University of Vermont Extension
Department of Plant and Soil Science
Winter News
Article
GIFT BASKETS AND OTHER
DECEMBER GARDENING TIPS
Charlie Nardozzi, Senior
Horticulturist
National Gardening
Association, and
Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension
Professor
University of Vermont
Assembling a gardening gift basket,
adding greenery in pots outdoors, and caring for cyclamen are some
gardening
activities for this month.
What gardener on your list wouldn't
appreciate a decorative basket or pot filled with handy gardening
items? Plus they're fun to put together. Some items to consider
are pruners, an ergonomic trowel, fragrant soap, hand lotion, seeds,
plant tags,
paper white narcissus bulbs, and decorative stones.
The faux clay pots made of insulated
plastic are handy for adding a touch of greenery next to your front
door, as are hanging baskets. Use a 12- or 14-inch size pot
or larger, and fill with old soil, peat moss, or whatever material you
have on
hand that will anchor branches. Prune some branches off evergreen trees
and
shrubs to use in the container, adding other greens and berries from
local nurseries or florists, and some tiny white lights. Branches
of holly berries add color until they freeze and turn black. Some faux
branches of
berries look remarkably real, and who's going to know when they are
covered
with a dusting of snow.
To make a new African violet,
cut a leaf from the mother plant with about an inch of the leaf stem
(petiole).
Fill a small pot with bagged potting mix or a mixture of sand and
vermiculite. Poke a hole in the mix with a pencil and insert the stem
so that
the leaf itself
is at the soil surface. Cover the pot with a perforated clear plastic
bag and
keep the soil moist. In about a month, new leaves should be visible at
the juncture
of the leaf and stem and you can pot this new plant in soil suitable
for African
violets.
Cyclamen like it cool -- right
next to the heater isn't an ideal location. The small tuber is
susceptible to rotting so if you have the time, water by submerging
the pot in a bowl of water until the soil takes up enough moisture,
then
remove. Otherwise,
water slowly so it seeps in and doesn't sit on the tuber. As flowers
and
foliage fade, you can give the plant a rest by withholding water and
keeping it in a cool, dark location until new
growth begins.
Feel the soil of your
houseplants. When it's dry an inch or so
deep, apply enough water so it comes out the bottom drainage hole. The
larger
the pot, the longer you can wait in between watering. If you have a
fireplace, you may have to
water small pots every couple of days. Humidifiers are very beneficial
for
plants, and for us. Even setting plants
on a tray of pebbles, kept moist, will help them.
Many houseplants, including
palms and cyclamen, are attacked by spider mites this time of year.
They are
microscopic creatures that suck plant juices, causing the leaves to
look speckled or silvery. To scout for these pests, mist the plants
lightly; if
mites are present, the water droplets will cling to the mites' fine
webbing. Control them
by misting plants daily to keep the humidity high (spider mites love
dryness) and
by spraying plants with insecticidal soap.
Return to Perry's Perennial
Pages, Articles 