GREEN TO HELP WITH GLOOM
Houseplants brighten up winter
Right about now most of us could use a pop of green. Between the last poinsettia of December and the first daffodil of spring, things indoors are feeling bare.
It’s no secret that houseplants produce oxygen and help to purify and humidify indoor air. There’s plenty of evidence, too, of nature’s soothing effects on our psyches. ( In one recent study by the University of Kansas, hospital patients who had plants in their rooms were shown to ask for less pain medication and reported feeling less stressed.)
“I am convinced that in the cold, dark months of winter watching and tending a plant as it grows and flowers is good for the soul,” says Jean- Pierre Parent, a horticulturist at Montreal’s Botanical Garden, who keeps his own spirits up in the cold months by tending orchids and sprouting herbs at home.
The trouble is, many houseplants — like us — don’t do well when days are short and the indoor air is dry. What’s more, most Montreal homes — especially those facing north or east — don’t get enough sunlight in winter to suit most houseplants. The solution, says Cameron MacDonald, the resident horticulture expert at Pointe- Claire Nursery Maison, is to choose plants resilient enough to endure, even thrive, in low- light and low- moisture conditions.
Here are a few of MacDonald’s favourite indoor plants for winter:
ORCHIDS
Orchids look delicate, with their slender stems and exotic flowers, but they are tough plants. The phalenopsis, is an especially easy orchid to care for, MacDonald says. It can even tolerate the low light of a room with east or northfacing windows. And it needs watering just once a week.
Many orchids bloom just once a year, but the flowers can last up to three months. In the right conditions, mature orchids bloom more frequently. The secret to orchid success, MacDonald says, is to refrain from moving them around.
TERRARIUM-DWELLERS
A few small plants potted in a globe- shaped glass bowl is a great starter terrarium. The small opening prevents moisture from evaporating too quickly. MacDonald says many open terrariums require only once- aweek waterings. Buy one already planted or created your own:
Lay an inch or so of decorative rock or gravel at the bottom of the bowl for drainage. Scatter a handful of activated charcoal over it ( to absorb mould and mildew), then add a couple of inches of potting soil. Plant two or three small ( 2- inch), slow- growing tropical plants in the middle of the container, positioning the taller plant at the back. MacDonald suggests plants with different colours and textures of foliage. Make sure they have similar water and light requirements.
Among his favourite terrarium candidates: rex begonia, with its colourful variegated “painted” leaves; a sturdy spiky- leafed spider plant for height; and peperomia, with its red stems and broad leaves.
SUCCULENTS AND SNAKE PLANTS
Succulents store liquid in their leaves, which means they can survive in very dry conditions, some of them even in low light. There are many pretty miniature varieties of succulents available now that look good planted in small containers or glass globes.
An almost- indestructible droughttolerant plant is the snake plant, which will happily grow in near- darkness and without any care at all.
“You can stick a snake plant at the back of the room, or on a coffee table far from any window and it will be happy, says MacDonald. “All you need is an interesting cachepot.”
LOW-LIGHT FERNS
Many ferns, especially those with small leaves, don’t do well in dry indoor conditions. But a few with larger leaves are more droughttolerant. And because they are forest natives they can stand the darker conditions of our winter rooms.
MacDonald recommends the ruffly leaved bird’s nest fern or the blue- star fern with its bluishgrey leaves. Because they don’t need direct light, he says, they look great on a coffee- table, even one far away from the window.
FLOWERING BULBS
These aren’t technically houseplants, since they bloom and then are done. But nothing is cheerier than tulips or daffodils in bloom. A pot of unopened tulips or hyacinths will last for a couple of weeks indoors if kept away from direct light and intense heat.
Many florists save a selection of bulbs after the fall planting season and keep them in cold storage. Now they are ready to sprout and flower once at room temperature. Set a cluster of individually potted hyacinths or a Chinese bowl filled with teeny grape hyacinth bulbs in a cluster near a window where it’s a little cool and watch them grow. To see the bulbs take root, pot them in clear glass containers filled with rocks or water. No soil required.
AIR PLANTS
Imagine a plant that doesn’t need soil or fertilizer. Not even a pot. That’s tillandsia. Nestle smaller specimens ( like medusa) in a bowl of moss or hang them upside down from a glass globe. Display the larger, rarer sphereshaped xerographica on its own on a decorative tray or plate.
Air plants get their nutrients from water they absorb from the air. They need bright but indirect light and just a fine misting once or twice a week. Other than that, all they ask for is a place to anchor themselves.