Many of us celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by wearing green or drinking green beer. Being half Irish on both sides of the family, I also celebrate by cooking corned beef and cabbage, with Irish soda bread on the side. And I typically buy a Shamrock Plant: Oxalis regnellii. Shamrock is a tender pot-plant that grows from [...]

Green leaves on houseplants add a relaxed ambiance to a room, while bold red, orange or yellow colors provide a dramatic statement. And a single colorful plant among a group of green plants makes the whole grouping stand out. Plants with colorful leaves and flowering plants usually require brighter light to put on a good [...]

Houseplants bring a breath of fresh air to a stuffy winter indoor landscape. If you’re thinking about adding a few, you may wonder which houseplant to choose – especially if you lack a “green thumb”. This depends on your interior style, your personal taste, and few practical considerations including light, day and night temperatures, the [...]

It’s been snowy and drab for too long now. These months without a garden can be hard to bear. Dreaming about the garden and perusing nursery catalogs helps to sustain us through the dark days, but I seek a more practical outlet. Filling the house with green and flowering plants of all descriptions, varying the [...]

To my delight, I was given a cheerful red cyclamen plant as a gift from a neighbor last week. I think the indoor Florist’s Cyclamen, Cyclamen persicum, is about as pretty as anything you’ll find in a pot at this time of year. Florist’s Cyclamen have sweet scented small flowers in an intense range of [...]

Anthurium, with it’s bright red, long-lasting, heart-shaped bract, says “I love you!” Valentine’s Day is a time when we express our affection in words and actions, and often through flowers. At the end of a long dark winter, the gift of fresh blossoms is most cherished. A dozen roses is the traditional symbolic romantic offering. [...]

I planted Paperwhite Narcissus bulbs this year for holiday bloom. I haven’t grown them for a few years, and almost forgot how cheery and fabulously fragrant the blossoms are! Paperwhites (Narcissus papyraceus) are available during the holiday season, sold as bulb kits or as single bulbs in garden centers. The bulbs produce clusters of white fragrant [...]