I see winter as a respite from the garden, a brief interval between the cleaning of flower borders, final gathering of crops, and the starting of seeds for the new season. I love having a few months--and it is a very few, between mid November and early February, when I start onion seeds––without a garden chore. So, the only plants I have indoors during winter are the two large pots in the two south facing living room windows, one with a rosemary plant, the other a geranium. Both come in from the summer porch when frosts threaten and go out again in spring. They are harbingers of longer days: the rosemary is flowering and the geranium will begin showing its deep red blossoms as the day length increases.
I'm impressed that you can keep a rosemary going. I've tried it with no success.
ReplyDeleteI had a friend whose mother (age 90+) grew fantastic begonias and Martha Washington geraniums. We all said that was the secret: you had to be at least 90 years old!
I think I've gone through at least 4 rosemary plants since I moved here 15 years ago, Linda. They do ok for a while, then give up the ghost. It seems to help having the plant in a plastic pot so the moisture is held in the soil. In spring, I cut the plant back, both leaf and root, put new soil around it and put it back in the same pot. This method has kept this plant alive for a few years.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree there's a special secret with age, or with grandmothers. My father's mother was a genius with gardenias.
I love Linda's grandmother's little "secret." That is so sweet (and probably very true!)! :) I, too, am impressed that you can winter over your geraniums. I don't seem to have a problem with the rosemary, as it grows all winter long here. I cannot seem to keep my geraniums going, though, once I move them indoors. Perhaps the central air is too dry for them? Maybe I should try to mist them more??
ReplyDeletehmmm, I don't think geraniums like a lot of moisture, J.R. I keep mine in a clay pot and water once a week if they've dried out. Are yours getting enough light? I have to admit that I don't keep them more than a year or so; when I put them back outdoors in spring, they seem to get too leggy and don't flower well, so I dump them on the compost pile and put 2 new 4-inch-pot plants into the 10 inch pot.
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm impressed to see the blossoms on the rosemary. I can't seem to keep rosemary, but my geraniums are from the house before this...15 years!
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