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Eco-gardening is at its best in The Monday Garden
December 2002 “In My Garden” #37

Many winter-blooming houseplants are from the tropics and need warmth, bright light, and high humidity.

picture: An Aglanema (Chinese evergreen family) is a great tropical houseplant. Keep out of direct sun and water before they get dried out. It loves bright indirect light and an occasional bath.

Indoors in the winter, humidity is the biggest challenge. Central heating results in humidity levels close to those of the Sahara desert.

Eco-gardening is at its best in The Monday Garden
April 13, 2003, issue 55

Lots of pots get bought in April. Purists favor terra cotta . .... Serene as old stone, it’s porous, promoting air circulation and moisture balance. Downside, it’s heavy and breakable. Also, chemical salts (you see a whitish streaking or crust) can build up to harmful levels. Remove by soaking empty pots in vinegar. “Clay” is the same thing, only cheaper. Terra cotta glazed on the outside is almost as healthy and looks cleaner.

Eco-gardening is at its best in The Monday Garden
March 7, 2004, Issue 102

Happy Spring! This week, the birds sang the spring song, and the tree branches lost the winter gray, so regardless of the calendar, it’s spring. Another sign of spring is Kevin’s orchid blooming in my living room window (see Issue 53 )

picture: Behind Kevin’s orchid is a young coralberry in training, a blond Boston fern, and a peace lily (spathiphyllum).

As all faithful “Monday Garden” readers know, over-watering is the number one houseplant killer and under-watering is number two. When it comes to air and water, it’s easier to be an air-breathing human or a water-breathing fish than a plant. Plants need to breathe BOTH air and water through their roots. When too wet for too long, plant roots drown like a human. When too dry, they shrivel up like a fish.