Tag Archive | houseplants

Pothos: An Easy Houseplant for Beginners

2021

Of Pothos and Pandemics

The Year 2020 was one like no other. The threat of catching Covid-19 or the fear of passing it to others altered our lifestyles as nothing before had ever done.

Restaurants closed, schools closed, parking lots and streets were empty. People lost their jobs, businesses failed, and many tried to remotely fulfill the demands of work while caring for children at home. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control claims that over 500,000 people died, as of this writing, of or with Covid-19 since the pandemic began just over a year ago. Tragically, many of us lost friends or family members.

As vaccinations increase and infection rates decrease, some schools are opening their doors and life is inching back to normal. The pent-up demand for things we denied ourselves will heat up the economy this year—travel, lunches out with friends, shopping at brick and mortar stores…

The Joys of Gardening

Horticultural trade magazines report anywhere from 15 million to 30 million newcomers, last year, to the joys of gardening in the U.S. That’s huge!

Most garden centers got off to a dismal start last spring. But they more than made up for it as online ordering and curbside pick-ups became the new norm. Those where states deemed these companies “essential” were permitted to stay open.

Since we were spending more time at home, many chose to make their living spaces more comfortable. So, they upgraded kitchen counters or replaced drafty windows with a super-energy-saving model. Maybe you painted the family room one of those modern colors you’ve been wanting.

Psychological Well-Being

We also spruced up the landscape and brought home a few houseplants to brighten our indoor spaces. A strong connection between nature and our psychological well-being has been reported for decades. You don’t think so? Take a couple of your houseplants to work, if your desk is bare (of living things). Or buy an easy-going pothos and a pretty pot to put it in and see if your mood lightens.

A School Experiment

In 1999, while in Maryland, I planted a new landscape near the main entrance of a public middle school. No, this was not your run-of-the-mill row of sheared yews and a shade tree. Instead, I planted dwarf evergreens (varieties of cedar, chamaecyparis, and pine), a few ornamental grasses, and other plants in a large garden surrounded by paving. This garden surely would welcome the addition of a bronze timberwolf, the school’s mascot, if it shows up. Boulders and sculpted ground enhanced the impression, embellished with a few drifts of seasonal color. No need to water, as Hurricane Floyd moved in as I was finishing up!

The school’s principal enjoyed it so much that she asked me to plant an area near the teachers’ entrance, in the back of the building.

For the new garden, I dug out the old grass and weeds, and mounded up the improved soil for a gorgeous laceleaf Japanese maple, masses of ground covers and perennials, daffodils, and easy flowering shrubs. This new landscape covered large areas on both sides of the sidewalk leading to the entrance.

A young teacher approached me, and freely expressed his opinion that this project was “a complete waste of money”. I asked him to let me know if he felt the same way after the installation had been completed.

A few weeks later, while I was inspecting the garden, he spotted me and shared a few thoughts. Not only had he changed his mind, but he also started projects in his own garden. He said he wasn’t sure why, but that he “just liked walking through the garden” at the school—gently embraced by something beautiful and soothing. This is why parks and botanical gardens are so inviting.

We might not be able to define the effect, but it certainly leaves an impression. That’s the power of living with nature, and one gold star for Kim!

Four kinds of pothos, clockwise from top left: golden, ‘Marble Queen’, ‘Pearls and Jade’, and satin.

Getting Back To Work

As employees move back to the workplace, I’m willing to bet that some of their new plants will be clocking in as well. Research has shown that we become calmer, and more focused, productive, and cooperative when nature is close to us. An office devoid of living plants feels sterile, unwelcoming, with no place to make a hasty retreat, as the northern cardinals do when they’re disturbed at the bird feeder.

Try starting with an inexpensive plant that every garden center sells. A small pothos (poe’ thoss) costs only a few dollars. It used to be known as Scindapsus aureus, but the botanical name has been changed to Epipremnum aureum.

