My March 28 garden club meeting will include a program by horticulturist and landscape architect Ken Benson about houseplants titled “House Plants: Our Friends.”
In the cold, snowy days as I plan this article, I have been thinking about my houseplants as my friends… I think Ken is on to something!
Like the Mommas and the Poppas’ song “Monday, Monday. Can’t trust that day,” March is a month I could do without. It’s too much of a tease about spring being right around the corner, then “POW!” Another blizzard!
During one spring break, Matt’s new lawn mower was delivered. Our lawn was covered with snow in the morning, but that afternoon the snow had melted and he was able to take it for a test mow. (Matt had a lawn mowing business at that time, so this was a reasonable event.) Now really, to have March be like a lion AND a lamb in one day is just too much!
I remember not too fondly as an elementary school teacher, marking the March calendar with a lion for wintry days and a lamb for mild, spring-like days. Often the figures would be switched out throughout the day!
Another not-so-fond memory is of our toddler, Christian, digging through the snow looking for Easter eggs hidden the previous warm day. We should have just flung them into the backyard and let Old Man Winter hide them all by himself – on his way out of town!
But I digress… My friends plan a fun afternoon when I need it most and some of my houseplants do the same sort of thing. A succulent is blooming with a sweet pink flower, my African violet has a cluster of purple flowers, the geranium from my niece ten years ago is full of buds and the begonias my neighbor gave me when she moved are bright pink on the window sill! My amaryllis has yet to bloom, so I will ask Ken about it at the meeting.
If you would like to have success with your houseplants, please come to our meeting. Ken will discuss tried and true houseplants – what they need to thrive, where they should be placed in our homes, how we can keep them healthy and how to bring in our favorite garden plants next fall. Don’t be a shrinking violet; the Naperville Garden Club would love to have you join us! Details are on the Positively Naperville events page.
