two weeks with a general-purpose houseplant fertilizer. In fall, switch to a bloom-booster fertilizer, such as 15-30-15, that’s higher in phosphorus than nitrogen. If you’d like to plant these azaleas outside in the spring, wait until after the last frost.
Another indoor plant with really showy blooms is the Rieger begonias (Begonia x hiemalis.) Their single or double blooms will make you think of rose blossoms. And they span nearly as wide a color range, coming in pink, rose, red, orange, yellow, and white.
Riegers need bright light to bloom well, but protect them from hot, afternoon sun, which can burn and curl the leaves. Good drainage is essential. Allow the soil surface to dry between watering. Be careful not to overwater, which causes rot. Also, never wet the foliage. While your begonia is blooming, feed it every watering with water soluble, bloom-booster fertilizer. When the plant stops blooming, it’s ready for a three-month rest. Cease feeding and cut the stem to three inches above the soil line. When new growth appears, resume regular watering and feeding.
One spectacular blooming plant to look for is the cineraria (Senecio
cruentus.) These have blooms that are almost too perfect to be real.
The daisy-like blooms can be blue, pink, or red and nearly smother the
foliage. This is one you probably won’t find except during the
winter months because they love cool temperatures, but also bright light.
Watering them can be a bit tricky. If you overwater, they’ll rot.
But if you underwater they’ll wilt almost immediately. Let the
soil surface dry slightly between watering and be sure the container
drains freely. You folks who do not like to coddle houseplants to get
them to rebloom are going to love this one, as after it finishes blooming
just chunk it in the compost. These are short-lived annuals—just
think of it as a glorified cut flower and you’ll feel better about
tossing it.
The pleasure derived from taking care of a winter-blooming houseplant is just what the doctor ordered for those of us who are suffering from a lack of gardening activity. So chase away the winter-time blues and brighten up your home with a plant—it’s better than vitamins for what ails the energetic gardener.
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Lelia Scott Kelly, Ph.D., writes Garden Tips weekly and is a Horticulture Specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Her office is in the North Mississippi Research & Extension Center, Verona.