Don’t let chilly climate hold you from gifting a flowering plant

I want to purchase some flowering vegetation within the coming weeks for my residence in addition to for presents to convey to mates. How can I achieve success with the chilly climate?

— David Kim, River Forest

Flowering vegetation comparable to azalea, kalanchoe, cyclamen and amaryllis are good presents to provide through the winter. Choose vegetation which can be free from spots on the leaves, bruising, wilting, or browned leaf margins. Search for vegetation with flowers which can be partially open or with plenty of buds so you’re going to get an extended interval of coloration. Vegetation with flowers which can be utterly open won’t final as lengthy in your house. Generally it’s possible you’ll discover them on sale, so choose accordingly on the worth you obtain for the worth and the decreased flowering time.

The flowers can even last more in a cool room with temperatures within the low 60s and refrained from cold and warm drafts. Typically, hold these vegetation in shiny mild for greatest efficiency and hold them evenly moist however not ever waterlogged. The pots ought to have a gap within the backside for drainage. There isn’t any have to fertilize. Most individuals take into account these vegetation to be non permanent and can discard them as soon as the flowering is full.

It is extremely essential to guard the vegetation from chilly winter temperatures when bringing them residence. Most backyard facilities wrap vegetation to guard them from chilly temperatures. In the event that they don’t, make sure you ask them to wrap the vegetation. Wrapping the vegetation additionally protects them in opposition to breakage. Ensure the vegetation are positioned in a steady location in your automobile whereas transporting them residence. If you happen to plan to move a number of vegetation, use a field to hold them. When bringing vegetation residence in a automobile, the automobile needs to be heat earlier than placing vegetation in it, particularly if out of doors temperatures are under freezing.

Vegetation ought to by no means be transported in a chilly trunk or be allowed to sit down in a chilly automobile for any size of time, so make your plant purchases the final cease of the day. The vegetation ought to stay wrapped for not more than 24 hours. Open the highest to permit the vegetation to get air if they’ll be wrapped for an prolonged interval. To unwrap a plant, it’s best to set the plant on a steady floor and thoroughly tear or reduce the wrapper from the underside up. Don’t try to tug the wrapper off the plant, as you threat breaking stems, flowers, and leaves. Foil pot wrappers are enticing, however needs to be eliminated at any time when the plant is watered in order that the plant doesn’t sit in water. It’s a good suggestion to place a saucer beneath the plant whether it is on a wooden floor to keep away from water harm. Terra cotta saucers beneath pots can exude moisture and discolor wooden surfaces beneath them.

For extra plant recommendation, contact the Plant Info Service on the Chicago Botanic Backyard at plantinfo@chicagobotanic.org. Tim Johnson is senior director of horticulture on the Chicago Botanic Backyard.