There are even a couple of books about plant parenting, one by a fellow GardenComm member Leslie Halleck. Her book is “Plant Parenting: Easy Ways to Make More Houseplants, Vegetables, and Flowers.”
How many plants do you have in your house right now? One, five, 10 or 100? Do you have a greenhouse where you store your outdoor plants for the winter months?
To be very honest, just having something green in the house during the winter is uplifting. There is also a lot of research that shows the value of plants in terms of your mental health. So, bottom line, having houseplants is a good thing!
If it’s a good thing, why is it a bit of a challenge to take care of them sometimes? This is a good question, and the answer isn’t simple.
Keep in mind that most of our houseplants are outdoor tropical plants from somewhere way south of us – as far south as South America – in warmer climates!
Also, keep in mind that we can’t mimic these environmental conditions in our home in the winter. The humidity is low, the temperature is cooler (unless you keep you house at 90 F) and the light is lower.
Therefore, we have a little bit of a struggle to keep them looking good until we take them outside again in the spring and summer.
How much water do they need and what happens if they get insects or worse yet, spider mites?
If you have an amaryllis or poinsettia, what do you do with it after it blooms? Or maybe someone gave you a pot of tulips or hyacinths and you need to know how to take care of it.
With that in mind, I am hosting a Houseplant 101 session on Feb. 25, 2021 from 6-7:30 p.m. Grab some hot chocolate and come with your best questions as we gather virtually via Zoom and talk about houseplants.
I will share some of the easiest and most common houseplants to grow indoors as well as tips to keep them healthy all winter during this live online session. There won’t be a PowerPoint presentation, just me showing some of my plants (the good and the bad) and answering your questions. Maybe you have some tips and tricks to share as well.
Registration for Houseplant 101 is free and required. Register at: go.osu.edu/houseplant101 If you have questions, send them to me in advance and I will try to answer as many as possible. Send them to bennett.27@osu.edu with the subject houseplant.
And if you would please do me a favor – let your millennial children or grandchildren know about this and have them tune in. The millennials are the ones driving the houseplant market today – maybe I can help them as well.
Pamela Corle-Bennett is the state master gardener volunteer coordinator and horticulture educator for Ohio State University Extension. Contact her by email at bennett.27@osu.edu.
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