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. [...]