Thoughtful musings on various topics by interesting people at Blithewold
Holiday houseplants
Given how many wonderful winter-blooming houseplants there are in the world, I find it sort of astonishing that poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is listed as the best selling houseplant in the US and Canada. But I suppose … Read more.
Valentine’s Day roundup
I don’t know about you but another dumping of winter white that turned almost immediately to slushy gray has my eyes crying out for spring. As luck would have it (and by luck I mean … Read more.
Tallying up
Gail and I have spent the last couple of weeks going through catalogs, engaging in deep discussions about next year’s dream gardens and making endless wishlists. Now it’s time to tally up. We are allotted … Read more.
Understanding amaryllis
I have had a mental block about proper amaryllis care. I have read all of the advice I could find and remained deeply confused. For years. And I think I just figured out why. No … Read more.
Heavy lifting
Physical labor was one of the first things that drew me to gardening. — Back when I was 18 and restless from so much sitting in school and studying. (Do most people take up jogging … Read more.
Partly springy
Given that I lost patience with winter way back in December, I’m pretty excited to notice that despite weekly storms and another overnight icing of a wintery mix, spring is starting to win the tug … Read more.
Merry Christmas cactus
I can’t imagine any other plant that embodies the abundance and exuberant excess of the holidays quite like a Schlumbergera. Blithewold’s recently gifted Thanksgiving/Christmas cactus in particular maybe — though I did hear that it … Read more.
Good grooming
I know there are people in the world who think that houseplants/indoor gardens are messy pains in the nether regions, but I kind of love that about them. They provide just what I need to … Read more.
Small delights
Right at the cusp of a season full of overwhelming delights, I discovered a teeny-tiny one. It’s a very small thing but for me, it was kind of huge. Ever since I found out that … Read more.
Limbo
Given that March felt like May and April felt a little like July, it’s been really hard not to move everything outside and start planting annuals and tomatoes as if it’s safe. But then didn’t … Read more.
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