Several varieties can be found in garden centers or from specialty nurseries. The adaptable golden pothos and white-variegated ‘Marble Queen’ have been around for a long time. Two others with gray-green and white markings, ‘N’Joy’ and ‘Pearls and Jade’, are more recent introductions. ‘Neon’, with brilliant yellow-green leaves, is aptly named. And there’s ‘Harlequin’, with starkly contrasting deep green and crisp white foliage.

Philodendron Silva Container Plant - leoleobobeo / Pixabay

Silver pothos.

Variegation appears as streaks, spots, and margins in colors that contrast with the background.

Among the satin pothos (also called silver pothos) in the species Scindapsus pictus, several varieties sport glittery sliver markings (photo, right). ‘Argyraeus’, ‘Exotica’, and ‘Silver Ann’ have varying amounts of silver in their leaves. This species exhibits “reflective variegation”, where the silvery parts glimmer in the light due to air spaces below the upper layer of the leaf.

Family Traits

Pothos is related to philodendron, peace lily (Spathiphyllum), Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema), Alocasia, Anthurium, dieffenbachia, nephthytis, and many other aroids. Caladium and Colocasia, the elephant ears, are popular outdoor foliage plants for warm summers.

Species in the Araceae family evolved as vines and understory plants in primarily tropical and subtropical latitudes of southeast Asia, the western Pacific islands, Africa, Australia, and the Americas.

Spathe and spadix of peace lily.

All have characteristic spadix flowers. The vining species must climb in order to develop adult foliage. At that stage, the large leaves are often lobed rather than heart-shaped. It’s only then—when plants mature—that pothos can flower. The inflorescence is composed of a spadix, with true flowers, surrounded by a leaf-like bract, called a spathe.

Although pothos rarely flowers indoors, other aroids will bloom if given good care. Their flowers are attractive and might be lightly scented, as in Spathiphyllum and anthurium. For most species, though, we ordinarily snip off the blooms to conserve energy. Flowers of certain members of the arum family, including early blooming skunk cabbage, are thermogenic; they can produce heat to melt snow and attract pollinators.

Aroids are toxic to animals, so exercise caution with children and pets. Calcium oxalate crystals in the cells irritate membranes. In natural habitats, this helps fend off animals.

Caring For Pothos Indoors

While living in Maryland, I kept a ‘Marble Queen’ pothos under a table lamp in a north-facing and fairly dim family room. This white-variegated plant grew in a 6″ pot sitting inside a decorative basket. A 12-watt compact fluorescent bulb, switched on for 4 or 5 hours in the evening, provided enough additional light for the plant to thrive in that spot for many years.

The plant received some indirect light from the windows several feet away. But, during the shortest days of winter, I kept the lamp on longer for this plant. For variegated plants, the more hours of light or the greater the intensity, the more vibrant the variegation.

Pothos is often recommended for areas with low light, but not by me. It often declines when grown in low light because it is more susceptible to problems associated with overwatering. Plants are less photosynthetically active at lower light levels, so they won’t use as much water. Try to give them direct sunlight in the morning or filtered sun for a few hours a day, particularly from fall to spring. Plants that don’t like too much sun in summer love it in the winter, and that helps dry the soil. Increasing your plants’ light levels should result in more robust growth, a stronger root system, thicker stems, and brighter color.

In a room with skylights, large unobstructed windows, and light-colored surfaces, enough indirect light will reflect around the room to keep pothos happy. Aim for at least very bright indirect light for optimal growth and health. A brightly lit office should be fine for pothos.

Leaves Turn Toward the Light

A plant’s leaves naturally turn toward a source of light in a response called phototropism. This occurs when hormones on the shady side of the stem cause those cells to elongate, rotating the leaf or turning the stem toward the light.

Turning the pot every week or so encourages even growth. A thriving plant growing against a wall or on a shelf doesn’t need to be turned, however, if you’re satisfied with its appearance. But a plant that keeps facing its pretty leaves away from you and toward a bright window might need to be turned for a more pleasing presentation.

When Leaves Turn All Green

These leaves are losing the white variegation.

