Posts

Showing posts from December, 2018

Gardening, yes, in chilly temperatures

Image
  Christmas cactus at left, brunnera at right, sanseviera, Amaryllis, begonia, etc.   Big schefellera, it's more than 20 years old. Decades-old palm tree ar left & recently repotted schefellera at right. During lunch over the holidays, a friend asked, "Why no new garden blogs?" The easy reply "It's too cold out!" makes sense, until a visitor comes into the house. There are two big patio plants on each side of the doors, fresh flowers on a kitchen cart, a poinsettia on the table, a large Christmas cactus and six plants in various stages of development in the south-facing 'sun room'. Yep, gardening is still possible in Eastern Iowa, despite the winter weather. Each plant has a story. They all take some care, but good reasons exist to do the work: The porch plants started out as funeral flower arrangements for my dad, who died in 1989. The cactus began in a four-inch pot, purchased at a local gardening store. It now has be...