It’s gray, foggy, and drizzling outside – a perfect Mississippi winter day.
When winter arrives, I curl up on the couch, tuck in the extra blankets, close my eyes and fervently wish I was somewhere tropical. I wish, I wish, I wish! Yep, still here.
The only thing that gets me through these yucky days when I can’t be outside are my indoor plants. They suffer neglect in the spring and summer, but in the winter, they get all my attention.
Indoor gardening isn’t difficult, but I found that for most of the blooming plants and even those with colorful leaves, it’s nearly impossible to get the color without good direct sunlight or bright indirect light coming through my windows.
Through trial and error, I found the three or four windows in my house that let enough sunlight directly into my house to sustain colorful plants.
As luck would have it, I have a few indoor plants that provide color for me each winter.
This African violet has been with me for several years. Each winter, I have to baby it back into good condition due to my neglect in the summer. This year, I even gave it some extra nutrients a month ago and now it is showing off with all of its blooms.
Some indoor plants have the most gorgeous colors in their leaves – many of the begonias do and this tri-color ginger looks like a painting to me. The more bright indirect light they get, the more their colors stand out.
In the summer, I leave this miniature lemon tree outdoors, but I bring it inside for the winter. It had this fruit on it already, but it has continued to ripen while in the house. I think it’s ready now!
Every winter, I bring this cactus in the house and place it directly under a grow light. A few weeks later, I always get these amazing, gorgeous bright pink and yellow flowers. They’re my winter favorite!
So, my advice to all you fellow gardeners is, to survive the winter, go out to your nearest garden center and pick out a few flowering indoor plants that will bring in some sunshine for you and make you smile.