New foliage can turn solid green, either temporarily or permanently losing the variegation, depending on the cause.

Stems with all green leaves grow more vigorously than variegated-leaved stems. The reason is simple. Deep green leaves have more chlorophyll, which steps up the amount of carbohydrate (food) formed during photosynthesis. And that means faster growth.

In a pot of pothos with several rooted stems, the solid green ones will compete more successfully than the slower growing variegated stems. Although a few green stems add contrast, I limit the number allowed to grow.

Loss of Variegation

In the photo above, only a small amount of variegation remains in this stem. If plant cells can no longer reproduce the white parts of the leaf, the rest of the stem will have all-green leaves. In this case, I chose to cut back the stem. The plant gets plenty of light, so that stem was going to stay green. If the stump sprouts solid green leaves, I’ll remove the entire stem down to the root.

Another case where leaves lose variegation is when the plant is growing in low light. The plant will try to make up for reduced photosynthesis from lower light levels by adjusting the amount of chlorophyll produced in the foliage. At some point, the plant will sacrifice older growth in order to feed its younger leaves. Nitrogen and certain other nutrients are mobile and can move to the new leaves at the tip, keeping it alive. Brighter light should improve variegation in new foliage.

Headings

Page 1: Of Pothos and Pandemics (The Joys of Gardening, Psychological Well-Being, A School Experiment), Getting Back To Work, Family Traits, and Caring For Pothos Indoors (Leaves Turn Toward the Light, When Leaves Turn All Green, Loss of Variegation)

Page 2: Watering Pothos (“How can I tell when pothos needs water?”, Let It Wilt, Feel the Weight, When Water Can’t Drain, Water Temperature, Guttation), Potting Up (Why the Soil Surface Drops Lower, Insects and Spider Mites, Time For a Bigger Pot, When To Repot, The Process: How To Repot Pothos), Pruning Pothos (Prune the Stems Short, Pinning Down Long Stems), Propagating Pothos (In Water, In Soil), and Fertilizing Pothos

Return to the top

Pages: 1 2

Trick-or-Treaters Will Like This Halloween Twist

Oct12

Halloween Is Coming Up

I’d like to relate the story of a 29-year tradition that took root in our family. But first, some background.

After leaving Morgantown, West Virginia, we purchased our first home in Monrovia, Maryland. The first order of business was to build a greenhouse for the vegetable transplants, succulents, and other houseplants that I sold to florists and garden centers, and at the occasional plant sale held in the front yard. This was several years before the phenomenal rise in popularity of the farmers’ markets.

Fast-forward a few years to September, 1984, and we were on the move again, this time to a smaller property in Rockville MD, 30 minutes south. All the light fixtures and other horticultural paraphernalia came with us…along with our young daughter, Brynn, and our first Rhodesian ridgeback, Aureus.

The plants…hundreds of them!…found temporary quarters in every window or in the back yard, until the dozen or so 4′ fluorescent light fixtures were set up in the basement. But I didn’t need all the duplicate plants for the business at this time of the year, and they could easily be propagated if I did.

Returning home with bags of little Butterfingers, Mars bars, Nestle crunch, and Smarties, I had a lightbulb moment.

**What if we offered plants to the trick-or-treaters?**

My husband, at the time, said, “That’s un-American.” But I wasn’t going to stop offering candy altogether. I intended to give trick-or-treaters a choice!

Despite doubts, I went ahead with the plan. A folding table under the porch lights held a few flats of small thornless succulents (like those in the photo, below), spider plants, and Moses-in-the-boat (Rhoeo spathacea) in 2″ or 3″ pots. White rope secured to the shrubs guided the trick-or-treaters along the sidewalk to the front door, and prevented shortcuts through the garden.

Spooky noises from a tape cassette echoed around the foyer, as glow-in-the-dark spiders crawled all over my t-shirt. And the great plastic pumpkin brimming with treats sat inside, on a bench by the door. Brynn went out trick-or-treating with her Dad; a few years later, her brother, Logan, would join them. Okay, we’re all set.

