The Joy of Gardening

[homoe]

In today's Seattle Times Pacific Northwest Section Forkner offers tips on plotting for spring but what really grabbed my attention was his reference to a 2015 book by Ken Druse.The New Shade Garden: Creating A Lush Oasis In The Age of Climate Change.

Forkner agrees that the garden of the future will be shade ones. Last year was one of the hottest summers on records in the Pacific Northwest and agrees Climate Charge will play an important factor in future gardening endeavours.

[kittygrrl]

Originally Posted by homoe

In today's Seattle Times Pacific Northwest Section Forkner offers tips on plotting for spring but what really grabbed my attention was his reference to a 2015 book by Ken Druse.The New Shade Garden: Creating A Lush Oasis In The Age of Climate Change.

Forkner agrees that the garden of the future will be shade ones. Last year was one of the hottest summers on records in the Pacific Northwest and agrees Climate Charge will play an important factor in future gardening endeavours.

it should be snowing here, with at least 6" on the ground this time of year. However to date only a sprinkling here and there but mostly rain. I am enjoying it but quite worried this means a searing hot spring & summer......so perhaps i will only grow tomatoes this year..i am a little worried about my fruit trees now...

[homoe]

If you're new to gardening like myself, a recent article in the January issue suggests tips on sowing timelines, but mostly importantly they indicate if one has no clue to their area's average frost date they visit garden.com

The article also lists several seed companies and a bit of info on each.....

[homoe]

The Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants, established in 1986, collects, preserves, and distributes historic plant varieties and strives to promote greater appreciation for the origins and evolution of garden plants.

The program centers on Thomas Jefferson's horticultural interests and the plants he grew at Monticello, and covers the broad history of plants cultivated in America by including varieties documented through the nineteenth century, and choice North American plants, a group of special interest to Jefferson himself.

According to a recent article in Better Homes & Gardens one can buy seeds of plants he tended in his garden at Monticello.

[homoe]

Pay Attention to Temperature
Most plants, like people, are comfortable in daytime temperatures between 65 to 75 degrees F. and nighttime temps above 50 degrees F. To provide that for your plants, keep them away from both cold drafts and sources of heat, like radiators, ovens, fireplaces and electronic devices. Fluctuations in temperature can be just as damaging as prolonged periods of heat or cold.

Low Humidity
Low humidity is probably the biggest hurdle to overcome during winter. The humidity level in heated homes can drop to 10 - 20% in winter and plants prefer a level closer to 50%. If you have a humidifier in your home, move your plants to a spot where they will enjoy its benefits. If you do not have a humidifier, you're going to need to raise the humidity level by other means.Start by clustering your plants in groups. Plants naturally release water through their leaves by transpiring and grouping them together will put that moisture to good use. If you have room in the bathroom or kitchen, these are the best rooms to congregate your plants, other than the one with the humidifier in it, because they accumulate the most moisture from showers and boiling water.

[homoe]

Winter is probably the easiest time of year to kill a houseplant. Grueling growing conditions like lower light levels, dry air, shorter days and chilly temperatures put houseplants through the paces.

The most common problem houseplants suffer from in winter is over watering. About 95% of houseplants need soil to dry out almost completely before watering.

[homoe]

Give them ample sunlight



Keep in mind that plants get the nourishment they need to grow from the sun. Do your best to give your potted plants as much light as you can during the winter months. Plants left directly under windows get the most light, but if you need to put it elsewhere in the room, leave it by the back wall of the room. If you leave your plants in places of the room that get enough sunlight, you won’t have to worry about looking into artificial sources of light during the winter. During the winter, your southern-facing windows will get the most sunlight. In order to effectively follow the previous tip, it’s best to keep your plants directly under sunlight from the southern-facing windows.

[homoe]

Don’t Repot until spring, if possible.


Repotting is very tough on plants, and they will need all their strength in the winter. So hold off on repotting window plants until spring...