Publisher's Note

Publisher’s Note
It was 22 years ago when I arrived in Canada and chose Calgary, Alberta to be my home. Leaving my family and friends behind, it was a new adventure for me to be in a new country without knowing anyone. That was the time I looked for a Filipino community paper and never found any, [...]
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Page added on November 22, 2010

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GARDENER’S CORNER – Plants to Grow Indoors

Gardening has slowed to a trickle outside but there’s a whole array of plants that can adorn your window sills, nooks and plant stands in side. I’m sure that you’ve walked into some office or home and there stands an elegant fern or palm, well you can grow them in your own home . Most garden centers carry starter plants in 2-3 inches pots priced for about 3-5 dollars, depending on size. Most house plants need light but not direct sunlight, the choices are endless. There are plants with bushy foliage, plants with colourful leaves, plants with patterned leaves, trialing foliage plants, leafy climbers and ivies. Also available are flowers of the desert, tall growing cacti, forest cacti and some very unusual succulents. If you have a sunny location a hibiscus will just bloom in glorious huge blossoms. Also a colourful family of plants is the African violets, gloxinia is another easy plant to grow on your window sill. During the winter months many kinds of primulas are available, including the traditional poinsettia. For hanging planters fuchsias are my favourite, few plants can compete with them for ease of flowering. When your indoor plants have matured try your hand at starting cuttings . The plant you wish to propagate by cuttings, select a branch that is still in good live growth, snipe off just below the fourth set of leaves, close to the joint where the leaves branch out . Snipe off the lower leaves put the stem into a damp growing medium of one part each of sand, peat moss and compost. Put a plastic bag over the pot to keep the soil moisture locked in. Keep out of direct sunlight. In a few weeks roots should be spreading into the growing medium, then the plastic bag can be removed. For cacti if a section breaks off set it in a pot of the same medium but do not cover. Moisten soil once every 2 weeks or so. I’ve started Xmas cactus in this way. When your Xmas cactus gets established and starts to developed buds , do not move, it will drop it’s buds. Direct sunlight is not required, but good light is necessary

I have a hanging Glory Bower, for about 15 years now ,and when the leaves start to drop off I prune it back about 50%. New shoots branch out and then it breaks out in a mass of white and red flowers . Gardening need not stop for winter , try your hand at something different, you will be pleasantly surprised.

Happy gardening

H Kriaski