The First Knock on the Door

In our neighborhood, trick-or-treating took place during the early evening hours, and participating homes kept their porch lights on. Parents accompanied their young children, or they waited nearby at the curb.

I greeted our first visitors, and followed up with “Would you like a plant or candy?” I think I detected some quizzical remarks under their masks and make-up. After giving a succinct explanation to Snow White, a pair of dice, and a foil-covered cardboard robot, important decisions were about to be made.

“Can we have both?”

“No, you have to choose one or the other. You can have candy, which is gone in a few minutes, or a plant, which can last for years. It’s entirely up to you.”

It often happened that when the first of a group of trick-or-treaters chose a plant, then, like a contagion, the rest of the group followed suit.

Once in a while, the young ones would have a change of heart, and I happily accommodated. It’s never too early to teach kids how to make a decision, but I didn’t want them to go away disappointed…not on Halloween!

The middle-school-aged kids and the few high-schoolers often chose the plants, and were surprisingly fascinated by this new twist on trick-or-treating.

They paused while I gave more detailed instructions for care, and even asked the names of the plants. So, I found small white labels and a Sharpie pen, and wrote common and botanical names for each of the plants.

There’s Always One

Tiny fingers gingerly grasped their bounty. I saved small bags and newspaper for the occasion, but most were content to carry the pots. They excitedly passed them to their parents, who responded with “Thanks! What a great idea!” I was thrilled that they were thrilled.

About 15 years into this tradition, a young boy started coming. His father remained at the curb, chatting with friends and neighbors. When he realized what was going on, the father shouted toward his son, “Take the candy. Take the candy!”

The cute little boy handed back the plant he had chosen, and took a couple of chocolate bars instead. In this instance, I was willing to make an exception. He was the only trick-or-treater allowed to take both a plant and candy, and usually traveled alone, so I didn’t have to explain anything to his friends. This happened for a few years, and always played out the same way: “Take the candy!”

A Wider Web

The morning after the first Halloween, I took my daughter and the dog for a walk around the neighborhood. I noticed a green pot in the gutter, and a plant not far away in the middle of our neighbor’s lawn. That was one of mine!

Then we saw two more down the block in someone’s front yard. After gathering the bits and pieces, I had to decide whether to continue doing this in the future.

Hmmm… Actually, this was a no-brainer. Only a handful of plants were discarded, but dozens were given away! And to miss out on the opportunity to introduce young people to the world of plants? No way!

As the years went by, hippies, clowns, and Frankenstein monsters said they had given their plants to Grandma or to favorite teachers. Some kept their spider plants and philodendrons for 5, 6, or 7 years, and some told me that their hens-and-chicks (the hardy succulent, Sempervivum) were spreading all over the garden.

Several mentioned that they had used the story of the “Halloween Plant Lady” as a subject for classroom assignments. I had no idea this little tradition would have such an effect, and for 29 years, trick-or-treaters continued to surprise me.

Second Generation of Trick-Or-Treaters

And then I began to hear tales from our Halloween visitors that their Moms or Dads used to come to the Plant Lady’s house! The parents, former trick-or-treaters, parked their cars down the block and sent their kids up to the end of the cul-de-sac for their own plants!

This tradition lasted until 2013, when I moved to North Carolina. But I will do it again, some day. (***Update***: I did move to a rural town in NC, but, alas…no trick-or-treaters. 12/16/21)

Plants for Trick-Or-Treaters

Hens and chicks.

Houseplants and Houseleeks

As more children were born into the neighborhood, and into the one across Shady Grove Road, more trick-or-treaters showed up. We used to chuckle about something being in the water… Some years we had only 15 or 20 kids coming to the door, but in its heyday, Halloween brought well over 100 visitors for their treats.

The older children, middle- and high-schoolers, were more inclined to take a plant than the youngest visitors. Some told me they chose plants every year. Over the 29-year period of time, between half and two-thirds of the trick-or-treaters chose plants! Incredible!

