An informed, yet personal take on natural gardening in Indiana and other dirty topics.
Holidays When shopping for a fresh-cut Christmas tree, check for green, flexible, firmly held needles and a sticky trunk base -- both indicators of freshness. Make a fresh cut and keep the cut end under water at all times. Evergreens can be trimmed ...
Our native chokeberries are underused shrubs, but they are one of the best for winter interest in the garden. Red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) and black chokeberry (A. melancarpus) also feed wildlife. Between the two, I like the red chokeberry because of ...
Indoors Houseplant growth will slow so apply less fertilizer and water. Move plants closer to windows or to sunnier exposures if plants are dropping leaves. Pot up spring-flowering bulbs with tips exposed to force blooms indoors. Moisten soil ...
Indoors Keep poinsettia in dark for 15 hours a day for eight to 10 weeks until red bracts begin to show. Houseplants may drop leaves, especially if they spent the summer outdoors. This a natural reaction to reduced light. Water indoor plants less ...
Indoors Dig and repot herbs growing outdoors, or take cuttings to pot up and grow indoors. Bring houseplants that spent the summer outdoors back indoors before night temperatures fall below 55 degrees. Gradually decrease light to acclimate plants and help ...
