My vegetable garden may be put to bed but I have more than enough houseplants to keep me busy during the winter months.
I have several plants which spend the summer outdoors. Before moving them inside I give them a good shower. I don’t want any bugs to come inside with the plants! I also keep them separate for a few weeks to make sure there are not any lingering bugs, which might infect my other plants.
When the plants first come in it is natural for some of the leaves to fall off. I have a geranium and a rosemary plant which I have moved inside for the winter. The rosemary seems to have adjusted well. It was transplanted into a larger pot and placed in our sunny, south-facing window.
The geranium was still blooming when it first came inside.
I cut the blooms off to help it adjust to life inside. It is natural for it to have a bit of a shock with less light and humidity than it was used to outside. Once it has adjusted it will bloom again and give us some color over the long winter months.
This is also a good time of year to check on the status of my other houseplants. Perhaps they need some transplanting or dividing. My aloe is doing well now that I have divided the pups.
I have an orchid that is also in need of transplanting and will wait until it is done blooming.
My Cyclamen is happily blooming away. I have watered it when dry, picked off the dead blooms and occasionally fed it all spring and summer. As a result I am being rewarded with blossoms.
Working with houseplants is not quite the same as working outside in the garden, but I enjoy having a bit of greenery inside the house during the winter. Do you have houseplants? Which are your favorites?
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Nancy on the Home Front 