Meanwhile, indoors

We got a bit of sunshine yesterday - finally a really nice day to go for a proper, long walk around the village, to see what changed in the gardens! It still is rather wintery here, but snowdrops already appear out of the ground, and crocus probably are not far behind either. Some people did a bit of pruning, some old trees and shrubbery got cut down, but overall it seems that gardens are still drowsing in their winter lethargy. Not for long though, as the active February sun is waking up the earth and migrating birds already prepare for their trip homewards.

Meanwhile, the full blossoming mostly is happening on on the windowsills, with a wide selection of orchids, amaryllis and other indoor plants looking through the glass. I am happy to see that a typical Xmas plant, Euphorbia pulcherrima, finally is out of fashion, I never liked that one and it seemed to be a must-have in the winter season for decades. If you did not buy one, you usually ended up with someone gifting you the dreaded thing anyway, if not alive, then a fake imposter of it; not to mention that all of the tasteless and cheesy Xmas designs seem to incorporate it, adding to the insult.

I love amaryllis though. I remember it from when I was a kid, as the flower to give for the winter season birthdays. People called it "gramophone" back then, I suppose because it resembles an old phonograph a bit. My godfather's family used to grow them for sale, so some leftover bulbs often ended up at our place: amazing when in bloom, incredibly dull for the rest of the season, just like most bulbs. I do like an instant gardening approach to them, buy a bulb, let it bloom, dispose of it; however it is possible to properly grow them indoors. In that case, first thing is selecting a bulb. As with any bulb, everything what a plant is ready to give sits stored in the bulb, so the bigger and healthier it looks, the better it will perform. It is best to plant it in a spacious pot, preferably on a heavy side, because huge and heavy flowers can tilt a plastic pot quite easily over, resulting in an unnecessary mess. Also most of the time the flowers need some support, to prevent them from breaking from their weight. Any kind of light soil can do really, the finer the better and it has to be well draining, because amaryllis do not like to be waterlogged. Once planted they have to be watered till they bloom (i.e. normally watered, not drowned), when flowering is done, flower stalks should be cut down and the plant fertilized repeatedly while it grows its leaves. Fertilizing is very important at this point, because plainly speaking, it is feeding the bulb for the next year. The plants can even be put outdoors at some point, but there it is important to watch the water, because bulbs can rot very quickly in a rainy and cold spell. Somewhere in the summer the watering should gradually decrease to a stop, leaves have to be cut off and bulbs stored in a dry place, for at least 2-3 months, to have a "winter". After that they can be watered again and the whole cycle begins anew.

Another big windowsill favorite these days are orchids, their long lasting blooms being a sure delight for a few winter months. For the fancy flower that they are, they are fairly easy to care for, at least the most common kinds (typical Phalaenopsis for example). Usually they get planted in a mix of a tree bark, charcoal and moss, proportion being something around 3:1:1, in a transparent, well draining pot. Often they are sold in various glasses or glass vases, but apart of the visual appeal that sort of approach is not practical at all. The water cannot drain from the bottom of a glass or vase, making it a huge hassle to water orchid in such planter, and if they get waterlogged, their roots rot away. One of the easiest ways to pot them is to use a random plastic bucket (from a dog food for example, or a storage plastic bins), drill plenty of holes on the bottom (it is easy to make holes in a plastic with a hot rod), and here we go, custom size orchid planter.

Orchids love humidity and warmth, but in the winter that sort of conditions in a normal home usually are achievable only around the heaters, with a big problem of planting mix drying out too quickly. One of the solutions is to put some florist foam in the pot, to have a source of water and nutrients, or place a bowl with water in between the pots, so it can evaporate and moisturize the air a bit. Orchids generally love to be sprayed or misted, and can be fertilized through the leaves. When they need watering, the common approach is to submerge their pots into a bucket with water for about 30 min, so the bark in the pots gets properly soaked. This procedure has to be done 1-2 times a week, depending on how big the pots are and how fast they dry. Also since the last year I also bring my orchids outside for the summer, they seem to like a bit of a fresh air in a dappled shade (they do not like bright sun, neither at home, nor outdoors). I hang their pots among clematis, or in the trees, mimicking their natural growing conditions; while it is not the most decorative sight (at that point they are not in bloom), it seems to be beneficial for them in general. Of course it is important to watch for the frost, and bring orchids inside way before they are in danger; after all, they are tropical plants and our early springs and late autumns are simply too cold for them.