Jade plant.

Since I was in the business of propagating and selling plants, with a little forethought, it was easy to come up with enough material. Plants that propagated quickly:

wandering Jew (Tradescantia)
spider plant (Chlorophytum)
Moses-in-the-boat (Rhoeo)
Swedish ivy (Plectranthus)

These took a little longer to root:

jade plant (Crassula, photo, right)
miniature Kalanchoe
Philodendron
Pothos (Epipremnum)
dwarf snake plant (formerly Sansevieria, renamed Dracaena)
Hens-and-chicks, also called houseleeks (hardy perennials and always popular)

When I began selling plants at farmers’ markets in 1988, I added herbs and other edibles to the Halloween table. The mere mention of “pizza!” got them interested in oregano. And dinosaur kale—kale!—was chosen by some. Parsley and thyme were more favorites, and young basil plants (indoors in warm sun) were given away only on warm Halloween evenings.

Flowering Plants

Blue violas grow in pots or in beds, and love cool weather.

I grew violas (smaller cousins of the pansy) in market packs, and cut them into single-plant sections. Our trick-or-treaters loved the idea of using the flowers in a salad. The plants were especially bright and colorful, and grew well in the cool weather. These biennials were planted outdoors in autumn, went dormant or semi-dormant in winter, and re-emerged in spring.

Crocus.

For March and April home and garden shows, I forced hundreds of pots of spring-flowering bulbs. They were potted up in autumn, and rooted during cool to cold weather, blooming in the spring.

So, I bagged up a few bulbs (Crocus, Puschkinia, Muscari, and the more expensive miniature daffodil ‘Tête-à-Tête’) for the more adventurous, or patient, trick-or-treaters. They loved the fact that these perennial bulbs would come back year after year. (Like they did.)

For the last Halloween in Maryland, in an effort to clean up the yard in preparation for selling the house, I gave away potted perennials, such as Hosta, Helleborus (Lenten rose), Sedum, and seedling Japanese maples. I have every reason to believe that some of those plants are still thriving in our trick-or-treaters’ gardens, or maybe in their parent’s gardens.

So, is it time to start a new tradition in your family?

Gardeners out there might give it a go, or maybe you have something else to offer trick-or-treaters in your neighborhood.

Time for me to fire up the old broom and get some flats of violas for the winter garden.

Return to the top

How To Get Amaryllis To Bloom This Winter

Jul16

Updated 1/17/2024

We’ve enjoyed this deep red amaryllis for many years.

While watering the gardens yesterday, I noticed that all the amaryllis pots next to the fence had been overturned by some middle-of-the-night visitors. Most likely raccoons were to blame, because the bird feeder was empty and the bird bath was dirty. Now is a good time to address the question,

“How do I get amaryllis bulbs to bloom again this winter?”

Most amaryllis plants are sold in 6″ or 7″ pots from Thanksgiving through winter. When garden centers and other growers order bulbs, they not only have a huge assortment of colors to choose from, but they also have the option of buying bulbs that are graded by circumference. The larger the bulb, the more flower stalks you can expect from it…and the more it costs. Many customers willingly pay several dollars more for a large bulb, knowing that it could produce 3 or 4 flower stalks instead of 1 or 2. But that’s worth the price, if you ask me.

A Brief History

Carl Linnaeus in 1753 named a flowering bulb probably from South Africa, but maybe from South America, Amaryllis belladonna. This plant was thought to be the South African Cape Belladonna. Elsewhere, the first named Hippeastrum species was dubbed the “Knight’s-star-lily” (origin unknown) by English botanist William Herbert. The confusion begins, although similar characteristics of both genera place them within the family Amaryllidaceae.

Hardy from USDA zones 6 to 8, true Amaryllis species have naturalized along the west coast of the United States, where conditions are similar to their native South Africa. Most of this article refers, however, to the genus Hippeastrum, the popular holiday amaryllis.

