September is the best month for transitioning our houseplants from the outdoors to inside. At this time of year, we don’t have the impending crunch of time when frost is imminent and our only choice is to hastily move plants indoors. By planning ahead, we have the time to pay attention to our houseplants by…
Tag: Houseplants
Plant Societies
This week we kick off National Indoor Plant Week. As an avid houseplant enthusiast I belong to a few different national plant societies. The two national societies I belong to are the African Violet Society of America and the Gesneriad Society. Sadly, with today’s capabilities to connect to with people around the globe membership has…
African violet no more!
I am a huge African violet nut. Huge. African violets belong to the family Gesneriaceae and belong in the genus Saintpaulia. Until recently taxonomist have pretty much left this genus of plants alone. At one time there was about 21 recognized species of African violets until a few years ago when the “Great Merger” occurred. …
False Christmas Cactus
Growing up my mom always called her Christmas cactus a Thanksgiving cactus because it would be in full flower by the end of November. Being the good son, I never questioned Mom or try to correct her. Twenty something years and a few advance degrees later, Mom was right. The popular plant that’s now arriving…
3 Things to Know about Fungus Gnats
When you bring in those potted plants, you may not be bringing in just your photosynthetic pals! Many different kinds of arthropods may take up residence in the potting medium, one of the most annoying of which is the fungus gnat. Fungus gnats are small flies that infest potting mixtures, soil, and anything else that…
Indoor Air & Houseplants
Welcome to the most exciting week of the year: National Indoor Plant Week! We often don’t take into consideration the quality of the air we breathe inside our homes. However, often times the air quality is not what we think it is. Homes have become more airtight in the quest to improve energy efficiency. Home…
The Rest of the Family
This week the Gesneriad Society will host their National Convention in Omaha. What is a Gesneriad? Well if you have ever grown the lipstick vine, guppy plant, florist gloxinia, flame violet or Cape primrose you have grown a Gesneriad. Oh, yeah – ever grown an African violet – they are one too. Gesneriaceae is a…