Winter garden against depression

The days may get longer, but the freezing cold and the omnipresence of Omicron sap morale. An antidote? Create your indoor winter garden. Large surfaces, both hardware stores and supermarkets, currently offer a considerable selection of flower pots at good prices. Here are some suggestions for adding color and smells to your interior.

Pierre Gingras
special cooperation

Make the pleasure last

Primroses, tulips, cyclamen, chrysanthemums, calla lilies, azaleas, jasmines, hyacinths, amaryllis, orchids and many more, the choice is vast to bring spring into your home. But before you let yourself be seduced, a few tips.

— Choose a plant whose foliage is very green, a sign of health.

– Buy plants whose flowers are in bud. This will allow you to enjoy longer flowering at home.

— Check if new floral stalks are coming, your floral happiness will be extended accordingly.

— Examine your plant beauty carefully to make sure there are no unwanted critters lurking, such as mealy bugs. Definitely reject.

Hyacinths, tulips and other bulbous plants

Of all the spring bulb plants on offer these days, hyacinths are probably the most interesting. They emit a sweet fragrance, flower for a long time, especially if you have taken care to buy plants in buds, and do not require any special care. For their part, tulips and narcissus, as pretty as they are, will be fully bloomed for ten days at most, much less if the ambient temperature is high. On the other hand, all these plants can easily have a second life. It is enough to maintain them until the moment when the foliage withers. Then let the soil dry. Plant the bulbs in the ground when the good weather returns and wait… for the next spring.

Splendid gerberas

They are wonderful and are among the most popular cut flowers in the world. Impossible not to succumb to their bright colors and their dense flowers 5 to 6 cm in diameter. With minimal care, your plants will produce for several weeks at home. The recipe for success: cool temperature, bright light (avoid direct sun) and sparing watering. Let the soil dry between each watering, as the roots are very susceptible to rot. Cut off faded flowers. Some make them bloom again for years.

Prolific cyclamen

With their abundant and delicate flowers in the shape of pink, red or white butterflies, cyclamen attract attention. Flowering can be spread over several weeks, but the plant can also pass from life to death in a few days due to lack of adequate care. Like many others, it requires bright light and coolness. It declines very quickly following excessive watering. It is usually enough to place the pot in a saucer full of water for a few minutes to quench its thirst. Then dispose of the overflow.

Anthurium: originality and longevity

With its provocative appendage made up of a multitude of tiny flowers, the anthurium stands out for its originality and longevity. It appreciates the winter heat of our apartments, its flowering spreads over time without special care except a regular supply of water.

Azaleas: complicated but rewarding

The florist’s azalea is a shrub with woody stems that is usually sold in small sizes these days. The flowering is abundant in shades of red or pink which emerges from very dark green foliage. It likes freshness, a bright place, but without direct sun and it must be watered regularly. To keep it for a long time, it is advisable to transplant it into a larger pot and into a potting mix with peat moss. In summer, it is placed outside in the shade until mid-September. Lots of care, you might say. A nice challenge: my last specimen was in bloom almost continuously for a year.

The main cause of failure, excess water

The vast majority of flower pots are offered when flowering is at its peak. But this artificially induced beauty is often fleeting at home. Remember, however, that over-watering is the main cause of failure with flowering pots in winter. Always wait until the surface of the soil is dry before watering. It is better to water less than too much. In addition, the cooler the temperature, the better your flowers will be: between 15°C and 20°C. Place the plant near a window as needed to ensure ambient coolness.