Breeding of the now familiar Christmas amaryllis began in 1799, when British watchmaker Arthur Johnson crossed Hippeastrum reginae with H. vittatum, two species collected in South America. By the mid 1800’s, his hybrids started showing up in the United States.

In the early 1800’s, British explorer and botanist Richard Pearce hybridized H. leopoldii and H. pardinum, two species he’d found in the Andes while employed by James Veitch and Sons Nursery. These crosses produced plants with large and mostly symmetrical flowers.

By 1821, Herbert had described 14 species of Hippeastrum and 3 species of Amaryllis in “The Botanical Register”.

Pearce’s Leopoldii hybrids were crossed with the best of Johnson’s Reginae strains into the mid 1800’s, in the Netherlands. These hybrids formed the basis for breeding most of the large-flowered Dutch hybrids available today.

Breeding continued as new species from South America were collected and sent to Europe. Reginae strains hybridized by Jan de Graaff and sons in the mid 1800’s were crossed with several Hippeastrum species and hybrids available in Europe at that time. Meanwhile, the common name “amaryllis” was loosely applied to plants in both the true Amaryllis and the Hippeastrum genera.

You Say Amaryllis, and I Say Hippeastrum

A pale yellow amaryllis.

Debate over use of the terms “Amaryllis” and “Hippeastrum” continued for 200 years. It wasn’t until 1987 that the taxonomy finally had been clarified. The 14th International Botanical Congress decided that “Amaryllis” is the correct name for the South African genus, not the South American genus.

Nevertheless, we still call holiday Hippeastrum plants by their common name, amaryllis. There are approximately 90 species of Hippeastrum native to tropical and sub-tropical areas of South America, from Argentina to Mexico and the Caribbean. More than 600 cultivars are available.

In hardiness zones 7b and south, amaryllis (meaning Hippeastrum) bulbs planted below the frost line in well-drained soil probably will perennialize.

Today, bulbs are grown in many countries, including the Netherlands, Israel, Peru, South Africa, India, Australia, and the U.S. New amaryllis cultivars periodically come to the market, adding to the huge variety of colors and forms: white, pink, peach, coral, orange, scarlet red, deep red, yellow, and bicolors. Flowers can be a single row of petals, or double, or triple, and they can be broad-petaled or spidery, rounded or pointed. Both miniatures and full-size plants are available.

Most modern cultivars have ancestry from several species, including H. aulicum, leopoldii, pardinum, puniceum, reginae, and vittatum. We also see hybrids in the species H. papilio and H. cybister.

Pollinating the Flowers

Anthers, and stigma at bottom of photograph.

The photograph shows pollen, in the male anthers, that’s transferred to the female part, the stigma, during pollination. Gardeners not interested in collecting seeds can remove the anthers before they mature and spill their dusty contents on the flowers.

Hobbyists can easily pollinate plants. The pollen and the stigma have to be mature for fertilization to take place. Seeds require many weeks to develop in the pods, and several years to get to flowering size. (***Update***: I’ve had good results when sowing the seeds shallowly as soon as they loosen from the seedpod. 12/2022)

The next generation—seedlings resulting from genetic recombination—will be a mixed bag of pretty, gorgeous, or pretty hum-drum flowers. You could come up with something unique!

Amaryllis plants are propagated not only by seeds but also by tissue culture under laboratory conditions. Tissue culture yields the largest number of plants and they’re identical to the original plant.

Bulblets growing at the base of the bulb can be separated and grown on for a few years before flowering begins. They’re visible when you dig up the bulbs at the end of the growing season. Separate and pot up the large ones, but let the small ones grow attached to the mother bulb for another year or two.

Other methods of propagation, called chipping, notching, and twin-scaling, involve cutting the bulb into smaller pieces. Dusted with fungicide and potted in vermiculite, small bulblets will grow, which later can be separated and grown on.

The first amaryllis to bloom indoors, late winter, 2019.

