Most animals are smarter than we give them credit, including wild turkeys near our country home. The temperature was -26 degrees F. this morning. These turkeys break their daily pattern on worn trails through fields on cold, snowy days. They walk on less vehicle-traveled roads instead of slogging through snow. You came to Plant Exchange on the … Continue reading
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Regional Plant-Related Event
Virtual Siouxland Garden Show Friday, February 19th at 10:00am (central) and 3:00pm (central) Through Friday, March 26th at 10:00am (central) and 3:00pm (central) Go to www.siouxlandgardenshow.org or or call 712.276.2157 for more information and a weekly listing of topics and speakers. Sessions on Facebook and YouTube Sponsors : Iowa State University Extension, Woodbury County and University of Nebraska Extension
Recharge Garden Interest
At Plant Exchange blog, we depend on a few indoor plants to recharge our interest for next season’s gardening. Amaryllis is an easy-care plant with its battery to supply kick-start energy for the plant to grow and bloom. Amaryllis bulb in its native Africa comes to life with spring rains, has 2-5 sparkling blooms for … Continue reading
Garden Bloggers Bloom Day- January 15th
Welcome to Plant Exchange blog and the snowy north. Gusting winds of 36 miles per hour and light snow make commutes more difficult today due to snow drifting and white-outs, and icy roads. But most days, the winter has been mild, allowing for invigorating walks. Wildlife such as deer and turkeys are on the go … Continue reading
Three Easy-Care Houseplants
Adequate quality light in winter is necessary for healthy houseplants. In this USDA 4-5a growing zone on the Northern Plains, lack of satisfactory light quality indoors can be a problem. Choosing plants with a tolerance to lower light increases the chance they can adapt to the indirect winter sunlight they receive. These houseplants can be … Continue reading
Versatile Boston Fern
Boston or Sword Fern is a familiar light shade porch plant in summer. It grows well in a container, and its 3-foot arching fronds move in the breeze. While some treat it as an annual to buy and discard each year, it adapts well to bring it indoors as an easy-care house plant. A friend … Continue reading
Almost Missed It
In the middle of the growing season, when container sunflowers on the deck look as beautiful as these, it would be easy to miss a not-so-showy failsafe of Nature. When we think of a flower’s role in plant longevity, producing seeds come to mind. Then we look for friendly pollinators that help make that happen. … Continue reading
Garden Bloggers Bloom Day– December 15th
We can find reassurance that our world will be OK in many ways. One way is to establish a quiet, comfortable place to read. Plant companions are of your choice. These camellias provide the light fragrance, deep evergreen shiny foliage, and blooms that continue for a month or more. Up close, the common hardy Camellia japonica shrub … Continue reading
How Does a Winter-Flowering Plant Make Seed?
Camellias are introduced plants from Japan and nearby Asian countries that have adapted well in the Southeast United States for more than a hundred years. In the south, camellias bloom in the fall or winter or early spring, sometimes before bulb plants. In nature, not many plants bloom at this time. Camellias are shrubs with … Continue reading
Decorate for the Holidays with your Plants
We can create our home version of “Holiday Beautiful” with the plants around us from the growing season. Sometimes ornamental grasses have a second life. It continues to move in the wind as a dried plant in winter. Lights add a festive look at night. Eastern red cedar boughs, some with green berries, stay fresh … Continue reading
