greenhouse adventures

The greenhouse is usually a welcome respite in the gardening adventures of winter. But this mild winter it hasn't been nearly as necessary. Regardless, I'm trying my hand at growing indoor plants and rooting shrubs. The top image is of an asparagus fern (Asparagus densiflorus) flowering! The images below are of my dogwood rooting project.

Asparagus fern is a fantastic warm season container plant which will do well in partial shade to full sun situations. It is related to the favorite spring time vegetable and prefers moist, well-drained, fertile soil. This is a great plant for indoor and outdoor applications, serving as a wonderful foil to a variety of summer annuals, or stealing the show in a pot by itself.

During the holidays, part of an indoor flower arrangement placed near a window began to sprout. I removed the sprouting twigs from the floral foam, removed any flowers and reduced them to 5” cuttings, dipped them in rooting powder, and placed them in potting soil in the greenhouse. After a few weeks, two of the cuttings are not only alive, but pushing new growth!

I’m fairly certain this is Redosier Dogwood (Cornus sericea). Which is a native large shrub/small tree whose red stems are used in the floral industry. Cuttings of this plant will flower in water and root well with a hormone treatment, though best success is generally achieved in warmer months. 

containing winter

"Every season hath its pleasures;
Spring may boast her flowery prime,

Yet the vineyard's ruby treasures

Brighten Autumn's soberer time."

--Thomas Moore, Spring and Autumn

(bold mustard leaves make a statement in the above container planting;

with coral bells, pansies, fern, and acorus)

Just last week I picked the final green tomatoes and jalapenos from the garden, just before the first frost. Despite this later than usual frost, there are still petunias blooming with mums and pansies on the front porch. The parsley and cilantro are still growing strong, and the lettuce has re-seeded itself.

Most garden centers are now discounting winter annuals and bulbs and I recently picked up some orange violas and ‘Bright Lights’ Swiss Chard for my blue glazed planter. Accompanied by the changing yellow-orange leaves of the Spirea, it is a striking combination. I’ve also included spring-blooming Grape Hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum) bulbs in my containers this year.

The conventional “thriller, filler, spiller” ideal in container gardening for year-round enjoyment can be simple to achieve. I suggest the following fool-proof recipe as a perennial backbone to which annuals can be added:

1. Thriller: Autumn Fern (Dryopteris erythrosora) and or Sweetflag (Acorus)
2. Filler: Coral bells (Heuchera)
3. Spiller: Sedum and/or Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia)

With appropriate moisture, this combination can work well in the shade, partial shade, and sun. This provides an evergreen and tardily deciduous framework to which you can add coleus, sweet potato vine, petunias, pansies, vincas, or violas depending on the season, size, and exposure. Best effect is achieved with 3-5 different plants.