My gardening wife gets moody when the weather keeps her inside. How do you cope?
When it gets cold and wet outside my indoor gardening activity ramps up. I have more indoor plants that get my attention. In addition to my regular indoor green plants, I like to have several flowering plants around to look after.
Orchids are my favorite because they bloom for such a long time. I can buy a small blooming orchid for less than $20. I look for plants that have a lot of unopened flower buds to spread out the blooming time. We have several orchid plants that have finished blooming. My wife can’t bear to throw away a live plant. To me it is not worth the effort to keep a plant for a whole year to get a repeat bloom.
African violets can also be purchased in full bloom with lots of buds to extend their color. Their repeat bloom time is much shorter than orchids. Another thing that is fun about African violets is how easy it is to start new plants with a single leaf. Just stick a leaf or several leaves into a small pot filled with potting soil and place a clear plastic bag over it.
