Get your home ready for winter hibernation with these simple ideas for bringing the garden indoors.
Ferny Glen
Ferns such as the Lemon button fern ( Nephrolepis cordifolia) offer a refreshing spot of green during winter. I'm particularly fond of ferns because of their interesting forms and delicate stems. Lemon button only reaches one foot tall and the round leaves have a lemony scent. Place it in a room with bright shade, keep the soil moist, but not soggy, and fertilize once a week in the spring and summer with an all-purpose liquid fertilizer.
Touch of the Tropics
The fragrant blooms of citrus are a welcome sight in the dead of winter. Calamondins are well-suited for growing in containers indoors because they are easy to care for and stay smaller than other citrus trees. Flowers appear in late winter; followed by small, sour fruits. Place your calamondin in a spot with bright sunlight and water when the top inch of soil is dry. Begin feeding in spring with an all-purpose liquid fertilizer and continue every month during the growing season.
Winter Blooms
Everyone should treat themselves to cut flowers during winter. It doesn't take much; just a few stems in a vase is enough to brighten a room. Chrysanthemums, carnations, daisies and alstroemeria are inexpensive blooms with a long vase life and spray roses will stay fresh longer than the traditional large flowers. If you are lucky enough to have spring flowering trees or shrubs planted in your yard, cut budded branches to force indoors. Whatever you choose, remember to change the water frequently and remove any leaves that sit below the water line.
Bowls of Color
One of the easiest ways to bring a pop of fresh color to a gray, winter day is by setting out a bowl filled with lemons, limes, oranges or clementines. The stores are fully stocked with citrus from November through January. I like to place crushed newspaper in the bottom of the bowl and then add the fruit. This cuts down on the amount of fruit needed and adds height to the arrangement.
Growing Indoors
To satisfy my need to grow something, I plant paperwhite and amaryllis bulbs starting in November. Paperwhites put out bright green shoots almost immediately that are just as charming as the blooms. Amaryllis take a little longer to emerge, but the huge flowers are worth the wait.
P. Allen Smith's Garden Home
Garden design expert P. Allen Smith demystifies the process of designing beautiful gardens and opens up new possibilities for homeowners looking to create their own garden paradise. P. ALLEN SMITH'S GARDEN HOME highlights colorful gardens, easy how-to projects and expert tips that novice and experienced gardeners can apply to their own homes. View P. Allen SMith's Garden Home on Saturday's at 1PM on WHRO-TV 15.