Well I received a white poinsettia for Christmas this year and have confiscated my sister’s white poinsettia – which was going down hill quickly. My goal is to grow both of these poinsettias in pots and have them healthy, happy and ready for next Christmas.

Repotted Poinsettia Plants

The first thing I did was replant them into new pots – they came in those really cheap plastic throw-away pots that were way too small for them. I put about an inch of gardening stones at the very bottom of the new pots. This helps with drainage. Then I added enough potting soil to allow the plants to sit high in the bigger pots. I wanted the roots to be no more than an inch or so from the rim of the new pot.

After carefully removing the plants from the old pots, making sure to retain as much of the original soil as possible, I gently sat them in the new soil and filled in around the sides. You want to keep the original soil around the roots – this will prevent the plant from going into shock.

I felt that the original soil was quite moist, so I did not water them into the new soil as I might normally do. I’ll watch them this week and if the soil seems dry, I’ll water. With poinsettias, you want to let the soil dry out before watering. Since I added the rocks to the bottom of the new pots, I’m not too worried about over watering, but I still have to be wary about it.

I’ve posted some photos of the plants in their new pots. Every few weeks I’ll post new photos and keep you updated on how they are doing.

If you save your poinsettias from year to year, please let me know. I’m open for all the pointers I can get!

Thanks and Happy New Year!

A healthy Poinsettia plant can last for months or even years!

‘Tis the season for Poinsettias! These beautiful plants are synonymous with the Christmas season and if you’re not giving anyone a Poinsettia, chances are, you’ll be receiving one (or more!).

So we’ve put together some information about caring for this lovley plant – pass the info along to anyone you gift with a Poinsettia this year.

Some background and history of the Poinsettia:

• Poinsettias are the most popular flower plant during the Christmas season. They are the largest flowering plant crop in the U.S., with sales of over 63 million pots!
• Native to the warmer southwestern U.S. climates and Mexico, Poinsettias are susceptible to cold and frost. So don’t leave them in your car while you shop – bring them home as soon as you buy them.
• Poinsettias are named for Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first Ambassador to Mexico who brought the plant back to his Greenville, S.C plantation. He grew them and gave them out as gifts.
• Poinsettia Day is December 12th. It was declared in honor of the death of Joel Roberts Poinsett on December 12, 1851.
• Poinsettias are not poisonous as many believe. But eating them could give you a stomach ache.

How to Choose Healthy Poinsettia Plants

• Look for lots of dark green leaves and bright colored flowers. If the leaves or flowers are dry or brown around the edges, choose another plant. Look for flowers that are completely open. Poinsettias are slow to open, but once they bloom, the flowers will remain full and attractive for several weeks.
• If the weather is cold, make sure to wrap up the plant well for the trip from the store to the car. Even short exposure to cold and wind can damage your Poinsettia.

How to Care for Your Poinsettia

• Poinsettias are easy to keep. They retain their blooms long after you have put away the Christmas decorations, possibly lasting until Valentine’s Day. Keep them in a sunny room with an ideal temperature range of 60 – 70 degrees. Don’t put them near drafts, and don’t put them near high heat, like a furnace vent or fireplace.
• Water thoroughly, then let the soil dry between watering. If they begin to dry out, water them and they will bounce right back. If the leaves turn lighter green, give more sunshine.
• During the summer move your plant outdoors to a sunny location or plant it directly into your garden. Give it a good trimming. Use general purpose fertilizer every 2 to 3 weeks.
• Bring the plant indoors before the first frost. Poinsettias cannot survive a frost.

Forcing Poinsettias (to bloom at Christmas time)

Forcing Poinsettias to bloom is a difficult task. Many have tried, but few succeed. But, if you want to try, follow these instructions:

• Any time in late September put the plant in total darkness for 12-14 hours a day. **Any small light can upset the process. During the day, it should get six hours or more of sunlight. Continue this process daily until early November, then bring it out into the room. Now with a little luck, your Poinsettia will be in full bloom during the Christmas holiday. Fingers crossed!

Tip: A black plastic bag works well. Place the plant in the bag and  twist tie it at the top. Each morning, remove the twist tie and lower the bag to the floor.

Got a tip for caring and keeping Poinsettias? Click here to send it to us or feel free to leave it as a comment to this post.

Tropical Hibiscus will typically have shiny dark green leaves that are 3-6″, double or single flowers that are red, pink, orange, yellow, salmon, peach, lavender, or white. Tropical hibiscus may also have more than one color in a bloom. Your tropical hibiscus will only tolerate a night or two of light freezes. One hard freeze could kill them. They are native to sunny, warm humid tropical places. You may want to bring them indoors before temperatures drop below 40 degrees. Tropical hibiscus will typically live up to 5 years in a pot.

