Green Up!

By: Rachel Tanis

It’s here. The first snowflakes of the season are falling this evening. Don’t get me wrong. I am not the least bit depressed about it. While I generally enjoy their arrival more when they come after Halloween, seeing the glistening white diamond chips free fall from the sky tends to brighten my mood. Until February that is, when my patience for the season has run out. I’m ready for a break. I want to plant a garden. I want to be reassured that the lawn hasn’t frozen solid and completely vanished. I want to know that the groundhog hasn’t died of hypothermia. There’s a way around the winter blues though, and it begins with a little prep work in the fall.

Nothing cheers up the drab winter doldrums like the smell of live plants. They even make the air better in your house while it’s locked up for the winter. Growing plants indoors is not as difficult as you might think. Whether you own a home or are living on campus, adding a greenhouse is an easy way to brighten the space. Choose herbs or even vegetables for added nutritional benefit. Strawberries also grow well indoors. But all of these sensitive plants need heat and sunlight, so it is important to carefully construct a home for them that will provide both. You can do this by adding an eco-friendly “plant light” or “greenhouse light.” For information on the many types and sizes, click here. For an especially unique idea, trying growing citrus trees indoors. You can buy most citrus plants in a dwarf or miniature version. These small versions produce tiny, more intensely flavored fruits. Some trees – like lemon and lime – will produce fruits very similar to those that you see in the market. For more information on growing citrus plants indoors, click here.

If you’d rather grow ornamental plants, check out some of the more hardy indoor options. Smith & Hawken’s selection of beautiful flowering plants provides ideas and options for what you can grow indoors.

If you wish that you could spend your winters in a warmer climate, indulge day-dreaming by potting up a chamaedorea palm. The palm plant is reminiscent of those in southern locales, like Savannah or Key West.

Don’t let the winter blahs get you down. Plan ahead now and delight your senses all season long with fresh foliage. All the green is bound to cheer you up!