Welcome to Plant Exchange Blog, USDA Zone 4b-5a, on the Northern Plains. It’s 10 degrees F. this morning with prairie breezes, brief snow showers, and an occasional ground blizzard. Indoors it’s warm and sunny. Our growing amaryllis is a promise of spring just as we near the midpoint of winter. Once blooming, it responds well … Continue reading
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For You, Reader
Holiday wishes of opportunity and good fortune for all. Thank you, readers, for showing up this year! Thanks to all the contributors that make reading the Plant Exchange blog worthwhile.
Garden Bloggers Bloom Day– November 15th
Welcome to Plant Exchange Blog on the Northern Plains, USDA zone 4b-5a. High temperature on this sunny day is expected to be under 60 degrees F and below freezing tonight. We’ve had the first snowfall. Tree leaves are discolored, dry and are falling. Indoors, our houseplants supply welcome green. Potted Camellia japonicas are in full … Continue reading
Change of Season
First frost reminds us that change of season is underway. Some leaves have fallen and others are changing colors in this last half of October. A few houseplants return directly indoors. This potted camelia already began blooming outdoors under the magnolia tree where it spent the summer. Some other kinds of camelia will bloom later and are … Continue reading
An Indoor Accent Plant–Fiddle Leaf Fig
Houseplants dress our homes like containers of flowers highlight an area or echo a theme outdoors. Trees and shrubs may be the anchors in an outdoor room, but indoors, large plants can assume that role. Fiddle Leaf fig (Ficus lyrata) can be the anchor for a room full of houseplants. Welcome to Plant Exchange Blog. … Continue reading
Add to Enjoyment With Plants
Evergreens planted so you can see them from indoors, like this upright mugo pine Pinus mugo ‘Tannenbaum’, are a pleasing contrast on a snowy day. Today we’ll consider a few common indoor plants that flourish in enough sunlight on the Northern Plains. Boston fern stays full and green in a Southern exposure. It receives a … Continue reading
Days of Solitude
One of the features of the Northern Plains is days of solitude. I started a stroll around the yard, feeling the burden of a snowy day. There lay the outline of yarrow in snow I had hadn’t noticed all winter. Silent birdhouse by one of the deer trails. Snow is heavy on the spruce, but … Continue reading
Gardening Can Be Unpredictable
Welcome to Plant Exchange where we try to garden but it doesn’t always work out! It’s the middle of April, and the spring weather is unsettled. Below is an idea which the writer implemented in mid-March. She planted three pots and waited. Crunchy pod snow peas are a favorite, but getting the garden ready soon … Continue reading
What’s Happening At Des Moines Botanical Garden?
A reason to visit the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, is that its outdoor gardens grow many of the same trees, shrubs and perennials that are found in this region. Des Moines is rated USDA Zone 5a and 5b and has an average of 9 more inches of rain each year and a somewhat less … Continue reading
Favorite Begonia Houseplant
Thanks for visiting our weekly Plant Exchange Blog. We hope you’ll enjoy this topic and will find many others of interest. Thank you for “Likes” and our loyal “Followers.” A plant needs to stand out from others to be a favorite here at Plant Exchange. This Begonia acetosa has shiny green leaves with red undersides. … Continue reading