Hardy perennial Hibiscus will typically have a dull lighter green heart shaped leaves with white, pink or red flowers that can range from a petite 3 or 4 inches to dinner plate size, 8 to 12 inches in diameter with huge 2-4″ in length buds. Hardy hibiscus will need very little care in winter. Their roots are hardy to about zone 5 (click here to learn about hardiness zones) and they will die to the ground each year.

Before you bring your tropical hibiscus inside you will need to cut it back to about 4-5 inches from the main stems. You will need to make clean cuts with a sharp pruning shears. This will help to eliminate the insects and bugs that are on the tips of the branches. Remove all the dead leaves, old flowers that are on you plant or in the pot.

Wash the plant carefully with water making sure to wash the stems and under leaves for any insects and bugs. Let the plant dry thoroughly before bringing inside. You may see some of the leaves turn yellow and fall off once you bring your plant inside, this is normal. Let the soil become dry before watering and don’t let any water sit and collect under the plant in the tray. You may want to mist the leaves daily to help with the low humidity.

Once you bring your tropical hibiscus indoors you will need a bright sunny area or fluorescent lights. Tropical hibiscus will do well with indoor temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees. If your tropical hibiscus is planted in the ground you will need to dig them up and plant them in a pot. But be aware that this may put your hibiscus in shock because they will not generate new roots easily at this time of year and may develop root rot.

Preparing your vegetable garden in the fall will help make your gardening chores easier for next seasons spring plantings.

Fall is the time to prepare perennial vegetables for winters cold temperatures. Remove dead stems and foliage to prevent the spread of disease and insects. Cover with mulch to prevent root damage.

If you will be tilling your garden before winter, leave plants in the soil and till the beds under with organic matter, like leaves and grass clippings.  Diseased plants should not be tilled in the garden. Toss them in the trash.

Leaves and plants that are tilled into the garden in the fall season will have time to compost and release valuable nutrients to the soil as well as improving soil structure.

Tilling your garden in the fall will not only add valuable nutrients to the soil but will also expose many insects, larvae and pupae to the winters cold conditions ending their life cycle. Covering your tilled garden with mulch will help prevent the soil from washing away and will keep down the winter weeds.

If you will not be tilling your garden until spring, remove all plants and put them in your compost pile. Any diseased plants should be tossed in the trash.

Wait until spring planting time to apply fertilizer to your garden. Applying fertilizer in the fall will only wash away before it’s time to plant your garden.

Bringing in your house plants before it gets too cold out will help your plants avoid the shock of sudden changes in  temperature, humidity and light.

Here are a few tips to help your plants adjust to living indoors again:

Before bringing in your plants:

• Clean your windows inside and out. Clean windows let in more sunlight.
• Move plants in the shade about 2 weeks before bringing them indoors. This will help prepare them for the drop in light in your home. Once inside your house your houseplants may have some yellowing leaves or dropping leaves from not having enough light. You may need to add light from a fluorescent glow light.
• Soak your pots up to their rims in a tub full of lukewarm water to force insects like ants, sow bugs, millipedes, and ground beetles to the surface. Insects that are living in the soil will either drown or float to the surface so you can remove them.
• Inspect for other insects. Other insects like aphids, spider mites, scales and slugs will be happily living in the foliage of your plant. Inspect the foliage thoroughly. Wash the plants leaves carefully with water before bringing the plant inside. You could also use
  Plant Guardian Houseplant Insecticidal Soap to wash off the leaves.
• Stop fertilizing. Most plants need a rest period, or dormancy. Fertilizing when plants aren’t actively growing results in a buildup of fertilizer salts in the soil that can damage plant roots.
• Don’t over water You probably watered your container plants every day during the summer but indoors they will not require that much water. Let the soil surface get dry to the touch before watering.

Plants that have outgrown their pots over their summer vacation will need to be re-potted.

To check for crowded roots, turn the pot upside down while supporting the plant with one hand on the surface of the soil. Ease the plant out of the pot. You may need to give the bottom of the pot a few taps to loosen the root ball.  If there is a mass of roots and very little soil, then you will need to repot into a larger container. If the root ball looks good but there is a heavy top growth you may want to prune the top.

Add Pot Stickers to your new and old pots to help keep insect infestations to a minimum.

Got any tips for your fellow gardeners? Click here to Contact BornToGarden.com and share your best tips with our community!

You can plant your Easter lily!

An Easter Lily is a bulb, so not only can you plant your lily, you can enjoy it year after year as it re-blooms each summer.

Here is some history on the Easter Lily, further down the post you’ll find information about planting your Easter Lily:

• The Easter Lily (lilium longiflorum) is native to the Southern Islands of Japan, and is the traditional Easter flower.
• Almost all of the bulbs for the potted Easter Lily market are produced in the coastal regions of California and Oregon – known as the “Easter Lily Capital of the World”.

