Houseplants…what would we do without them? No matter the season, whether it’s to clean the air or add a pop of green, houseplants are the gift that keeps on giving. Houseplants – The Complete Guide to Choosing, Growing and Caring for Indoor Plants by Lisa Eldred Steinkopf provides a wealth of information. User-friendly, easy to read, and offering tips on tools to plant selections it is truly a great book to have on hand.
Now that the winter holiday season is over, the tree is down and we are settling into nesting, a houseplant is the instant pick-me-up. What kind, how do we care for it, can I report my current houseplant? Lise Eldred Steinkopf covers these topics and more in her new book. If you visit a garden center right now, this is usually what you see…
or tons of these…
Did you know that there are so many more options? First things first. How are your existing houseplants doing? Are the roots protruding out of the bottom? are the leaves yellowing? How is the lighting? Did you consider how lighting changes from season to season? Are you over or underwatering? Is this the right time to transplant or re-pot? Does the bigger is always better rule useful when repotting? If any of these questions have stumped you, this is the book for you.
Lisa explains how to know when to root prune existing plants as well as how t do so effectively. This is one of the first things to consider when reviving existing houseplants. Pot size to enhance and not interfere with the health of existing houseplants is key after root pruning.
Beautiful photos share what to look for when root pruning. Watering can be the life or death of a houseplant, so knowing the how to’s are very important as well. One of the tips mentioned was the act of immersion as a form of hydrating houseplants. I tend to do this once a month during the winter due to the dry indoor air of household heat. My houseplants thank me with beautiful leaves all winter long.
Lisa even shares a great tip on how to keep your plants hydrated and alive while on vacation – and it is so easy! Here’s a tip – save those clear plastic bags.
Fertilize or not to fertilize – that is always a big question when it comes to houseplant health. One of the BEST houseplant tips offered in this book is in this chapter. I will not divulge the secret but knowing your plant is crucial. Lighting is also key to keeping your houseplants alive and well. I have lost many begonias in my life, all because I loved the leaf in the store. Had I paid attention to the lighting needs required for them to thrive, my collection would be quite large!
The author even delves into propagation, grooming and creating awesome environments for houseplant success. This is a great chapter as I for one cannot stand brown tipped leaves – especially in the winter. Knowing what to do about this issue and many others like yellowing leaves are environmental and easily solved.
Know where you are purchasing your houseplants from. It is easy to bring tainted, bug or disease-ridden houseplants into your home. Purchasing from reputable resources is your best bet. Lisa shares what best practices are that help keep your existing plants healthy just in case a pest wandered in on that new houseplant unnoticed. Once again, great pictures that are up close and personal sharing the little things we might otherwise miss. Hint – purchase a pretty magnifying glass…you will want to use it. (I did!)
The best part of this book?
The sections labeled “Easy To Grow “, “Moderately Easy To Grow” and “Challenging to Grow”.
I love a good challenge, so I am trying a plant from the “Challenging to Grow” list. Wish me luck!
If you need a pick me up, have a gift card burning a hole in your pocket. a break from the seed catalogs, or just need confidence in growing as we nest over the winter, you need this book. I highly recommend Houseplants – The Complete Guide to Choosing, Growing and Caring for Indoor Plants by Lis Eldred Steinkopf . A great resource we can use as we nest over the winter months and prepare for our next season.
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One of the first things to think about is seed selection. What flowers do you desire for your cutting garden? How tall do you want the cut flowers to grow? What colors? Large blooms or abundant small blooms? Defining your taste in which flowers you really like and want to grow can be a process of weeding out just how many flowers your garden can accommodate. In my world, one can never have enough cut flowers. From Cosmos to Zinnia’s and everything in between, makes selecting how many of which plant you want, quite the task. Once you have made your selections, one must consider the soil, as well as the site.
Some of the most common cut flowers need full sun and well-draining soil. So that sunny hardpan clay area in the corner, under the trees, just might not work without amending the soil. Your choice of soil amendments could include a slow release fertilizer, an organic fertilizer, leaf grow as a soil conditioner, mushroom compost, coconut hulls (makes a wonderful smelling soil amendment) or an assortment of aged manure – from rabbits to guano (bat droppings). Obtaining a soil test over the winter months can aid in making sure you add just enough of exactly what is needed for optimal seed/plant growth. Check with a reputable local hardware store or your Extension Office for advice on where and how to obtain a thorough soil test.