In the photograph above, notice that this flower has triple the normal number of petals. You might see, also, the absence of anthers and stigmas in the flower. This is common in petal doubling or tripling with many species of flowers. Consequently, these cultivars must be propagated vegetatively since they can’t set seed.

Amaryllis Seedpods

: 2 amaryllis seedpods, mid May, 2019.

: Fully mature amaryllis seedpods, late May, 2019.

I hand pollinated some of the flowers in winter and harvested seeds about 3 months later.

As the tough, recurving Y-shaped membrane (a light color, in right photo) dries thoroughly, it forces the pod to open, revealing the black seeds. Mother Nature came up with this ingenious process that allows the seeds to dry and to be as separate from each other as possible, aiding dispersal.

What To Do With Your Plants Now

What prompted me to write about amaryllis were the tumbled and torn plants found in the back yard. They can be fixed. Ten pots bloomed from February through May; we enjoyed a succession of flowers for months! New soil will replace tired, old soil, with the neck and shoulders of the bulb remaining above soil level.

If your plants have been weakened after wintering indoors, plant them in well-drained composted garden soil for the summer months. Wait for frost-free weather to put them outside. Give them direct sun in the morning up to early afternoon. In hot regions, keep them out of direct sun in the afternoon, although dappled shade at that time is fine.

Don’t plant too deeply; keep the neck of the bulb above ground level. Plants that have been languishing indoors should be moved gradually into more sun, or the tender leaves will suffer sun scald. Even if they do burn, several new stronger leaves will grow. Amaryllis bulbs grown in garden soil usually recover faster than those growing in pots.

If the long strap-like leaves don’t stand upright, you can stake them gently to keep them off the ground. It wouldn’t hurt to sprinkle some Sluggo granules around them because slugs and snails can damage the foliage or the bulb.

Red Blotch

Before planting amaryllis in the ground for the summer, check them for red streaks or splotches. You might have noticed this disease as the flower stems emerged from the bulbs months ago. This condition indicates a fungal disease caused by Stagonophora curtisii. The disease infects bulbs, leaves, and flower stems. Affected cells die, but surrounding tissues continue expanding, causing leaves or the flower stem to bend.

Peel off infected outer bulb scales and leaves. Throw those parts into the trash rather than composting them, as the spores can spread to other bulbous plants. A systemic fungicide might help clear up the disease. Ask your agricultural extension agent for advice.

When summering amaryllis outdoors in the ground, plant with half of the bulb exposed to air. Avoid splashing water near the top of the bulb, where the disease could take hold.

Physical damage also can cause red or reddish-brown areas. Although those areas look diseased, the rest of the plant continues to grow normally. In this case, fungus is not the problem. However, pathogens can gain entry into the host through bruised tissues.

Headings

Page 1: “How do I get the amaryllis bulbs to bloom again this winter?”, A Brief History, You Say Amaryllis, and I Say Hippeastrum, Pollinating the Flowers (Amaryllis Seedpods), and What To Do With Your Plants Now (Red Blotch)

Page 2: As Amaryllis Plants Grow This Summer, The Process (The Growing Cycle Indoors, And Then Outdoors), and Potting Up New Amaryllis Bulbs (Step-By-Step, and Something’s Growing!)

Return to the top

Pages: 1 2

Better Gardening: Getting Started On Day 1

Apr10

2018

Gardening is not new to me, but blogging is…

packing truck for farmers' market, better gardening

Packing the truck for the farmers’ market, late spring. With limited space, some plants grew in flats on the driveway, next to the perennial garden.

…so bear with me as I figure this thing out. Since I like details, keeping the articles short is not my style. A subtitle could include the phrase, “beyond the label descriptions”. All those details not found on plant tags can make a huge difference toward a better gardening experience. So, here’s to better gardening; it starts now!

This blog is about gardening, nature, birds and bugs, and some cooking. I’ll also include information gathered on trips to garden shows and other places of interest.