Here’s something you may not know about Easter Lilies – the bulbs are harvested in the fall and shipped to greenhouses where they are forced to bloom under controlled conditions for the Easter holiday.

In the natural world, the Easter lily blooms in mid summer. So when you plant your blooming plants this year, don’t look for them again until next summer. Don’t be discouraged if they don’t bloom for Easter, they’ll be up a couple of months later, as beautiful as ever.

Here is helpful information for caring for you Easter Lily indoors, until you get a chance to plant them in the garden:

• Lilies like moderately cool temperatures between 60-65 degrees
• Keep away from drafts, excessive heat (fireplaces, heating ducts)
• Place your Lily near a window with bright indirect natural sunlight
• When soil feels dry – water thoroughly
• IMPORTANT: Make sure your plant is not sitting in water – check the decorative wrapping around the pot to make sure water is draining out

Once the last frost date for your region has passed, it is safe to plant your Easter Lily outside.

Here is what you’ll need for outdoor Easter Lily planting:

• Planting area with excellent drainage (lilies don’t like sitting in water)
• Soil that is rich in organic matter
• A sunny location

Ready to plant your Easter Lily? Follow these directions:

• Plant your lily with the base 8 inches deep – this will allow part of the stem which is below the ground to develop roots which will protect the bulb over the winter. Lilium longiflorum is a stem-rooter, growing roots along the buried stem as well as from the bulbs bottom
• Be sure to leave the foliage and flower stem intact
• The green leaves will remain all summer. These leaves play an important part in providing food for the bulb
• Don’t prune the stalk until the leaves turn yellow
• Mulch the area to retain moisture in the soil, cut down on weed growth, and keep the bulbs warm in winter

If you’re lucky you may see a second bloom later this summer. If not then you will have to wait until next summer to see your Easter Lilies bloom again.

Easter Lily bulbs are hardy even in cold climates. Protect your lily in winter with a thick layer of mulch, and remove the mulch next spring to allow the sprouts to easily find the surface.

If you do decide to plant your Easter Lily in your garden and get a second bloom this summer, we would love to hear about it. Use our contact form to let us know!

Growing up, my mother kept nearly 30 plants in the kitchen bay window. She watered them faithfully every Friday. Thanks to Mom, our kitchen was a popular gathering spot – especially when the flowers were blooming. One of my favorite plants was the Christmas cactus. Ours bloomed in late fall / early winter. Its blooms were bright pink. Those beautiful flowers brightened our kitchen every winter. As kids, we helped our Mom with her indoor plant collection. Plants are a great way to teach kids responsibility, and the rewards are great.

Even now, as I write this post, there is a blooming violet on my desk. Violets are favorite choices for houseplants. What’s on your desk? If you would like to have some plants around to energize and inspire you, here are some tips on which plants to pick:

Choosing an indoor plant is simple. Find a plant that enlivens your senses. Most green, leafy or flowering plants will do the trick. But there are hundreds of varieties out there – find the ones that you really like or choose according to what your goal is.

• To relieve stress, try something green such as a dragon tree, Chinese evergreen or bamboo plant. Studies show that even in rooms with little light, these plants do well and create a relaxing atmosphere. Apparently our human evolutionary history awakens when we see thriving plant life – we know plants are essential to our survival and being around them makes us calm.
• To boost your mood, as well as your mental power and creativity, bring in some fresh cut flowers and flowering plants. My violet does the trick for me, you can also try lilies, orchids and bromeliads. Flowering house plants put you in a good mood. Good moods are associated with higher levels of dopamine, the hormone that controls the flow of information through the brain.
• To fight colds and illness, green leafy plants can’t be beat. Since dry air raises the risks of infection and sinusitis, house plants with lots of leaves are ideal as they return moisture to the air. Studies show that they can increase humidity in any given space by as much as five percent. Ivy plants are well suited to this task, such as English ivy, peace lillies and African violet.
• To clean the air of toxins, either tall standing plants or small table top plants will do. All plants are effective in filtering toxins, so pick a few of your favorites and put them around your office or home office strategically. Plants are perfect air purifyers. They take in toxins the same way they take in carbon dioxide. The toxins and CO2 make their way through the plant’s system to the root. The plant then expells them into the soil where they are broken down organically. The plant eventually uses these now nontoxic compounds as food.

It is clear to see the many benefits of house plants, so don’t waste another moment! Check out our plants stores to find the perfect indoor plants for your needs and lifestyle. Be sure to stop by our House Plants page to find some more beautiful plants and learn about the care and feeding of your most important interior design element!

Here are some beautiful house plants to consider to boost your energy, immunity and attitude:

Garden Fern -Buy One, Get One Free!

Peacock Orchid