Growing Fuchsia in a Container

 Last summer my brother gave me a Fuchsia flowering plant in a hanging container and told me that it would attract hummingbirds.  This pretty purple and rose-colored Fuchsia bloomed from early summer to frost and did indeed attract hummingbirds.

 

Hummingbirds and bees seem to enjoy the small, double purple and red flowers The colorful blooms looked stunning against the dark-green leaves. 

Overall, I did not do much with the plant besides hanging the container from the overhang of my side porch in a shady area with partial morning sun and watering when the soil felt dry.   

Fuchsia is a low-maintenance plant that anyone can grow. 

Winter Care

I did prune this plant in the early fall when the flowers stopped blooming and brought it indoors during the winter months.  I am not certain if the plant will return in the spring.  

I applied a light mulch to the soil and hung the plant in my basement/crawl space where the temperature is an average of 45 degrees the basement is cool, dark, and dry and it will prevent the plant from being exposed to frost.

 During the winter months, I water the dormant plant sparingly to make sure the soil is not overly dry.

Christmas Cactus After Holiday Care

If you love indoor plants that have beautiful flowers and are easy to grow, then a Christmas cactus may be the perfect plant for you.

I received a Christmas cactus that was covered with buds but had no blooms. So I fertilized it with Miracle-gro bloom booster every two weeks and in no time I had beautiful pink blooms. The flowers only lasted one day but I had many buds to enjoy during the Christmas holiday.

Unlike other cactus, the Christmas cactus will thrive in cooler temperature. An ideal temperature would be 68 degrees. So a cooler room with moderate light is best for your Christmas cactus. Do not put your cactus in direct light and a southern exposure would be too hot and would burn the leaves. I prefer to set my cactus off to the side so that the light is moderate and not direct.

Know that over watering your cactus will kill it. Evenly moist soil is not good for your Christmas cactus. I would recommend that you let your cactus soil dry. before watering. Allow the water to drain out of the pot. Do not allow the water to collect in the saucer. Instead of watering your plant daily you should lightly mist the leaves of your plant daily to maintain a level of humidity around your cactus plant.

After Christmas caring for you cactus is easy as long as you keep the plant in a cool room away from a draft or a heat source, provide it with moderate light and do not over water then your plant should thrive and live a long life of 20 to 30 years.

If you have cats or dogs you do not need to worry about the Cactus plant. According to the ASPCA poisonous plant database the Christmas cactus is not toxic or poisonous to cats or dogs.

Learn how to force your Christmas cactus to re-bloom by viewing this video.

Treating Transplants with Neem Oil Concentrate

Today we worked in the garden by digging up herbs and transplanting them into containers. We always bring our culinary herbs indoors to enjoy them throughout the winter months and think it is best to bring them in before the weather turns colder than 60 degrees. Herbs are heat seekers and when the days and nights turn cool the plants are stressed.

We transplanted Rosemary, Sage, Oregon Basil, Peppermint and Parsley today. But before bringing the plants indoors we sprayed all with Garden Safe Neem Oil Concentrate. Neem oil is an organic way to get rid of a variety of garden pests; aphids, whiteflies, powdery mildew, and spider mites.

It is best to treat your plants with the Neem oil solution a day or two before bringing them indoors. It takes approximately 24 hours to get rid of the pests on your plants.

Neem oil organic concentrate is easy to use because this natural product is mixed with water before applying with a garden sprayer to your plants. Spray your plants, and saturate them with pest control. Then wait a day or two before bringing your transplants indoors for the winter.

Note: Oil does not mix well with water so you need to shake the formula often before and during application. Refrain from using neem oil on any flowers or buds as it is toxic to bees.   

Caring for Newly Transplanted Flower – Garden Tips

Many people shop for flowers at the garden center.  They will buy nursery-grown plants for their gardens.  The flowers will be planted in an area that agrees with their requirements.  Then the gardener will care for the flower, making sure it grows to be a healthy plant.  

Yesterday my neighbor spent a lot of money on a variety of flowers, I told her how to plant them, and when she finished she said, does nature take its course?  She did not realize that she had to take care of her transplanted flower.

For the next 28 days, the newly transplanted flower will need to be watched, and all new plants need care.  Here are a few garden tips that I recommend for all transplanted flower. 

Encircle the plant with mulch. Do not add mulch all the way to the plant stem as this will prevent the plant from getting water and other nutrients. Mulch is a good way to control weed growth and also keep the roots cool in summer. The mulch will also help to retain moisture and protect the new garden flower from suffering from dry soil.

Feed your newly planted flowers with water-based fertilizer like Miracle-Gro liquafeed bloom booster flower food once every 10 days throughout the blooming season.

Water your newly planted flower daily with a soaker hose in the morning or before the heat of the day. This hose will wet the soil and not the plant leaves. It is best to keep the soil evenly moist but not wet. Do not let the soil dry out.

Spot-check the flowerbed for weeds and remove them when you see them.  Watch the flower garden for pests. 

***Do not let the flower garden dry out throughout the growing season. Set the soaker hose on a timer and water in the morning.***

6 Ways to Prevent Powdery Mildew

Powdery mildew is a fungus that will weaken and kill your plants. If left untreated it will infect the entire garden. The best way to prevent this powdery mildew is to understand the fungus and know what garden conditions will put a stop to the fungus from attacking your plants.

There are a few things that you can do to prevent powdery mildew. Know that you must check all of your plants for this fungus, even the ones you buy at garden centers.

1. Shop for and BUY healthy plants with green leaves and strong roots and stay away from the plants that are closeouts, not a good idea to nurse them back to health, they may be diseased and make your other plants in the garden sick.
2. Choose your gardens carefully, if your plants require full sun then give them what they need. All plants need airflow, so choose a garden bed that is not next to a wall or privacy fences.
3. Refrain from planting too close. Overcrowded gardens are attractive to powdery mildew due to the lack of airflow.
4. Keep gardens weeded. Watch for weed growth and pull out weeds when they are visible.
5. Remove all dead branches or leaves. Prune to keep plants healthy.
6. Water plants at the soil line with drip irrigation. Avoid getting leaves wet.

Here is a video that will show you what powdery mildew looks like.  

Covered Tropical Plants with Frost Covers

Tonight is a cold night, and I took steps to cover my orchids and elephant ear tropical plants with frost covers.  The forecast does not call for a freeze and tomorrow it will be warm again but with temperatures dipping into the low 40's I thought it best to cover my tropical plants.

The weather that we are having is not normal for this time of the year.  It is a cold snap with back-to-normal temperatures in a few days.  By Monday the high is 88 degrees Fahrenheit and the forecast shows many days of warm weather.  For this reason, I decided to leave my tropical plants outdoors for now.  The frost cover will protect them and tomorrow I will uncover them and the orchids will look so pretty.

Eventually, I will have to take all tropical plants indoors and get the elephant ears ready for winter storage. At the moment  I am putting that off.  I want to prolong the garden season as long as I can.

Do you have orchids or other tropical plants?  When do you bring them indoors?

Here is a photo of tropical elephant ears in a container.  

Elephant ear container plant