New Jersey, West Virginia, and Maryland

For 40 years, I owned a small horticultural business, which germinated in my parents’ Oradell, New Jersey, basement. When I moved to West Virginia, all the tables, light fixtures, and plants came with me. My husband and I lived there for a few years. For the next 35 years, we lived in Maryland, most of that time in Rockville, and had two kids and one divorce.

Throughout much of this period of time, I attended college classes in biology, botany, horticulture, landscape design, and landscape technology. I continued working, of course, selling plants at garden shows, flea markets, and county fairs, and wholesale to local garden centers and florists.

Then the farmers’ markets became phenomenally popular in the late 1980’s, popping up in every town and city. For many years, my little company (Wellspring Gardens; not affiliated with the online company) sold an assortment of plants at several farmers’ markets and other festivals in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

: Dwarf succulents in ceramic bonsai tray.

: Herb garden in Italian clay window box.

There was strong demand for herbs and vegetable transplants, and I also grew annuals, perennials, and houseplants. Succulent dish gardens and potted herb gardens, as well as seasonal offerings, were favorites at all the shows. Finding unusual varieties and growing new cultivars made my work fun and sometimes challenging.

I also spent a few years drawing landscape plans for contractors in Maryland, and many years installing gardens for customers I’d met at the markets.

North Carolina

better gardening, Rountree Plantation edible section

Cool season greens at Rountree Nursery and Supply, Charlotte NC.

Six years ago, Mother called from Charlotte, North Carolina, and expressed the need for help. So here I am, with a lot of plants, and supplies and furniture kept in storage. Since self-employment is not practical at this location, I worked for a few years, managing the Edibles Department at a local garden center (photo, above)…until just last week. (***Update***: I am now living in beautiful rural northern North Carolina, and have recently re-started the business. Wellspring Gardens will sell plants at 1 or 2 local farmers’ markets. 2/6/2022)

After receiving customers’ requests for gardening lessons, and a trip to Barnes and Noble for a copy of Blogging for Dummies, this blog was born. In order to retain ownership of the content, I set up a “self-hosted” blog. This takes work, especially for someone with no computer skills. But I’m glad to finally catch up.

The Farm In My Yard

Most of the posts here at “The Farm In My Yard” comprise helpful suggestions and timely tips. The information is derived from decades of decoding problems that friends, family, and customers have had with unproductive tomatoes, spotty ugly basil, 4″ long caterpillars, and soil that looks, well, dead. And that’s just the beginning. These articles might answer questions for both beginning and experienced gardeners.

If you’re curious why your tomatoes stopped producing fruit in the heat of summer, you’ll find the answer in No Fruits On Your Tomato Plants?. Join me for a lovely drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway and a visit to the picturesque Mabry Mill. Or perhaps you’re looking for recipes for homemade chicken soup or almond crescent cookies.

Check back now and then for new relevant information that will be added periodically.

Toward Better Gardening

Before you proclaim that you’ll never grow a green thumb, let me reassure you by saying that, even though I’m fairly competent now, I killed my first bunch of houseplants—in the early 1970’s, while in college. I did everything the plant shop told me to do, but they still died…as did the next few plants I bought.

A little experimentation was called for here. I was a Biology major, after all. The next plants (including Zebra plant [Aphelandra], Dieffenbachia, and Emerald Ripple Peperomia) were placed in windows that received morning sun. Brighter light is precisely what they needed. Once I started succeeding with houseplants, I was hooked! The next year, I started a horticultural business.

Never give up. Read everything you can get your hands on. But remember: there is no substitute for the educational experience of handling plants, starting seeds, and digging in the soil. Year after year after year.

Now that spring is here or coming soon to the northern states, our thoughts turn to another attempt at a ripe red bell pepper or more than a few vine-ripened tomatoes. Armed with new information and renewed determination, you’ll be able to improve upon previous less-than-overwhelmingly-successful experiences.

Thanks for joining me on this quest toward better gardening. I hope you’ll find the answers to your garden questions and enjoy reading some of the articles posted here.

Flats of plants growing on the sunny driveway, in early spring.

Return to the top