OLSON GARDENS XIII - INDOOR GARDENING WITH TROPICAL PLANTS -By Lorelie Olson -

Since high school botany class I have been fascinated by plants, but was not able to indulge my gardening interests until we bought our first home. When winter weather discouraged outdoor gardening I began to see the possibilities of indoor gardens and decorating with tropical plants. Come inside our Everett home and meet my favorites!

ANTHURIUMS THRIVE

I always visit the floral department of any grocery store to enjoy the flowering plants on display! Through the years I have learned which plants will thrive at home, and what criteria will lead to my purchase. I look for tropical plants needing low humidity, moderate light, and little fertilizing, watering, or grooming. Bonus features are seasonal flowers and/or interesting shapes. Anthuriums (believe it!) do it all! I buy at least a 6 inch pot for best roots, or combine small plants in a bigger pot.

EXPERIMENTS WITH PLANTS

In addition to anthuriums, I have experimented with gardenias and orchids; the gardenia plants always died, but one of the gift orchids is still alive and well after two years, and even re-bloomed! My dwarf palm continues steady, slow growth in its spot in the garden entry room, and the mandeville vine that bloomed profusely outside this summer is now sporting new leaves by the living room window; it will move outside again this summer, however, to bloom again.

ORCHID

DWARF PALM

MANDEVILLE VINE

MANDEVILLE FLOWER

DRAMATIC PLANTS

The plants grouped by the window include dracenas, which provide unique sculptural shapes. I received one as a house warming gift a few years ago, and divided it into two plants when it outgrew the original pot. I am waiting for a new flower to appear someday, but the leaves are healthy and just need occasional trimming, so the plants provide a nice accent in the entry and living room. The dracenas are so dramatic and easy to care for that I bought another variety which had striped leaves; it too outgrew its pot within the first year!

DRACENAS

INDOOR SUCCULENTS

A gift jade plant has thrived for several years, and inspired me to buy another type of indoor succulent; so I became interested in kalanchoes, which were readily available and inexpensive at grocery stores. Although my plants are now dormant, they were covered with white or red flowers during blooming season, and the red flowering plant was especially festive at Christmas.