By now, in early February, “Cabin Fever” is raging amongst Midwesterners. Perhaps you’ve even been somewhere warm (south Texas, Florida, Arizona), seen green plants outdoors and are longing for that kind of greenery at your residence. To help overcome the winter blues, try these easy to care for houseplants; it will help scratch the itch and not require a lot of resources to do it.
Author: John Fech
John Fech is a horticulturist with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and certified arborist with the International Society of Arboriculture. The author of 2 books and over 200 popular and trade journal articles, he focuses his time on teaching effective landscape maintenance techniques, water conservation, diagnosing turf and ornamental problems and encouraging effective bilingual communication in the green industry. He works extensively with the media to extend the message of landscape sustainability, making over 100 television and radio appearances each year.
2025 Gardening Resolutions
Since January in the Midwest is usually not all that favorable for outdoor activities, we can grab the trowel by the handle and think ahead and backwards. Asking the question, “what didn’t go so well last year?” is a good one to springboard forward, or to borrow from the world of personal finance or fitness, to make new gardening resolutions.
Fall Color in the Landscape
As you drive around the highways and byways, or even just the various neighborhoods, some of the most enjoyable views out the window glass are heavily influenced by the fall colors of trees and shrubs in the landscape. The reds, oranges and yellows of fall show off Mother Nature’s pageantry in its finest form.
Suddenly Sun
Following extreme windstorms, many homeowners find themselves dealing with the “Suddenly Sun Syndrome” or SSS. What’s that? SSS is an influence on the landscape in which lawns, flowers, shrubs and small trees that used to be shaded by trees are now in greater sunlight exposure because they were significantly thinned by Mother Nature or were removed for safety reasons.
Container Gardens – Regular and Unique
There’s the traditional “garden variety” container garden and then there are unusual, unique or out of the ordinary, edgy ones. Traditional patio planters or front porch pots tend to be round or rectangular and flat, facilitating the display of flowers on a horizonal and perhaps cascading plane. Other types of planters expand the viewing of the plant material in vertical, rounded and hanging arrangements, often in combination of other hardscape elements of the landscape.