I have a great love for plants and gardening! I have succulents, ferns and begonias at work and a large variety of different types of plants at home.
My dream is to one day have two big greenhouses so I can enjoy my plants all year round. I would like one to grow vegetables and fruit in winter and another to house a tropical paradise with seating and water features.
As things are now, I bring my tender plants into the spare room in winter and put them outside again in late spring. This process can be difficult, but I continue to learn and improve my gardening skills with each season, at least in part due to some helpful pointers from library books.
During the summer I ventured into growing dahlias and had mixed success with it. I got several varieties of bulbs and was able to let them grow but not flower. I’m not sure what I did wrong and I looked at the book The Plant Lover’s Guide to Dahlias by Andy Vernon (635.9 VER) but didn’t have a chance to read it thoroughly. I plan to come back to that before I try again this summer.
My tea roses, on the other hand, have thrived and are still blooming indoors. I have a dark red and a light yellow and they bloom consistently all summer. They’ve slowed down a bit now that they’re indoors, but they’re still blooming.
My ginger, mandevilla and tropical hibiscus have slowly stopped blooming but are still green and growing. I can’t wait to get them out again in the spring. Some books I have found useful for roses and houseplants are:
• “Roses from Botanica: Over 1,000 Pages and Over 2,000 Roses Listed” (635.9 BOT)
• “Wild at Home: How to Style and Care for Beautiful Plants” by Hilton Carter (635.965 CAR)
• “The New Parent Plant: Develop Your Green Thumbs and Nurture Your Houseplant Family” by Darryl Cheng (635,965 CHE)
In the meantime I have planted flower bulbs in the house for the winter and spring. I have some amaryllis and tulips. The amaryllis are pretty easy and already growing, but I need to force the tulips to bloom. I put them in the garage cupboard and will be getting them out again at the end of February and planting them in pots. Little did I know they have to sit in the cold for 12-16 weeks before potting.
This year they should bloom in late March-April, but next winter I’ll start them earlier and in stages so I can bloom all winter. I was reviewing a book on tulip care called ‘Bulbs’ by Richard Rosenfeld (635.9 ROS) which I would have liked to have read a bit sooner but the information gathered should improve my tulips next year.
If I ever get to build a greenhouse or two, I’ll have different design ideas depending on whether it’s vegetables or tropical plants. I want to dig the veg a few feet into the ground and cover it with a nice arched top.
My dream tropical greenhouse would be at ground level and made of glass so I could see outside while sitting or working in it. I vacillate between wanting a standard greenhouse and a more charming, unique greenhouse made from old windows and glass doors. A few greenhouse building and growing books to check out are:
• “Greenhouse Vegetable Gardening: Expert Advice on Growing Vegetables, Herbs, and Other Plants” by Inger Palmstierna (PAL 635.0483)
• “The Year Round Solar Greenhouse: How to Design and Build a Net Zero Energy Greenhouse” by Lindsey Schiller (690.8924 SCH)
• “The Complete Guide to DIY Greenhouses” by Cool Springs Press (690.8924 COM)
• “Orthos All About Greenhouses” by Ortho Books (635.98 ORT)
Those interested in learning about gardening and greenhouses can go to the library’s website at library.stillwater.org, click the Catalog tab, and enter keywords such as “garden,” “bulbs,” “greenhouse,” and “houseplants.” Your search can be even more specific to include the types of items you want to grow.
If you’re not quite sure what you’re looking for, browsing can be a great way to get inspiration. Dewey section 635 contains gardening books of all kinds and in the 690s you will find building projects (like greenhouses).
Happy gardening! Also, don’t forget that the library is closed for Christmas on December 25th and 26th.