Once you have taken these steps, it is simply a matter of starting or direct sowing your seeds, adding some other plant material for textural interest, additional options for cutting – such as assorted ornamental grasses, Dahlia’s, Oriental, Asiatic or even the newer blended cultivar Lilly’s. You could even add shrubs that have berries or variegated foliage, which can be utilized in arrangements. A little water when needed, perhaps a little additional fertilizer and a good pair of snips or pruners to make an arrangement that will surely brighten the home.
A few pointers to remember, know how much fertilizer your cutting garden choices need. Know the size of your planting bed or lot, as well as the hours of sun or shade it will get. If the soil is amended correctly and any slow release fertilizer is incorporated into the cutting garden bed, over fertilization, can be kept at a minimum. Watch for mildew in high humid areas and most importantly, please consider growing some native plant material that attracts pollinators. Cut often for repeat bloom on some plants and lower renewed growth and budding in others for much later bloom. Incorporating plants that feed or provide cover for nature’s pollinators are always a great way of saying “Thank You” for the beauty that surrounds us to Mother Nature. Finally, don’t forget to search second-hand shops, catalogs or even be creative in re-purposing everyday containers. There is nothing prettier than a smattering of zinnia’s in a soup can or a soda bottle. 
Remembering the three S’s (seeds, site, soil) will enable you to say to your friends and neighbors, “a cut flower garden…You can Grow That!!!”
(All of these garden photos were taken in the gardens outside of Le Invalides, Paris, France. The tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte, as well as other war heroes, can be found here. 
Winter has finally reared its frigid presence and is trying to spoil the wonderfully mild weather we have been experiencing. Not complaining, however, we should consider what we can do to bring winter indoors (without the chill in the air) …especially after the holidays. You Can Grow and most likely are growing plant material that will allow you to bring the presence of winter indoors.
Let’s take a fresh look at boxwood. Boxwood is not just for kissing balls and arrangement filler anymore. Boxwood can be clipped, snipped or just left in its natural state. The beauty of boxwood is you can soak it in water after freshly cutting it, arrange and leave it so it can turn a wonderful wheat like color upon drying. You can use all sizes and shapes of vases or creative containers, to make simple green arrangements that can be placed just about anywhere. Boxwood wreaths are s easy and such a joy to make year round you can even add creative touches as the season progresses. Removing some runaway grapevines from your garden??? Use that grapevine to make a circle or a swag (size does not matter), use leftover ribbon from the holidays or green floral wire to attach bunches of boxwood around the form. Decorate with a different texture of leaf-like holly, variegated holly or Osmanthus, cotton seed pods, forsythia or winter jasmine that has buds. If you use the winter jasmine or forsythia that has buds and keep it moistened, at the right time and unexpected spark of yellow will liven up your room. Using floral tubes carefully tucked in and concealed by greenery so they are not seen is a terrific idea as well!
There is something about an awesome leaf. It can sometimes be the texture, the variegation, the veining or simply the color. Heuchera or Alum root offers all of this, as well as a dainty bloom that rises above the mesmerizing foliage. Talk about a multitasking, yet quiet presence in the garden.
While each new cultivar has different care instructions, there are some hints to follow if you want to grow this Princess of the Garden. Most Heuchera adapt to relatively dry semi shade. Some can take full sun, but here in my zone 6 garden, a little afternoon shade seems to keep them perky, flourishing and very happy. I have to say that even with the heat and minimal rain over the summer of 2015, my Heuchera all stood up to the challenge! This is a plant anyone should just love!!!
Look at the veining in this leaf. It was quite bodacious in my shade garden. Heuchera is virtually pest free for the most part. Some say it is deer proof. I have to share that last winter, I thought I had lost most of mine due to the deer . The deer had eaten them down to the crowns….but then they popped right back into action in the Spring.
“Berry Timeless” Coral Bells (in the Saxifragaceae family like Heuchera) hs wonderful semi-fuzzy leaves with some beautifully contrasting veining, making the foliage Outstanding!! It is not all about the bloom with these plants. The dainty blooms are known to attract hummingbirds (in season) and when planted en mass, gives the appearance of a pink, white or red cloud hovering above the foliage.
You can share this plant throughout your garden either by dividing and transplanting the babies, seed or by allowing nature to do her thing. I have several that have drifted somehow into my walkway, become part of the garden. I let Mother Nature do her own random plant placement sometimes, as it is a perfect way to see where the plant looks from “Her” design manifesto.
